Abandoned 220 Year Old Town in the Appalachian Mountains

In 1927, backed by a bill passed that gave the Park Commission the power to seize properties within the proposed park boundaries by eminent domain, Col. David Chapman led a charge to seize the site of one of the most beautiful places in all of North America. He was met with fierce opposition of the townsfolk, as they were promised earlier that their community would not be included in the formation of The Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

One resident, John Oliver, put up a fight in the U.S. courts before finally losing the battle. He was awarded $17,000, just more than half the value of his 375-acre tract of land. After a series of 1-year leases, Oliver finally abandoned the cove on December, 25 1937. The Primitive Baptist Church congregation continued to meet in Cades Cove until the 1960s in defiance of the Park Service, which wanted to develop the land where their church was located.

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I made this video yesterday and wanted to share it with you guys here at ATS. It shows one of the nicest historical places to visit in the U.S. I am not the best film-maker, but I tried my best to give you a tour of the cove and show you what it's like to be there in person. The old churches, farm buildings, and meadow homes are awesome, but one of my favorite things in the video are the deer.

In one scene of the video you can see several doe trotting down the center of an icy mountain stream, before being chased into an open field by a big buck. I was able to follow them and get some shots pretty close. I found that there were 3 bucks total, one of them was clearly the largest. Big bucks like that can be very hostile and are probably the most dangerous animal (aside from Elk) in the entire park. It was dangerous getting that close, so please don't do it if you visit. Luckily there was a park ranger on "buck watch" who accompanied me and allowed me to get the closer shots.


The Civil War

In the decades before the Civil War, Blount County, Tennessee, was a hotbed of abolitionist activity. The Manumission Society of Tennessee was active in the county as early as 1815, and the Quakers— who were relatively numerous in Blount at the time— were so vehemently opposed to slavery that they fought alongside the Union army, in spite of their pacifist agenda.[33] The founder of Maryville College, Rev. Isaac Anderson, was a staunch abolitionist who often gave sermons in Cades Cove. Blount doctor Calvin Post (1803–1873) was believed to have set up an Underground Railroad stop within the cove in the years preceding the war.[33] With such sentiment and influence, Cades Cove remained staunchly pro-Union, regardless of the destruction it suffered throughout the war (there were some exceptions, however, such as the cove's affluent entrepreneur and Confederate sympathizer, Daniel Foute).

In 1863, Confederate bushwhackers from Hazel Creek and other parts of North Carolina began making systematic raids into Cades Cove, stealing livestock and killing any Union supporter they could find. Elijah Oliver (1829–1905), a son of John Oliver and a Union sympathizer, was forced to hide out on Rich Mountain for much of the war. Calvin Post had also gone into hiding, and with the death of John Oliver in 1863, the cove had lost most of its original leaders.

Although Federal forces occupied Knoxville in 1863, Confederate raids into Cades Cove continued. A pivotal figure at this time was Russell Gregory, who had originally vowed to remain neutral after his son defected to the Confederate cause. Gregory organized a small militia, composed mostly of the cove's elderly men, and in 1864 ambushed a band of Confederate marauders near the junction of Forge Creek and Abrams Creek. The Confederates were routed and chased back across the Smokies to North Carolina. Although this largely put an end to the raids, a band of Confederates managed to sneak into the cove and kill Gregory just two weeks later.

Cades Cove suffered from the effects of the Civil War for most of the rest of the 19th century. Only around 1900 did its population return to pre-war levels. The average farm was much less productive, however, and the cove residents were suspicious of any form of change. It wasn't until the Progressive Era that the cove recovered economically.

Early History

Throughout the 18th century, the Cherokee used two main trails to cross the Smokies from North Carolina to Tennessee en route to the Overhill settlements. One was the Indian Gap Trail, which connected the Rutherford Indian Trace in the Balsam Mountains to the Great Indian Warpath in modern-day Sevier County. The other was a lower trail that crested at Ekaneetlee Gap, a col just east of Gregory Bald.[12] This trail traversed Cades Cove and Tuckaleechee Cove before proceeding along to Great Tellico and other Overhill towns along the Little Tennessee River. European traders were using these trails as early as 1740.

