We personally assess every book s quality and offer rare, outofprint treasures. The minds of cherokees, blacks, and whites on the tennessee frontier by. The abandoned town of elkmont in tennessee is a true piece. The following is a comprehensive list of historical structures located within and maintained by the great smoky mountains national park. 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. Leconte and was once called white oaks flats during. The nps decided because of environment issues and funding issues to destroy the majority of the buildings in elkmont. Structures at cades cove, roaring fork, the noah ogle place, and elkmont. Written by vic weals, the first winner of the east tennessee historical society. Born in 1889 in the smoky mountains, lem ownby became one of the regions most recognized figures. View all hotels near elkmont ghost town on tripadvisor. There have been articles depicting it as a long lost ghost town, but it was never really lost.
Oral history with 91 year old white male, tennessee. 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. Travel itinerary elkmont historic district, tennessee. The elkmont tn ghost town in the smoky mountains is a spot everyone. The book documents a great many of the great smoky mountains elkmont regions houses.
Its only seven miles from gatlinburg, tennessee, but here youll find a slice of peaceful history. Elkmont vehicle bridge during construction by the civilian conservation corps, ca. Mcclung historical collection, private collections, and interviews with numerous area residents with ties to. Having spent the first 23 summers of my life camping at elkmont, this book is like. Elkmont history and historical district your smokies. Now within great smoky mountains national park, elkmont is home to a ranger station and the illustrious elkmont campground. Elkmont was a former community in the great smoky mountains of tennessee. Very interesting and informative book about elkmont, tennessee.
Today, elkmont is home to a large campground, ranger station, and historic district maintained by the great smoky mountains national park. Selected fulltext books and articles separate peoples, one land. After a visit to yellowstone in 1920, willis davis began to suggest the idea of a national park in the area. The communities of gatlinburg and townsend are located a short drive from elkmont, offering lodging, rafting trips, restaurants, musical entertainment, and more. Elkmont is a region situated in the upper little river valley of the great smoky mountains of sevier county, in the u. The spooky jakes creek trail in tennessee will lead you to the elkmont ghost town. One need simply to consult a phone book to determine that there. Historic cabins in elkmont ghost town now open after. Its a place of true natural majesty that has a few secrets up its sleeve. 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. Some of the more affluent citizens of knoxville held summer cottages in elkmont, one of these people was willis p. The book is a mix of his biography and a bit of history. 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. List of books and articles about tennessee history.
The area that would become elkmont was first settled in the 1840s. 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. If you would like to participate, you can edit the article attached to this page, and even become a member. Along the scenic fighting creek gap road that runs between gatlinburg and townsend, tennessee, is a mostly ignored sign that points the elkmont campground. 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.
It was named for the numerous elk which once inhabited the area. Consulting parties for the elkmont historic district. Today, elkmont is primarily a campground within great smoky mountains national park. The great smoky mountains national park tn images of america steve cotham on. The abandoned town of elkmont in tennessee is a true piece of history. The elkmont ghost town used to be known as the appalachian club and was a vacation community. List of historical structures maintained by the great smoky.
The great smoky mountains national park tn images of america. 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. 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. To understand the history of logging and finally be able to envision what that area. Join us to celebrate the publication of elkmonts uncle lem sage of the smokies by f. Elkmont was never missing, forgotten or kept secret, at least for tennesseans or really anyone who is familiar with the. Elkmont historic district gatlinburg, tennessee atlas. One can hardly tell the story of great smoky mountains national park without recalling the rich history of elkmont, tennessee. National park, the university of tennessee librarys special collections unit. Davis, a cottage owner at elkmont, visited yellowstone and wanted to have a national park in the smoky mountains. 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. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets.
Near townsend, tn which is an old sawmill town that now has a lot of tn history, especially railroad. Elkmont is a story of dreams, hope, hard work, disappointments, fortunes made, and fortunes lost. For additional information, contact the church at 8654281881. This post may contain affiliate links, meaning if you book or buy. Historic elkmont in great smoky mountains national park. Among the valleys early residents were david ownby, whose descendants still live in the smoky mountains, and jacob hauser, who lent his name to.
Elkmonts uncle lem ownby east tennessee historical society. Carroll mcmahan is the special projects facilitator for the sevierville chamber of commerce and serves as the county historian for sevier county. Lost communities of sevier county, tennessee sevierville, tenn sevierville heritage. Formerly home to a pioneer appalachian community and logging town, tremont is now the location of the great smoky mountains. 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.
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. Drive west of sugarlands visitor center for about five miles. Very near the ghost town community of cades cove that is also a part of the park service. Sage of the smokies natural history kindle edition by mcmahan, f. 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. You gain access to the elkmont entrance road via little river road. I love these moderately short, pictorial history books.
Apr 24, 2020 explore kvance369s board elkmont,great smoky mts. 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. Project articles project page project talk template usage. Elkmont great smoky mountains national park elkmont. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading elkmonts uncle lem ownby. 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. The little river lumber company established the town of elkmont in 1908 as a base for its loggi.
Take 32173 little river road, which used to be rr grade out of townsend to the elkmont campground turnoff. A look back at life on little river in the great smoky. When the great smoky mountains national park was created, there were a number of smallholdings of private real estate throughout the park boundaries. There is a great book available by olden press called. Thriftbooks sells millions of used books at the lowest everyday prices. See more ideas about great smoky mountains, national parks and cades cove. Probably the most popular tennessee ghost town, elkmont is located in the great smoky mountains. In 1994, it was placed on the national register of historic places. Today, elkmont is home to a large campground, ranger station, and historic district maintained by the great smoky mountains. 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. Elkmont thrived as a resort community for the wealthiest families in tennessee and north carolina. An abandoned ghost town hidden in great smoky mountains national park.
Elkmont history great smoky mountains national park. Tremont, tennessee tremont is a region in the northwestern great smoky mountains national park, located in the southeastern united states. 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. Take 32173 little river road, which used to be rr grade out. 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. He teamed up with another elkmont landowner, david. Sightimpaired from an early age, lem spent his life logging, bear hunting, farming and tending his beehives. Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that. Elkmont historic district elkmont, tennessee great smoky. The famed great smoky mountain national park is known around the world for its incredible forests and peaceful, calming rivers. I enjoyed seeing the photographs and reading about the history of the area. The spooky jakes creek trail in tennessee will lead you to.
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