The Sad Story of Elkmont

#1
VolnJC

VolnJC

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The National Park Service established the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 1934. But the park’s rich history and culture have been brewing in the hills for decades before that. You can still experience the past for yourself. The park’s largest campground, Elkmont, is mere steps away from a ghost town in the Smokies. You can explore the remains of a logging community and two turn-of-the-century-era resorts. The story of how Elkmont went from small logging town to world-famous resort to ghost town in the Smokies is a rollercoaster of a tale, but one worth riding.
The_Wonderland_Club_Hotel_Elkmont_Tennessee_in_the_heart_of_the_Great_Smokies_87755.jpg


The sad story of Elkmont, the hidden resort turned ghost town in the Smokies
 
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#5
#5
There was a run down cabin on the left side that had an interior wall that was a map of the whole park. Be careful in these structures though.
 
#11
#11
Almost none of the cabins along the river remain. They tore most of them down over the last five years. We used to hike up the river trail and go through those cabins every fall.
 
#12
#12
Danl said:
Almost none of the cabins along the river remain. They tore most of them down over the last five years. We used to hike up the river trail and go through those cabins every fall.
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I remember one year when I got to see the synchronous fireflies near the campground. I went in a few houses while I waited for it to get dark. Are those part of the settlement?
 
#13
#13
The NPS should have kept the lodge and cabins up and renovated them from the beginning. Then the GSMNP could have a lodge like the great western parks.

It is sad, but those buildings were getting really dangerous. At least they have restored at least one of the buildings in Elkmont.
 
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#14
#14
VolnJC said:
I remember one year when I got to see the synchronous fireflies near the campground. I went in a few houses while I waited for it to get dark. Are those part of the settlement?
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I'm not sure which ones you went in.

They have renovated most of the ones in the area that isn't on the river. There is a new Vistitor's Center at the end of the street where these renovated cabins are located.

Then there were a bunch of cabins built right on the river. I think they renovated one of these and you can rent it. All of the others along the river were being demolished the last time we were there.
 
#15
#15
VolnJC said:
I remember one year when I got to see the synchronous fireflies near the campground. I went in a few houses while I waited for it to get dark. Are those part of the settlement?
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Yep..I love the Firefly event. We got to see it year before last, but out of the 10 in my family that entered the drawing last year ..none of us got selected...that kinda ticked me off. Worst luck in the world.
 
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#16
#16
Ulysees E. McGill said:
Yep..I love the Firefly event. We got to see it year before last, but out of the 10 in my family that entered the drawing last year ..none of us got selected...that kinda ticked me off. Worst luck in the world.
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I got to see it before they did the drawing...it's a hard ticket now apparently
 
#17
#17
Danl said:
I'm not sure which ones you went in.

They have renovated most of the ones in the area that isn't on the river. There is a new Vistitor's Center at the end of the street where these renovated cabins are located.

Then there were a bunch of cabins built right on the river. I think they renovated one of these and you can rent it. All of the others along the river were being demolished the last time we were there.
Click to expand...
That one right on the river is the one I was talking about, I wasn't aware they had restored others.
 
#18
#18
Danl said:
I'm not sure which ones you went in.

They have renovated most of the ones in the area that isn't on the river. There is a new Vistitor's Center at the end of the street where these renovated cabins are located.

Then there were a bunch of cabins built right on the river. I think they renovated one of these and you can rent it. All of the others along the river were being demolished the last time we were there.
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A couple were really nice. One of the rangers told me that these were summer homes for families of the logging owners. He did mention that they were going to tear them down but keep one for history.
 
#19
#19
VolnJC said:
I got to see it before they did the drawing...it's a hard ticket now apparently
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It sure was hard last year, I understand why they do it though, when we went in 16 even with the drawing the whole area was swamped. I'm sure I will get to see it again someday. There are usually at least 5-10 of us that enter the drawing.
 
#22
#22
Stumbled on a graveyard comprised of mostly infants while hiking/camping out there a few years ago. So strange.
 
#23
#23
Ulysees E. McGill said:
It sure was hard last year, I understand why they do it though, when we went in 16 even with the drawing the whole area was swamped. I'm sure I will get to see it again someday. There are usually at least 5-10 of us that enter the drawing.
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Use a Ohio or Michigan address, they get preference.
 
#25
#25
Ulysees E. McGill said:
The NPS should have kept the lodge and cabins up and renovated them from the beginning. Then the GSMNP could have a lodge like the great western parks.

It is sad, but those buildings were getting really dangerous. At least they have restored at least one of the buildings in Elkmont.
Click to expand...

Exactly. We’ve hiked up there several times. I was told it was a summer “play ground” for people with money, so when they moved out the “mountain folk” from their homes the monied people got to stay for so many years as a “lease”. As the time of the expiration of the leases came due, the people summering there stopped doing any maintenance. The government, in its infinite wisdom, apparently had placed no maintenance requirements in the leases. By the time time Park Service got the “cabins”, they were pretty run down. And with the usual governmental short sight, the NPS would not expend any money to improve. So, rather than gaining income producing property which could have been enjoyed by many, they let them pretty much cave in. Even the first time I saw them, they looked bad. The last time they were horrible. Yes, be careful if you go look...not ghosts but rotting wood! I have always thought Elkmont served as a prime example of governmental favortism and mismanagement.

If you’re interested the below is copied from Wikipedia,
“... In 1912, a resort hotel, the Wonderland Park Hotel, was constructed on a hill overlooking Elkmont. A group of Knoxville businessmen purchased the Wonderland in 1919 and established the "Wonderland Club." Over the next two decades, the Appalachian Club and Wonderland Club evolved into elite vacation areas where East Tennessee's wealthy could gather and socialize.[2]

Upon the creation of the national park in the 1930s, most of Elkmont's cottage owners were given lifetime leases. These were converted to 20-year leases in 1952, and renewed in 1972. The National Park Service refused to renew the leases in 1992, and under the park's general management plan, the hotel and cottages were to be removed. In 1994, however, the Wonderland Hotel and several dozen of the Elkmont cottages were listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Elkmont Historic District, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, sparking a 15-year debate over the fate of the historic structures. In 2009, the National Park Service announced plans to restore the Appalachian Clubhouse and 18 cottages and outbuildings in the Appalachian Club area (which were older and more historically significant) and remove all other structures, including the Wonderland Annex (the main hotel had collapsed in 2005)....”
 
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