By 1797 (and probably much earlier), the Cherokee had established a settlement in Cades Cove known as "Tsiya'hi," or "Otter Place."[14] This village, which may have been little more than a seasonal hunting camp, was located somewhere along the flats of Cove Creek.[15] Henry Timberlake, an early explorer in East Tennessee, reported that streams in this area were stocked with otter, although the otter was extinct in the cove by the time the first European settlers arrived.

Cades Cove was named after a Tsiya'hi leader known as Chief Kade.[16] Little is known of Chief Kade, although his existence was verified by a European trader named Peter Snider (1776–1867), who settled nearby Tuckaleechee Cove.[16] Abrams Creek, which flows through the cove, was named after another local chief, Abraham of Chilhowee. A now-discredited theory suggested that the cove was named after Abraham's wife, Kate.

In 1819, The Treaty of Calhoun ended all Cherokee claims to the Smokies, and Tsiya'hi was abandoned shortly thereafter. The Cherokee would linger in the surrounding forests, however, occasionally attacking settlers until 1838 when they were removed to the Oklahoma Territory (see Trail of Tears).

Cades Cove is abundant in natural wildlife. You can see all the deer in the video, but what I didn't include (due to video length) was the fox, the turkey, and the coyote I saw on my 3 hour visit to the cove. It is very common to see elk and many black bears in the cove, beginning in a couple more months.

This region of The Great Smoky Mountains was recently a victim of arson that resulted in a wildfire, claiming the lives of too many people.

I truly hope you liked the video and decide to visit us soon. Maybe you are in the mood for a little more, so I'll leave you with a great Appalachian Mountain recipe you can try for yourself:

Pappy's Recipe

Mullein, handful washed
Wild cherry bark cut off ther north side of the tree, a handful
Cook in 1 quart water for about 30 minutes and strained. Cook then add 1 pint moonshine, add honey to taste.
Best cough medicine
(usually only made in the fall, moonshine/honey season)

Recipe of Nell Johnson

Good video ... S&F for the OP. Looks like someone is doing some kind of upkeep. Where's the money coming from? Do you know?

Question: What type of development was the Park Service trying to pursue?

Thanks for that look. See the mill house with water wheel attached? How would we ever get along without nuclear power and industrial agriculture?

a reply to: Snarl

Yes, it's maintained by the National Parks Commission - The Great Smoky Mountains National Park - Cades Cove is a protected historical site.

It was seized during the formation of the park, because it fell inside the park's boundaries. The seizure was for the development of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in general.

a reply to: Snarl

Question: What type of development was the Park Service trying to pursue?

They always say that, "we have a better purpose for it".

Whats that?

None of your business. imminent domain your ass outta here.

a reply to: esteay812

I have an affinity for Historic towns. It would be pretty darn cool to have watched how that town sprang up.

I guess if it had evolved it wouldn't be as physically attractive/appealing as you've framed it.

Again ... good job on the thread so far.

a reply to: Snarl

The history of the place is quite awesome really. It nearly disappeared after the civil war - before the government lent their helping hand.

I wish you all could smell the air in and around the old cabins. That old wood really sets the scene. It's hard not to imagine those old-timey folks out there working or just daily living when the sights, sounds and smells take over.

My husband and I came across an old foundation and well while hiking in the blue ridge mountains in Virginia.
It made me feel sad.

a reply to: Snarl

They were procuring land for national forest preservation areas. The blue ridge parkway through the George Washington national forest in Virginia and the great Smokey mountains in Tennessee. The roadways through these areas alone did much to improve mountain and valley life. These areas are now tourist sites that generate commerce dollars in all the surrounding communities. It was sad to see a way of life disappear but the improvements greatly outweigh the loss.
There are sites like in the OP throughout the range preserving a peek back into that life but when you just trip over a foundation while hiking off the beaten path makes it so much more personal. Who were the people who built this foundation or dug this well when did they do it and what happened to them.

