Take 32173 little river road, which used to be rr grade out of townsend to the elkmont campground turnoff. Having spent the first 23 summers of my life camping at elkmont, this book is like. Its only seven miles from gatlinburg, tennessee, but here youll find a slice of peaceful history. Sage of the smokies natural history kindle edition by mcmahan, f. Elkmont, tennessee little river in elkmontelkmont is situated in a narrow but relatively flat valley created by the junction of little river and jakes creek. Historic elkmont in great smoky mountains national park. The book is a mix of his biography and a bit of history. The little river lumber company clear cut almost all the land drained by the little river, which is most of the tennessee side of the great smoky mountains. Take 32173 little river road, which used to be rr grade out. View all hotels near elkmont ghost town on tripadvisor. The book documents a great many of the great smoky mountains elkmont regions houses. Tennessee has become one of the most popular states in the nation for outdoor activities, thanks to the beautiful stretch of the mississippi river, the valleys and gorges of the cumberland plateau, and the craggy mountain peaks of the great smoky mountains. Selected fulltext books and articles separate peoples, one land. Structures at cades cove, roaring fork, the noah ogle place, and elkmont.
Elkmonts uncle lem ownby east tennessee historical society. The elkmont tn ghost town in the smoky mountains is a spot everyone. The quaint, resortlike village of gatlinburg, nestled in the mountains of east tennessee, is known for its beautiful scenery, great shopping, as well as its colorful history. Drive west of sugarlands visitor center for about five miles. The famed great smoky mountain national park is known around the world for its incredible forests and peaceful, calming rivers. The elkmont campground, once the site of the elkmont logging camp and the little river railroad, adjoins the elkmont historic district and offers traditional outdoor camping. Lost communities of sevier county, tennessee sevierville, tenn sevierville heritage. List of books and articles about tennessee history. I love these moderately short, pictorial history books. As i have read many books about the prepark, i was able to use this book to assemble more puzzle pieces and connect more dots about who lived where and married whom where they travelled.
Today, elkmont is home to a large campground, ranger station, and historic district maintained by the great smoky mountains national park. Elkmont historic district gatlinburg, tennessee atlas. Among the valleys early residents were david ownby, whose descendants still live in the smoky mountains, and jacob hauser, who lent his name to the idyllic stream called jakes creek. Elkmont great smoky mountains national park elkmont. Discover elkmont historic district in gatlinburg, tennessee. Historic cabins in elkmont ghost town now open after. For additional information, contact the church at 8654281881. Beginning as a rough and tumble logging town, elkmont gradually evolved into a haven for the socially prominent and wealthy members of knoxville, maryville, and chattanooga. Probably the most popular tennessee ghost town, elkmont is located in the great smoky mountains. The ghost town of elkmont, tennessee dates all the way back to the early days of the booming lumber trade at the turn of the century. The elkmont area of the great smoky mountains national park is located in the tennessee smokies between the gatlinburg sugarlands area and the townsend tremont area of the gsmnp at 2,220 feet of elevation.
It was named for the numerous elk which once inhabited the area. In fantastic shape, you can still visit the graveyard and hotel, as well as deserted vacation homes and the old hunting lodge. We personally assess every book s quality and offer rare, outofprint treasures. A look back at life on little river in the great smoky. Apr 24, 2020 explore kvance369s board elkmont,great smoky mts. Join us to celebrate the publication of elkmonts uncle lem sage of the smokies by f. Very near the ghost town community of cades cove that is also a part of the park service. Very interesting and informative book about elkmont, tennessee. Chapman, who put the idea into motion, lobbying along with. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading elkmonts uncle lem ownby. The minds of cherokees, blacks, and whites on the tennessee frontier by. An abandoned ghost town hidden in great smoky mountains national park. The great smoky mountains national park tn images of america steve cotham on. The little river lumber company established the town of elkmont in 1908 as a base for its loggi.
Near townsend, tn which is an old sawmill town that now has a lot of tn history, especially railroad. There have been articles depicting it as a long lost ghost town, but it was never really lost. Davis, a cottage owner at elkmont, visited yellowstone and wanted to have a national park in the smoky mountains. Carroll mcmahan is the special projects facilitator for the sevierville chamber of commerce and serves as the county historian for sevier county. The great smoky mountains national park tn images of america. The abandoned town of elkmont in tennessee is a true piece of history. Steep ridges surround the valley on all sides, with meigs mountain rising to the west, sugarland mountain rising to the east, and cove mountain rising to the north. Tremont, tennessee tremont is a region in the northwestern great smoky mountains national park, located in the southeastern united states. Elkmont was never missing, forgotten or kept secret, at least for tennesseans or really anyone who is familiar with the. Thriftbooks sells millions of used books at the lowest everyday prices.
