SMOKY MOUNTAINS CEMETERIES

All of the land within Great Smoky Mountains National Park was purchased from families who had been living in the area since the early 1800s. Not only were their homes, churches, and mills left behind, but also their cemeteries. Today there are around 150 known cemeteries scattered throughout the park, many that can only be found with a map or intimate knowledge of the area. Others are on “the beaten path” and accessible to the public. There are also plenty of cemeteries that have been overgrown and have disappeared forever. While I did not go out of my way to find cemeteries, I did run across a few either by driving the park roads or by hiking the trails. I have provided a list of the ones I found with links to details and photographs.

The National Park Service has a map with all of the cemeteries on its Burial Landscapes web page.

For those interested in the cemeteries of the Smokies, I found a worthwhile article entitled, “Cemeteries ensconced by park remain a source of consternation” from a outside source.

CADES COVE REGION

Primitive Baptist Church
1887 church building and cemetery

Methodist Church
1902 church building and cemetery

Missionary Baptist Church
1915 church building and cemetery

CATALOOCHEE REGION

Palmer Chapel Cemetery
Located near the Palmer Methodist Church, which is also open to visitors.

Caldwell Cemetery
Family cemetery located across from the Caldwell House.

COSBY REGION

Williamson Cemetery
Small cemetery located about ten minutes up the Snake Den Ridge Trail, which starts in the Cosby Campground near site B 51.

ELKMONT REGION

Little Greenbrier Cemetery
Located next to a school house that also served as the community’s church.

GREENBRIER REGION

Ownby Cemetery
Located .8 mile down the Porters Creek Trail.

Plemmons Cemetery
One of the largest cemeteries in the park.

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