Two hundred years ago, in 1807, Martha Jane Huskey Ogle, her children and several other family members arrived in a remote locale of Great Smoky Mountains in East Tennessee to honor the wish of her recently deceased husband, William, to settle in the “land of paradise” he had found for them. Today, that remote locale is known as Gatlinburg, Tennessee.
Recognizing the need for a 2007 Bicentennial Celebration of the settlement of Gatlinburg, the Gatlinburg Bicentennial Committee was formed in April 2006 to plan and implement activities and programs which would celebrate the settlement of Gatlinburg, as marked by the building of the Ogle Cabin in 1807, throughout its growth and development to present.
Go back with us now as we celebrate our past…
1807: The Land of Paradise
Ogles, Huskeys, McCarters, Reagans, and Whaleys were the first families to settle the valley of the West Fork of the Little Pigeon River and its tributaries known as White Oak Flats. Most heads of households were Revolutionary War veterans, come to claim title to 50 acre tracts of land allotted to each for their patriotic service. It is believed that a middle-aged widow, Martha Jane Huskey Ogle, was the first official settler here. She came with her family to start a new life in what her late husband had described as a “Land of Paradise.”
Early Families
The first homesteads were located at the mouths of Baskins Creek, LeConte Creek (then called Mill Creek for its numerous grist mills), and Roaring Fork where each joined the Little Pigeon River. In the following decades, Maples, Trenthams, Ownbys, Clabos, Oakleys, Kings, Cardwells, Bohannons and other families took up residence along streams, hollows, and up mountain sides. Radford C. Gatlin came here in 1855 and opened the village’s second store. Although Gatlin was a controversial figure, the city still bears his name.
Civil War Era
As a self-contained, subsistence community, very little changed in the city’s first 100 years. When the Civil War erupted, a number of locals joined the Union, and a few the Confederacy. In general, the mountain people tried to remain neutral. Although only one Civil War skirmish was fought here, countless raids were made upon the area by both sides to gather vital resources needed to sustain the war efforts. As with much of the South, deprivation and hardship persisted in the area long after the war.
Pi Beta Phi Fraternity
Education came here in the form of subscription schools in the early 1800’s. The first public school was established around the time of the Civil War, and finally a settlement school was created by Pi Beta Phi Fraternity in 1912. This latter institution not only provided academic and practical education for area children, it also contributed to a rebirth of Appalachian arts and crafts and the so called “cottage craft industry” movement.
The National Park
Timbering began replacing subsistence farming in the early 1900’s. In fact, Gatlinburg’s first hotel was built to accommodate traveling lumber buyers. With the coming of the national park in 1934, the area’s first wave of tourism changed the face of the economy forever.
Gatlinburg History & Survey
The authors of the Gatlinburg History and Survey are Dr. Carroll Van West, Director, Middle Tennessee State University Center for Historic Preservation, and Kristen Luetkemeier, Fellow, MTSU Center for Historic Preservation. Click here to view the entire report.
The events listed herein have been selected by the Gatlinburg Bicentennial Committee as officially recognized events during 2007. Call the Gatlinburg Welcome Center at (865) 436-0535 or (865) 436-0519 for more information on bicentennial events.
ONGOING EVENTS
"They Built This City on Arts & Crafts" Exhibit --
Located in the Gatlinburg Welcome Center on Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies Plaza, this exhibition showcases the history of arts and crafts in Gatlinburg through photographs of days gone by.
American Flag Placements by Rotary Club -- The Gatlinburg Rotary Club provides the service of placing flags throughout the City during nationally recognized holidays.
Exhibit of Original Paintings by renowned American artist Jim Gray -- Boardroom of W.L. Mills Conference Center - Jim Gray has called Gatlinburg home since 1966; call 865/436-2392 for schedule of viewing days and times.
Trinity Episcopal Church Self-Guided Tours --
The neo-gothic style
church will be open every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. throughout
the Bicentennial year with information provided about the history
of the church.
November 2007
November 16 - January 05 -- Weaving A Life Exhibition at Arrowmont --
View the celebration of the cottage weavers’ industry exhibition, on display at Arrowmont School of Arts & Crafts, the nationally recognized cultural institution which educates the public about the history of Gatlinburg through the visual arts.
Exhibition covers a period of 70 years, from 1926 to 1996. With over 180 weavers working from their homes while supporting their families, this industry had a major social and economic impact on the region. Participate in the gallery reception on November 30 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. (865) 436-5860
December 2007
December 11 -- Bicentennial Celebration Party --
The Gatlinburg Gateway Foundation and Bicentennial Committee cap off the 200 year commemoration with a festive gala at W.L. Mills Conference Center. Mountain music and a heritage walking tour of authentic artifiacts are part of the event. For information, call Stan Johnson at 865/436-7484 or 436-3800, ext. 102, or e-mail him at asjinc@aol.com