Grounds of the Cable Mill Historic Area

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See the Cades Cove Region web page for an interactive location map.

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The Cable Mill Historic Area in Great Smoky Mountains National Park is located near the half-way point on the Cades Cove Loop Road. It is a collection of traditional mountain farm buildings from the mid-1800s to the early 1900s and is similar to the Mountain Farm Outdoor Museum in the Smokemont Region. The Cades Cove Visitor Center is also located in the complex, and you can pick up a Cades Cove Tour Guide for a small fee if you didn’t already get one at the Orientation Shelter at the very beginning of the road. The brochure has information on all of the historical structures at Cades Cove, including a detailed walking tour for the Cable Mill area.

Unlike the other buildings situated on the Loop Road that belonged to a particular family and are in their original locations, most of the buildings at Cable Mill were moved here from various regions of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. They are representative of traditional buildings used by mountain settlers. Only Cable Mill, a grist mill, was here originally. The Visitor Center and Blacksmith Shop are actually modern reproductions of old buildings.

The following is a list of buildings that you will see and a description of what they were used for.

Cable Grist Mill

Cable Grist Mill

The Cable Grist Mill was owned by John Cable, one of the largest land owners at Cades Cove. He built the grist mill, along with a saw mill, around 1870. His son James later inherited the grist mill and operated it into the 1900s. The saw mill had become obsolete around the turn of the century due to steam powered mills that could cut wood much faster. Water powered the mills at Cades Cove.

Mill race (aka flume) carries water from a nearby mill pond

Gears turned by the waterwheel that powers the grist mill

The mill has been restored and is operated by the Great Smoky Mountains Association. It is open from 9 AM to 5 PM from April 1st through the end of October, and on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays in November. It is closed the rest of the year. When open, a volunteer is on hand to answer questions and to demonstrate how corn is ground into meal. You can buy authentic stone ground corn meal at Cable Mill, but it was not ground here because the mill does not meet FDA regulations. It is, however, ground at another authentic mill that meets health inspection laws.

Inside Cable Mill

Gregg-Cable House

Gregg-Cable House

The Gregg-Cable House originally sat on Forge Creek Road, which is the next road you will come to after passing the Cable Mill Historic Area. Leason Gregg purchased one acre of land from John Cable and built this house in 1879. The Gregg family lived in it and ran a store out of the first floor. The house was originally much smaller, and what you see today is the result of various additions and renovations throughout the years. The house is open to visitors, though there are no furnishings inside.

Fireplace and stove inside the Gregg-Cable House

The house and property were purchased by Rebecca and Dan Cable, John’s daughter and son, in 1887. They continued to run the store for another eight years, then sold the merchandise and opened a boarding house. Eventually Dan and his wife became too ill to run the place and Rebecca took over (she also raised her brother’s children). She never did marry, but she did well for herself, eventually owning over 600 acres of land and living to be 96 years old. She continued to live in the house even after Great Smoky Mountains National Park was established. Older people were often allowed to stay on their property to live out their lives, and when they died their property became part of the National Park. When Rebecca died in 1940 the house was moved to the new location for inclusion in the Cable Mill exhibit.

Corn Crib

Corn crib

Corn was the most important crop at Cades Cove, for it not only fed the people, but also the animals. The corn crib was were the corn was stored. Cracks between the logs let air circulate so the corn could dry.

Old wagon next to the corn crib

Barn

Barn

The “drive-through” barn was typical of east Tennessee. Animals lived in the stalls on either side, while wagons full of hay could pull up into the center area and unload into the loft, the upper section of the barn. The drive-through area could also be used to keep farm equipment out of the rain.

Smokehouse

Smokehouse

The smokehouse was used to cure and store hog meat. Other meat was not as easily cured, so most of it (bear, deer) was eaten fresh, as were chickens.

Inside the smokehouse

Cantilever Barn

Cantilever Barn

Though not as common in the area, a cantilever barn was large enough to provide shelter for animals and storage space for farm equipment.

Blacksmith Shop

Blacksmith Shop

This blacksmith shop is not an authentic building, but a reproduction of a typical blacksmith shop of the time. The building is furnished with blacksmithing equipment, and on certain days an actual blacksmith is on duty to demonstrate the tricks of the trade. It was closed when I visited.

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