Muscogee-Creek Nation planned to destroy five huge museum models

Image Above: This is a model of Etowah Mounds in Cartersville, GA as it appeared around 1350 AD. The model is 6 ft. x 8 ft. For over a decade, the model sat in a place of honor under the Great Seal of the Muscogee-Creek Nation. Fortunately, it survived plans to have it be beaten to pieces with sledge hammers by some Oklahoma political extremists.

My contacts with the MCN began at Ocmulgee Mounds, when six members of the Muscogee Creek National Council noticed that I was obviously Creek and asked me if I would be willing to do architectural research for their tribe.

These five large architectural models were constructed in the early 21st century to remind Oklahoma Creeks and Seminoles that they were descended from advanced civilizations in Mexico and the Southeastern United States. Many months of research occurred prior to their construction.

The models are far more accurate than the artistic fantasies, seen in Wikipedia, because they were literally constructed on top of site plans, prepared by professional archaeologists, augmented by infrared scans and high resolution satellite imagery.

The five models were to be violently broken into pieces then dumped at a land fill near Okmulgee, OK. This travesty was prevented by some sane MCN citizens, who hid the models in a privately-owned warehouse. At some time in the future, they will be displayed in public view at a new museum, planned in Oklahoma that will operated by MCN citizens, but not owned by the tribal or state governments.

This insane manifestation of anti-intellectualism was a direct response to videos that I created to promote my skills in historic preservation to university architecture programs and museums. Four of these videos are presented below. Apparently, MCN officials never saw these videos, but were merely bowing to political pressure from white boss hogs in Oklahoma.

by Richard L. Thornton, Architect & City Planner

An amusing book was published in the mid-19th century Antebellum South. It is entitled, “The Early History of Methodism in Georgia.” It starts with the Wesley Brothers being brought to the Colony of Georgia in 1736 to be missionaries to the Indians. Actually, the Rev. John Wesley only preached once to the Indians . . . at the Creek town of Palachicola . . . some of my Creek ancestors were there . . . but the sermon was a complete flop. After the sermon, my ancestors asked Wesley why he was there. They were already Christians, but preferred to worship out in the open air.

The theme of Wesley’s sermons was that the Creeks needed to build churches in order to be saved. Ironically, back in England, John Wesley flipped 180 degrees and became known for preaching in the open air.

The Apalachete Creeks were converted to Protestant Christianity by survivors of Fort Caroline in the late 1560s! Charles Wesley tried to preach to the Cherokees, but couldn’t find any in Georgia, so he preached to the Uchees in what is now Rabun County, GA! That sermon was also a dud.

The book then describes how the Wesleys and some other young turk Anglican ministers in England founded the Methodist Society, which after the American Revolution became the Methodist Church.

The author briefly described one of Georgia’s indigenous tribes, the Creeks, but left out the Uchee, Chickasaw and coastal tribes. He also mentioned the Cherokee, who did not arrive in Georgia until after the American Revolution. He described the Cherokee as “good Indians, who supported the Christian institution of slavery and meekly left Georgia, when asked to.” About us, he wrote, “The Creeks are an insolent and stubborn people. They are so ignorant that they refuse to acknowledge the natural superiority of white people. Georgia is blessed to be rid of them.”

Fact Check: Over 20,000 especially cunning and stubborn Creeks never left Georgia in the 1820s! Their descendants are still very much here and just as stubborn as ever. The Eastern Creeks and Seminoles will fight a war until they win it and are quite intolerant of ignorant bullies.

Oklahoma Creek sculptor & builder – Dan Brook ~ Georgia Creek Architect – Richard Thornton

A source of pride for Georgians visiting Oklahoma

The large town models were built during 2005 through 2008. The Trail of Tears Memorial was designed jointly by Dan and I in 2008 and early 2009. It contains building materials from both Oklahoma and Georgia. The monument was constructed entirely by Dan Brook. Yes, really! I tossed out three sets of obviously rigged bids. Oklahoma contractors were accustomed to “pork-bellying” state-funded projects. The Oklahoma Centennial Commission then asked Dan to build it and he did a magnificent job.

In the years since then, I have repeatedly received flattering phone calls and emails from Georgians, who viewed the models and monument. They were very proud that a Georgia Creek architect was involved with these projects. They were puzzled why all of my museum models were in states other than Georgia. I told them that it was because I was not a Party Member. They didn’t understand. LOL

Earlier this year, a delegation of Georgians were invited to Ocmulgee as guests Several of the people had heard about the models and monument, so were looking forward to photographing them. After returning back to Georgia, they contacted me.

