Joel Ownby Cemetery (Joel Ownby grave in the forground)
The Ownby Cemetery is located .8 mile down the Porters Creek Trail. Parking for the trail is at the end of Greenbrier Road. See the Greenbrier Region web page for an interactive location map.
The Ownbys and Whaleys were the first families to settle the Greenbrier region. Members of both families, along with others who lived in the area, are buried in this cemetery. The cemetery gets its name from Joel Ownby, who lived from 1836 to 1909, making him one of the early settlers who came to Greenbrier. Keep in mind that many of the cemetery names evolved since Great Smoky Mountains National Park was established and may not be the names the original families used, if they used a name at all. Even today you may find a cemetery referenced by multiple names.
The following are photos from some of the graves.
Grave of Union soldier David Proffitt
Grave of infant Mary Whaley
Ownby Cemetery
Infant Roy Ownby
Hettie Martin (4/12/1878 to 12/10/1903)
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 March 16, 2020
