What’s In a Name?

The Towns of Eastern Tennessee Have Stories to Tell

Ever wonder how a place got its name? As you explore the Tennessee Smokies, you may find yourself wondering how Pigeon Forge came about or why they’re called the Smokies. As you learn about these Eastern Tennessee towns, you’re realize that they each have a unique history that makes them the charming, extraordinary places they are today.

Gatlinburg
Adjacent to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Gatlinburg is a combination of small town charm, Tennessee history and all the amenities of a modern, mountain resort destination. But how did it all begin? It was first named White Oak Flats because of an abundance of native white oak trees. In the early 1800s, Martha Jane Huskey Ogle and her family arrived in East Tennessee and are considered the first settlers of Gatlinburg as we know it today. She wanted to honor her late husband, whose wish was to settle in the “land of paradise” that he had found for them on a previous visit to the area. After White Oak Flats had started growing, Radford C. Gatlin opened a second general store in 1854. Two years later in 1856, a post office was established in his store and the town name was changed to Gatlinburg. Gatlin eventually went on to establish his own “Gatlinite” Baptist Church, but was soon surrounded by controversy and banished from the community.

Sevierville
Founded in 1795, Sevierville (pronounced Se-VEER-ville) was named for the first governor of Tennessee, John Sevier. It is the eighth oldest town in the state and is filled to the brim with history, dating back hundreds of years. The town began as a rural community with just a few buildings and was a stopping point for settlers heading west. When it was chosen as the county seat, it was renamed Sevierville. Today, Sevierville is known as the birthplace of Dolly Parton and a quaint, historic town with a friendly and relaxed atmosphere.

Pigeon Forge
Going back more than three hundred years, settlers from the Carolinas followed the Pigeon River and old Indian trails through the Smoky Mountains to find the area that is known today as Pigeon Forge. This region was originally used by Cherokee as a hunting ground. In 1920, pioneer Isaac Love established an iron forge and his son, William, built the “Pigeon Forge Mill” just ten years later. Many say that the name Pigeon Forge comes from the iron forge and its location on the Pigeon River—which is said to have gotten its name from the flocks of pigeons that fed along its banks. Once William established a post office and called it Pigeon Forge, the community took on the name as well. After incorporating in 1961, tourism started to grow and it’s now a popular vacation destination.

Walland
In the late 1800s, the Walton and England Leather Co. of Philadelphia sent John W. Fisher to Tennessee to look for suitable locations to build a tannery. A small town built up around the tannery and it was named Walland, for a combination of Walton and England. Even after the tannery burned in the early 1900s, its history lives on in the town today, which is in the northwestern foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains.

Townsend
Native Americans originally inhabited Tuckaleechee Cove, one of several limestone valleys at the northern base of the Smokies, where Townsend is located. In the late 1800s, settlers came from the north looking for forest resources as the lumber industry experienced a boom. In 1900, Colonel W. B. Townsend from Pennsylvania purchased land hoping to capitalize on the forests of the Smokies. A band saw mill was established and Townsend lent his name to the community that grew around the mill. Shortly after, the Little River Railroad was constructed and connected the mill to neighboring communities. After cutting down the forests for nearly two decades, Col. Townsend eventually sold 76,000 acres of his land to become the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Cades Cove
Cades Cove is one of the most visited parts of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This isolated valley has a rich history before it became part of the park. The Cherokee established a settlement in Cades Cove, along the flats of Cove Creek. While one theory posits that the cove was named after local chief Abraham of Chilhowee’s wife Kate, most theories suggest that Cades Cove was named after another local Cherokee leader, Chief Kade.

Great Smoky Mountains
The Smokies are named for the blue mist that seems to hover above the peaks and valleys. They were called “shaconage” or “place of the blue smoke” by the local Cherokee. If you visit them, it’s easy to see how “great” they truly are.