The models were nowhere to be seen and the MCN employees acted really weird when asked about the models or when my name was mentioned in connection with the Trail of Tears monument. The Etowah Model had sat under the Seal of the Creek Nation in the rotunda of the Mound Building for over a decade, but their tour guide claimed to know nothing about it.

I repeatedly tried to find out what was going on. No Muscogee Creek Nation official would answer my phone call, return my phone call or answer my email. I tracked down an Oklahoma Creek professor, who had spent two weeks at my home in Jasper, GA during the summer of 2008. She was now remarried and teaching at the University of New Mexico. She said that the models were there as long as she was teaching at the University of Oklahoma, but the MCN was already becoming entwined with partisan politics.

The professor said that things started getting weird at the MCN in 2012, when the “Maya in Georgia” thing was being fanned. All the administrators, who had helped stop the sale of Etowah Mounds to a private developer . . . who also was major Republican donor . . . were suddenly fired.

A group of professors came from Georgia and Alabama to tell the Creeks what our history was. This lovely sociologist was an expert on the family life of the Creek People, but was not invited to speak. They seemed to think that Creeks were mentally incapable of obtaining a PhD. When she mentioned my name to them, they turned red-faced and went ballistic.

She said that she let them go on and on about what a terrible person I was, until they switched from telling how crazy I was to exclaiming that I was also a sexual pervert, who preys on children. She said, “I told them that such things were very rare among the Creeks, but common among Cherokees. Besides, Richard is a great kisser and fun to snuggle with. I would have never guessed!” She laughed, “Richard, you should have seen the looks on their faces! They never had anything else to do with me, ever since then.”

The sociology professor said that soon thereafter the staff at the MCN were issued a memo telling them not to have anything to do with me. They described me as a “White man trying to change Creek history, who claims that the Mayas built all of our Creek towns.“

At that point, she didn’t know what to think, so took a DNA test. Low and behold, all of her Native American DNA was from southern Mexico! She was a Maya herself.

She said that things got really weird at the Muscogee Creek Nation and Oklahoma, in general, during the Trump administration. She took a teaching position in New Mexico and soon married a professor, who was member of one of the Pueblo tribes. They were very happy.

MCN 2012 – “Mr. Thornton is a white man, trying to steal the Muskogee-Creek People’s history!”

Promoting professional services

In 2017, the Travel Channel purchased the premier of “America Unearthed” from the History Channel and began broadcasting it daily. Immediately, my book sales jumped 10-fold. I suddenly had great credibility in Georgia and the archaeologists here looked like fools. It was obvious, that I would soon be able to buy a house.

Once in a decent house, I planned to build up my professional practice again. I created three videos and posted them on YouTube. They focused on historic preservation, museum model building and Pre-Columbian architecture. I mailed links to the videos to several universities and museums.

A former dean of the Georgia Tech College of Architecture called me up one day and asked if I would be interested to joining the faculty to teach historic preservation and Pre-Columbian architecture. I said, “YES!” He said that no one on the faculty had the extensive experience in restoring really old buildings like I did. What they called “historic preservation” was remodeling a 1920s house. He asked me to send him a resume.

The dean then called me back and asked me if I would also like to teach urban design. No urban designer on the faculty had designed a project that had actually been built. I had huge projects like Midtown Atlanta and Asheville that had been underway for four decades. He then asked if I would be willing to give two or three paid lectures to the architecture and planning students. I said yes again.

Then, the College of Architecture stopped communicating with me and the Dean would not come to the phone. Eventually, a retired Civil Engineering professor-friend of mine was able to determine that the Habersham County Sheriff’s Dept. called up the Dean and lied. (as usual) They said that I had been convicted several times of sexual assault of college coeds. Say what?

Back in the 1990s . . . My French soulmate, Vivi, got a diploma from the Ecole de Cordon Bleu, while we were together and later, Julie the Sumatran piano teacher got an MS in Music Education, while we were dating. All of us were very much grown up adults with children at the time.

The Tama model was based on drawings by William Bartram

The truth comes out

My friend in the past contacted me this past week. She gave me the name of a highly respected leader of the Oklahoma Creeks, who now retired. She thought that he would be honest with me.

I then called him. All that I know about the situation is what he told me. In addition to the idiocy of trying to destroy the models, MCN officials are now trying to drive out or fire staff members, who are not Trump supporters or else have postgraduate degrees. This is all surprising to me, since traditionally most Oklahoma tribes avoided getting involved with partisan politics and were proud of their members, who achieved postgraduate or professional degrees.

Now you know!

Here are some other models that I built for the MCN and Citizen Potawatomi Tribe. My understanding is that the two Potawatomi models were destroyed the same year that the MCN planned to destroy theirs. Whatever the case, they no longer are visible in photos of the Potawatami Museum.

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