The short-lived State of Franklin and how it reshaped Tennessee In the early days following the American Revolution, a handful of counties that had belonged to North Carolina petitioned the U.S. Government to become the 14th state, eventually seceding from the United States. The State of Franklin is an odd and strangely impactful episode of North Carolina, Tennessee and U.S.
How the TVA brought progress – and controversy – to the South When Tropical Storm Helene brought historic flooding to the region, an agency that has chiefly been a simple fact of life for many of us in the mountains came a little more sharply into focus. With overwhelmed dams threatened to fail, the Tennessee Valley Authority suddenly found itself
Remembering attractions that no longer exist in Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg and Maggie Valley The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most visited national park in the country, with an estimated 12.5 million visitors annually. So it’s no surprise that entrepreneurs come to the area with high hopes of building the next big attraction to entice visitors on their way
Roots to Dolly Parton’s early career can still be found throughout the Smokies When you have lived around East Tennessee as long as I have, you start to play a little game I like to call “Six Degrees of Separation, Dolly Parton Edition”. For instance, if you live in Morristown, maybe you’ve met Dr. Gregg Perry. He graduated from the
This is the story of how a small town in Tennessee was dubbed ‘Stupidville’ A great philosopher – well, technically his Mama – always said “Stupid is as Stupid Does.” With this in mind, for a time in the 1960s, there was a small unincorporated Tennessee Town where they could have made a killing just by putting that on T-shirts.
Welcome to the aptly named Huggins Hell – the most feared part of the Smoky Mountains due to its dark history I have always been fascinated with the hidden, oddly named, rarely explored parts of the Smokies – Mellinger’s Death Ridge, anyone? So, the minute I heard about Huggins Hell, I had to know everything I could about this dense
Found deep within the Smoky Mountains is an abandoned town with an unusual sight – a collection of standalone stone chimneys As someone who grew up about 20 minutes away from Elkmont – maybe 30 if there’s traffic – I was aware of remnants of a strange settlement dating back to the days before the National Park. But the history
Tennesseeans have a long history of outrunning the tax man. And this barn may have been designed to do just that. As someone who grew up visiting Cades Cove, I took for granted one of the Cove’s real treasures. I thought the funny barn on Tipton Place was something you’d surely see on farms around the country. First of all,
A tree that was planted nearly 100 years ago still stands within the Smoky Mountains off the beaten path, and tourists are flocking to see it It was Dec. 7, 1941. Golman Myers – born in Cades Cove in 1894 – was in the process of relocating the family farm to Townsend, making way for the National Park. Golman’s son
Local names top hidden gems in Dolly Parton’s hometown in the Smoky Mountains As someone who, for three decades, used Sevierville as a place to go through on my way to Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg or the mountains, I know a lot more today about the historic city. Founded in 1795, when George Washington still had two years left in his