Elkmont history great smoky mountains national park. The spooky jakes creek trail in tennessee will lead you to the elkmont ghost town. Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that. One need simply to consult a phone book to determine that there. The area that would become elkmont was first settled in the 1840s. Elkmont thrived as a resort community for the wealthiest families in tennessee and north carolina. Today, elkmont is primarily a campground within great smoky mountains national park. The following is a comprehensive list of historical structures located within and maintained by the great smoky mountains national park. There will be a book signing in the elkmont chapel. In 1994, it was placed on the national register of historic places. Leconte and was once called white oaks flats during. When the great smoky mountains national park was created, there were a number of smallholdings of private real estate throughout the park boundaries.
Along the scenic fighting creek gap road that runs between gatlinburg and townsend, tennessee, is a mostly ignored sign that points the elkmont campground. The elkmont ghost town used to be known as the appalachian club and was a vacation community. The small resort town, commonly referred to as the gateway to the smoky mountains, lies at the foot of mt. List of historical structures maintained by the great smoky. Elkmont tn used to be a logging town and was located where the existing elkmont campground now stands and was owned by the little river lumber company. One can hardly tell the story of great smoky mountains national park without recalling the rich history of elkmont, tennessee. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Sightimpaired from an early age, lem spent his life logging, bear hunting, farming and tending his beehives. You gain access to the elkmont entrance road via little river road. Oral history with 91 year old white male, tennessee. Elkmont, tennessee is within the scope of wikiproject tennessee, an open collaborative effort to coordinate work for and sustain comprehensive coverage of tennessee and related subjects in the wikipedia. The spooky jakes creek trail in tennessee will lead you to.
The abandoned town of elkmont in tennessee is a true piece. Born in 1889 in the smoky mountains, lem ownby became one of the regions most recognized figures. The nps decided because of environment issues and funding issues to destroy the majority of the buildings in elkmont. Hiker discovers abandoned tennessee town untouched and over 100 years old while trekking through great smoky mountains national park this is the spookiest haunted abandoned town in tennessee the town of elkmont, tennessee has been abandoned for years, but it still manages to capture the imagination of folks everywhere. The communities of gatlinburg and townsend are located a short drive from elkmont, offering lodging, rafting trips, restaurants, musical entertainment, and more. Some of the more affluent citizens of knoxville held summer cottages in elkmont, one of these people was willis p. If you would like to participate, you can edit the article attached to this page, and even become a member.
Consulting parties for the elkmont historic district. Daniel paulin draws upon extensive research from the archives of the great smoky mountains national park, the university of tennessee librarys special collections unit, the calvin m. Mcclung historical collection, private collections, and interviews with numerous area residents with ties to. Among the valleys early residents were david ownby, whose descendants still live in the smoky mountains, and jacob hauser, who lent his name to. To understand the history of logging and finally be able to envision what that area. I enjoyed seeing the photographs and reading about the history of the area. Project articles project page project talk template usage. Elkmont history and historical district your smokies. Appears in 167 books from 18342004 page 325 each house may determine the rules of its proceedings, punish its members for disorderly behavior, and, with the concurrence of twothirds, expel a member, but not a second time for the same cause. Elkmont was a former community in the great smoky mountains of tennessee. Its a place of true natural majesty that has a few secrets up its sleeve. Elkmont is a region situated in the upper little river valley of the great smoky mountains of sevier county, in the u. Formerly home to a pioneer appalachian community and logging town, tremont is now the location of the great smoky mountains.
There is a great book available by olden press called. He teamed up with another elkmont landowner, david. Prior to the formation of the great smoky mountains national park gsmnp in 1934, the small community of elkmont was established as a logging camp by col. He writes a weekly column for the mountain press and is the recipient of the 2012 community history award from the east tennessee historical society.
This post may contain affiliate links, meaning if you book or buy. Elkmont vehicle bridge during construction by the civilian conservation corps, ca. Travel itinerary elkmont historic district, tennessee. See more ideas about great smoky mountains, national parks and cades cove. From near gatlinburg, tennessee, there is an excellent highway state number 71, leading to newfound gap, where it crosses the great smoky mountains at an altitude of 5,045 feet. Beginning as a rough and tumble logging town, elkmont gradually evolved into a haven for the socially prominent and wealthy members of nearby knoxville, maryville, and chattanooga. After a visit to yellowstone in 1920, willis davis began to suggest the idea of a national park in the area. National park, the university of tennessee librarys special collections unit. Elkmont historic district elkmont, tennessee great smoky. Elkmont is a story of dreams, hope, hard work, disappointments, fortunes made, and fortunes lost. Today, elkmont is home to a large campground, ranger station, and historic district maintained by the great smoky mountains. Throughout its history, the valley has been home to a pioneer appalachian community, a logging town, and a resort community.
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