Hiker discovers abandoned Tennessee town untouched and over 100 years old

dailymail.co.uk ^ | october 3, 2014

[lowbridge]

One man made the discovery of a lifetime while out on a recent hike.

Jordan Liles, who currently lives in San Diego, California, was in Tennessee back in May 2013 when he decided to take some photos  during a trek through Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Those photos turned out to be incredibly interesting when the young man managed to stumble across a seemingly forgotten town in the woods.

[Aliska]

When I was a child, my family rented four horses and rode out of Gatlinburg into the mountains. I saw abandoned homesteads and graveyards which even as a child made me a little sad. There is probably much more up in there to explore. My horse got the better of me going across a stream. It jerked its head down so fast to drink, my hands were forced to let go of the reins.

I sat there crying in frustration. My dad had to get off his horse and handed the reins back to me lol.

There was a lot of brush and overgrowth on that ride, not very scenic; maybe we missed some better places, so long ago I don't remember.

[eyedigress]

Get a jeep and explore up river road out of Monroe County.
You will go back and forth over the NC line but that area
is very pristine and mostly just hunters. It is Natl Forest but not Parkland. Homesteads can be found on the highest reaches.

One of the “roads” will pop you off on the skyway and over to the “dragon”. Happy travels.

Always carry.

[Leaning Right]

I’m only surprised it wasn’t inhabited by zombies who voted for Obama.

Didn't you hear? There were no voters in the town in 2012. Nevertheless, the town went 1436 to 5 for Obama in the last election.

[ansel12]

Weird thread, this closed around 2000?

Why is this being treated like some undiscovered town from a 100 years ago?

[cva66snipe]

It’s in the GSMNP. It’s not unknown, its just left alone. A lot of the original window frames and other things were stolen last year.

True IIRC Elkmont, Wonderland Lodge, lodge cabins, etc closed during the Clinton years the last ones living there were told to leave. This is not a town abandoned for 100 years. It would not look like that in the GSMNP climate. It would not be standing at all. It's been empty about 20 years IIRC give or take a few years.

I think some families leased the houses, cabins, and lodge out, then NPS canceled the leases and people living there told to leave.

IIRC The town was built as a resort back in the early 1900's before the park was established. Great Smokey Mountain National Park does not look like it did around 1900 before the park was established. It had been logged over {most trails are old abandoned rail road beds} and barren. You can still find old foundations, pieces of railroad track, and other things back in the more remote areas going down onto Fontana Lake where access takes a day or so hike.

[fwdude]

B.S. Some of the construction and hardware look pretty modern. And limited rot to boot.

Doubtful that it is “100 years old.”

[Bronzy]

Yeah, probably right. The late Senator Anabelle O’Brian lived in my area. We had great blacked topped roads leading directly to her neighborhood. Yes, I benefited from all of it but did not vote for it.

https://www.nashvillepost.com/news/2009/9/1/anna_belle_clement_obrien_passes_away_at_86

When it comes to TN, please rent this movie and see the corruption: http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/marie-a-true-story-1985

[eyedigress]

It’s a big area. Keep in mind that this is a brit article.

I took the train last fall from Bryson City to Nantahala OC.

We traversed Fontana a bit. You can also see Fontana from Clingman’s Dome.

[Aliska]

Yeah I thought I wouldn't want to prowl around up there without a weapon or two. We never worried about such things on vacations when I was a child.

I think I am probably too old and unfit to do anything like that now but I'd love to see that area again.

We encountered a big bear in our campground in one of those camping parks. We used a tent. I was too stunned to even scream and my parents were out talking to some people we met (we always met nice people on our trips) and my sister and I were in bed on cots for the night.

That could have had a very unhappy ending. The bear was foraging for food. It was big and brown.

[yawningotter]

I have read on some trout fishing sites that you can even find the wreckage of an F-15 way back in the boonies on the NC side.

[eyedigress]

It’s not the people. Folks are on horseback and fancy bikes and what not. There is a community up there as well.

If a bear, wolf or any other critter is threatening just pop off a .40 and they move away.

[eyedigress]

For the record the only wolf I have come upon close was in Cades Cove. Bears are everywhere.

[imardmd1]

The place may have been built many years ago, but it was still in use when I last saw it (in fact, it was only abandoned in the 90’s). This article makes it sound like they discovered an ancient civilization or something.

Whatever it is, the carpentering and designs tell you that it's not 100 years old. Maybe 50 or 60. Whatever it was, it could have been a church camp or girl scout camp. The white building looks like a dormitory for girls/women, and the single-story cabins for the boys/men. I'll just bet you would find a common dining room with adjunct large cooking/dish washing kitchen in the white building.

Town, with hardware store, grocery store, booze joint, a school, and other small businesses? Naaah -- geddaddahere -- no backwoods country folks would build stuff like that, especially that close together, for a town.

[eyedigress]

It was a lodge for the well to do out of Knoxville. It was accessible by motor car. It just sits and crumbles today. The Fed owns it and as far as I’m concerned, let it go.

Mother Nature will run its course.

[cva66snipe]

It’s a big area. Keep in mind that this is a brit article. I took the train last fall from Bryson City to Nantahala OC. We traversed Fontana a bit. You can also see Fontana from Clingman’s Dome.

When I was about 13 & 14 I took two back country fishing trips with my dad and a family friend into Eagle Creek via Spence Field coming up from Cades Cove and across the mountain dropping back down toward Fontana Lake. First we went time the Martin kid was lost the night before on the trail and never found.

I went back up to Spense Field about 20 years ago & up to Rocky Top and Thunderhead Bald. Glad I went then while I was still able.

[eyedigress]

That’s a good memory. They never found that kid. Late 60’s maybe?

[eyedigress]

Was that near Indian Boundary?

[dalereed]

‘”(it saddens me even more when I see 2/3 completed projects in Mexico that stay uncompleted for years).”

When you see a building in Mexico that has rebar sticking out the top it is intentional.

It says the building isn't complete and it isn't taxed yet.

They never intend to build any more on it, it's a tax avoidance plan.

[cva66snipe]

Whatever it is, the carpentering and designs tell you that it's not 100 years old. Maybe 50 or 60. Whatever it was, it could have been a church camp or girl scout camp. The white building looks like a dormitory for girls/women, and the single-story cabins for the boys/men. I'll just bet you would find a common dining room with adjunct large cooking/dish washing kitchen in the white building.

The main part of it is about 100 years old. The cabins? No. If I remember right some people who lived in the park before establishment were allowed to lease back this area. It was supposed to be lifetime leases and I think families started passing the cabins down etc. That ended in the mid 1990's I guess when Clinton Admin started grabbing and cracking down on federal land use.

Like I post earlier what this area looked like in 1910 and what it looks like now is very different. I'm guess Civilian Conservation Corp also was in that area with the building of the trails etc. Building trails mainly meaning taking up old abandoned narrow gauge railroad tracks used in logging.

Resorts were built all along those mountains including one in Cocke County in an area outside of Del Rio called Max Patch. That was the area where "Christie" Katherine Marshall wrote about taught school.

[TigersEye]

Its not been abandoned 100 years the last time it was up and running was around late 1980's.

The condition of the paint and siding (to mention a few things) had me wondering about that 100 year claim. I've seen worse conditions occur to buildings in less than 20 years.