[Illustration:
At Home
In the Smokies
]
Handbook 125
At Home
In the Smokies
A History Handbook for
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
North Carolina and Tennessee
Produced by the
Division of Publications
National Park Service
U.S. Department of the Interior
Washington, D.C. 1984
_Using This Handbook_
This theme handbook, published in this new edition on the 50th
anniversary of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, tells the story of
the people who settled and lived in the mountains along the Tennessee
and North Carolina border. Part 1 gives a brief introduction to the
park and its historical sites. In Part 2, Wilma Dykeman and Jim Stokely
present the history of the region from the early Cherokee days to
the establishment of the park in 1934 and the renewed interest in
the past in the 1970s; this text was first published by the National
Park Service in 1978. Part 3 gives a brief description of the major
historical buildings you can see in the park. For general information
about the park and its wildlife, see Handbook 112.
National Park Handbooks, compact introductions to the great natural
and historic places administered by the National Park Service, are
published to support the National Park Service’s management programs at
the parks and to promote understanding and enjoyment of the parks. This
is Handbook 125.
_Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data_
Main entry under title: At home in the Smokies. (National park
handbook; 125)
Rev. ed. of: Highland homeland/Wilma Dykeman and Jim Stokely. 1978.
Includes index.
Supt. of Docs, no.: I 29.9/5:125
1. Great Smoky Mountains (N.C. and Tenn.)--Social life and customs.
2. Great Smoky Mountains (N.C. and Tenn.)--History. 3. Great Smoky
Mountains National Park (N.C. and Tenn.)--Guide-books. 4. Cherokee
Indians--History.
I. Dykeman, Wilma. Highland homeland. II. United States. National
Park Service. Division of Publications. III. Series: Handbook (United
States. National Park Service. Division of Publications); 125.
F443.G7A8 1984 976.8’89 84-600108
ISBN 0-912627-22-0
=Part 1= =Recapturing the Past= =4=
Smoky Mountain Heritage 7
=Part 2= =Highland Homeland= =12=
_By Wilma Dykeman and Jim Stokely_
Homecoming 17
_Rail Fences_ 30
Land of the Cherokees 35
The Pioneers Arrive 49
_Rifle Making_ 60
A Band of Cherokees Holds On 63
From Pioneer to Mountaineer 73
_Spinning and Weaving_ 94
The Sawmills Move In 97
Birth of a Park 107
The Past Becomes Present 121
_Handicrafts_ 132
Coming Home 137
=Part 3= =Guide and Adviser= =146=
Traveling in the Smokies 148
Oconaluftee 150
Cades Cove 152
Other Historic Sites in the Park 154
Related Nearby Sites 156
Armchair Explorations 157
Index 158
[Illustration:
Part 1
Recapturing the Past
]
[Illustration:
Joseph S. Hall
_Aden Carver of Oconaluftee was a carpenter, stone mason, millwright,
deacon, and preacher. He was more versatile than some men but
representative of many who worked hard and enjoyed their lives in the
Smokies._
]
Smoky Mountain Heritage
Seemingly endless ridges, forests, mountain streams, waterfalls, and
wildlife attract hundreds of thousands of travelers each year to Great
Smoky Mountains National Park on the Tennessee-North Carolina border.
Many are drawn by a long procession of wildflowers and shrubs bursting
into bloom in the spring and by the colorful foliage of the hardwoods
in the fall. Thousands hike the park’s many trails, which range from
short spurs to the 110 kilometers (70 miles) of the Appalachian Trail
that runs through the park. Also attracting wide interest are the
park’s historical sites and the lifeways of the mountain people. They
are pleasant surprises in the midst of all of nature’s richness. They
are physical ties with our ancestors, many of whom traveled from
their homelands across the sea to build new homes in the relatively
unexplored continent of North America.
The National Park Service has preserved some of the historic
structures in Great Smoky Mountains National Park so that we, and
future generations, can better understand how our forefathers lived.
By walking through and closely examining their finely crafted--and
crudely crafted--log houses, barns, and other farm buildings we gain
a new respect for their diligence and perseverance. The hours spent
hewing massive beams, preserving foods for winter use, and making
clothes from scratch are nearly incomprehensible in our age of machines
and computers. The mountainous terrain demanded hard work, and the
isolation fostered a zealous independence. The land truly molded a
resourcefulness and hardiness in the Smokies character.
The story of these mountain people and communities is told in Part 2
of this handbook by Wilma Dykeman and Jim Stokely, who can look out on
the expanse of the Great Smokies from their family home in Newport,
Tennessee. Their engaging story of the Smokies is illustrated with
historic photographs that largely come from the park’s files. Although
the identities of many of the photographers are unknown (see page 160),
we are no less indebted to them. They have helped to preserve the
history and folkways of the Great Smokies people, who played a part in
molding and defining our national character.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
[Illustration:
Charles S. Grossman
_In the old days, housekeeping in the Smokies allowed few if any
frills. Aunt Rhodie Abbott, and most other women, worked as hard as
any man as they went about their daily chores keeping their families
fed and clothed._
]
[Illustration: