[2][3] The John Ross House is located near Rossville's downtown, on the south side of a lane joining Andrew Street and East Lake Avenue.

[3] According to legend, the house was built near Missionary Ridge in 1797 by John McDonald, a Scots immigrant to the area who had married a Cherokee woman.

McDonald's grandson, John Ross, inherited the land where the house was built in 1809 from his uncle, William Shorey.

Ross was a leading figure in the adoption of the Cherokee Constitution of 1827, and represented the tribe in its unsuccessful legal efforts to retain its lands.

The Ross House is one of the oldest in the area, having survived the American Civil War, in which it was used as a hospital by both sides.