a reply to: Sillyolme

Hi Silly , it's quite amazing to realize all the things that are out there, but have been forgotten or lost to time. I bet there are a lot of places like that, where they are never really seen because there are no hiking trails or roads anywhere near them. It would be pretty cool to stumble across something like that. The only thing I've ever really found was an old moonshine still and there's no telling when it was left behind - may have only been a couple years old, lol.

a reply to: esteay812


I've seen Cades Cove. Its so beautiful, but if I had know it was seized land, I would not have stepped one foot on it.

a reply to: Sillyolme

Who were the people who built this foundation or dug this well when did they do it and what happened to them.

As the daughter and granddaughter of people whose lives were disrupted by similar "takings" by the feds, I can tell you that their lives were irreparably disrupted. Families that had lived side by side for generations were broken up and flung to the four winds because the government paid what they thought was fair for the land. These farms were the result of generations of subsistence farmers with each generation building their homes near their families and creating their own security net.
Many of these settlements developed after the Revolution because the new government paid soldiers with land grants. But when the Progressives came along, they decided that what government gives it can also take away.
Back in those days it was known that if you can take away the economic benefits of the area, the area will fade away. Prohibition was a way to take away a major portion of the revenues of mountain folk who lived as subsistence farmers. When they didn't all fade away---the government resorted to harsher measures. After all, it was just a bunch of hillbillies and Indians!

a reply to: BELIEVERpriest

I think pretty much all national parks are technically seized land, but I'm not 100% sure about that.

originally posted by: BELIEVERpriest
a reply to: esteay812


I've seen Cades Cove. Its so beautiful, but if I had know it was seized land, I would not have stepped one foot on it.

My family lost land just outside of Gatlenburg to the government for the park, but somehow it wound up in the hands of the local postmaster. Any time the government grabs land some politician make off with their cut.
The GSMNP is a wonderful place to visit. I have often wondered how many people on the run have faded away into that wilderness.

originally posted by: BELIEVERpriest
a reply to: esteay812


I've seen Cades Cove. Its so beautiful, but if I had know it was seized land, I would not have stepped one foot on it.

My family lost land just outside of Gatlenburg to the government for the park, but somehow it wound up in the hands of the local postmaster. Any time the government grabs land some politician make off with their cut.
The GSMNP is a wonderful place to visit. I have often wondered how many people on the run have faded away into that wilderness.

a reply to: esteay812

I'll check you video in one second.
part of the family on my mom's side, and why I'm Cherokee and Lakota is from western north carolina.

Have you heard of Fontana dam?
their house would be underwater now. Forced to move.

The mountains are unreal. I lived in Boone for a few years. Waking up and going outside on top of a mountain is unreal..
pretty much everything over there is unreal beautiful.

a reply to: esteay812

Went through there in the summer of 1972.
Beautiful country, thanks for the vid.

a reply to: Reverbs

Of course, Fontana Dam is a beautiful area, for sure! I don't know much of the history of the Fontana Dam without looking it up, but I'm gonna guess it wasa creation of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA).

I imagine losing your home and community for the creation of a dam would be similar to a national park, but I'm not sure which would be worse. On one hand, you can always re-visit old memories in the park, but I'm not sure you'd want to. One the other hand, your home, community, and likely everything you knew growing up is under water and you never have an option to re-visit.

Boone is very nice. I visit Smoketree Lodge every few years, though I haven't been in several now. I do agree about the beauty. I could make videos all day, everyday, but they could never do justice to seeing the sites first-hand.

I'm gonna try to visit all of the major waterfalls in the Smokies this spring/summer/fall and make a video of that. I mention it, because there are several on the NC side, some near Bryson City, you may be familiar with.

a reply to: esteay812

Bryson city is where my family moved to.



I havn't been back to the mountains since 2013 I think it was.
Living in the middle of course is the best.. I can get to the mountains or the beach in about 3 hours either way.
definitely need to get back up there.