While the town of Gatlinburg’s history is rich with honorable citizens and founders, the town’s own namesake, Radford C. Gatlin, has gone down in history as one of the more scandalous members of the community. The facts surrounding this mysterious man are few and the rumors are plenty, so we decided to speak with the legend himself to learn about what really
happened…according to him, at least…
Visitors Guide: Welcome, Mr. Gatlin! We are so pleased to finally get a chance to speak with such a mysterious figure as yourself!
Radford C. Gatlin: Pleased, are ye? About time someone shows a little pleasure for my company! Humph! You do know I was run out of ol’ Gatlinburg back in the 1800s with torches a-blazin’, don’t ye?
VG: Actually, we heard that there was speculation as to how you left town. Certainly you exaggerate a bit…
RG: Ha! I knew you’d be like all the rest. Everyone says I exaggerate the truth. I just choose to look at things from more entertaining perspective! Anyway, you know I was a pastor at one point. You shouldn’t accuse a man of the Lord as lying, now should ye?
VG: Well, I certainly didn’t mean to offend you, Mr. Gatlin. Do tell me about your time with the Church. How did that all come about?
RG: I actually came to Tennessee from Georgia. My wife Elizabeth was from Tennessee, and we lived in Jefferson County for a little while before moving closer to Sevier County where I taught the youngsters for a bit before getting involved in the Baptist church. I had the best handwriting and spelling and grammar, you know, so everyone thought I was practically a gift from the Lord anyway. Yup, good ol’ Gatlin could sure write a pretty sentence or two.
VG: I heard your spoken words were perhaps not
so pretty?
RG: Oh, pish-posh! All those dirty, rotten rumor-spreaders sure like to make up a lot of nonsense! So what if maybe an offensive word or two might leak out every once and a while? Those people just thought they were so high and mighty! Ain’t nothin’ wrong with a naughty word every once and a while.
VG: Right… So, moving on… What happened that made you move on from the church? I heard you created some sort of argument and were denied membership.
RG: Ah, well, that’s not really important… Let’s talk about my other jobs. I was the owner of my own store, you know, and I sure owned a lot of property in my day.
VG: Yes, you moved to what was originally called White Oak Flats to open the second store in the area. Tell me more about that.
RG: My store was so famous I opened up a post office in it. Because I’m such a respectable man, the postmaster started calling the post office Gatlinburg—after ME, of course—and that beautiful name stuck. So White Oak Flats became known as Gatlinburg. Much nicer, if you ask me.
VG: Um, yes, quite a name, Mr. Gatlin. I have heard that Ogleburg might’ve been a more appropriate name, though, since the first settler was Martha Jane Huskey Ogle, who came to the area way back in the early 1800s.
RG: Ogleburg?! Why, I oughta…!!! Those pesky Ogle’s had it in for me from the start! You know, Elizabeth and I were both charged with assault and battery of Mr. Thomas Ogle, Sr. That’s all blasphemy, of course, although that dumb judge charged us! Even though we were only charged a dollar each, I didn’t want to pay a cent to that darn Ogle, so I took it to the Tennessee Supreme Court. They must’ve struck up some secret deal behind my back, though, because the Supreme Court charged us too! All complete and utter lies, I tell ye!
VG: I see, Mr. Gatlin… certainly sounds like everyone is simply out to get you…
RG: You’re darn right! But hey, at the end of the day, the town’s still called Gatlinburg, so I still say I got the last laugh! Ha! Good riddance!
VG: Well, Mr. Gatlin it sure was a pleasure…er…it was definitely interesting to hear your perspective on things. Most definitely an entertaining conversation!
RG: You know me, “entertainment” is my middle name! No, really, it is!