Cades Cove Missionary Baptist Church in Great Smoky Mountains National Park
See the Cades Cove Region web page for an interactive location map.
The Cades Cove Missionary Baptist Church is one of three churches still standing within the Cades Cove region of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. All three come one right after the other on the Cades Cove Loop Road, with this one being the last stop. The crowds will have thinned out by now because everyone will have burned out on churches.
The church was founded in 1839 by former members of the Cades Cove Primitive Baptist Church who were kicked out for wanting to do missionary work. The church operated up until the Civil War. Members were mainly pro-Union, and that didn’t sit well with the largely pro-Confederate residents of Cades Cove. When it reopened after the war, those who were Confederate sympathizers were not invited back. The church continued to operate even after the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was opened, closing only in 1944. The current building was constructed in 1915.
Interior of the Cades Cove Missionary Baptist Church in Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Like the other two churches at Cades Cove, a cemetery is on the grounds here at the Missionary Baptist Church.
Cades Cove Missionary Baptist Church and cemetery, Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Grave of infant May Bell Sparks in the Cades Cove Missionary Baptist Church cemetery, Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Grave of infant Myrtle Whitehead in the Cades Cove Missionary Baptist Church cemetery, Great Smoky Mountains National Park
The church can be rented for weddings during the month of October, though only Monday through Friday from 9 AM to noon. For more information visit the National Park Service’s Wedding Permits and Planning web page for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Allow fifteen minutes for a visit to the Cades Cove Missionary Baptist Church and its cemetery.
With a few exceptions, use of any photograph on the National Park Planner website requires a paid Royalty Free Editorial Use License or Commercial Use License. See the Photo Usage page for details.
Last updated on February 5, 2025
