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Townsend is a very small town in Blount County, Tennessee. According to the 2000 United States Census the township population was 244. That, however, is just a little misleading. Even though the town limits are physically small, the county had a population of 105,823 for the same census period. Still, all things considered, it's rural and has a wonderful small town feel.
Townsend calls itself "the Peaceful Side of the Smokies." The town is located on state route TN-73 (now US-321). Heading Southwest from town, it turns into Rich Mountain Road and traveling Northeast it terminates at Cades Cove Road which are both in the park. Either way it's only about five or so miles before you'll get to a park entrance. US-441 traverses the park from the Sugarlands (TN) to Oconaluftee (NC) via New Found Gap and handles millions of tourists annually on each side. How Townsend has been able to avoid the traffic load of the other gateway communities is amazing to me especially considering that Cades Cove is one of the most visited parts of the park.
The map at left (and its enlargement) is a 1941 basic road map produced by the National Park Service. Road and highway numbers above won't mean much as one tries to find them. Furthermore, the red square showing the location of Townsend doesn't actually show Townsend being on the map. But take a leap of faith and believe me it's there. Here is an up-to-date basic road map complete with all of the new road and highway numbers. There are two additional National Park Service maps of the Smokys on this page; The first is the full 1941 map. It's interesting because it shows many of the pre-park names. The other is a detailed and current 1997 map which has all of the new and improved info including the new park place names. The Library of Congress has high resolution originals of these maps. They're available at Maps of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Humble Beginnings...
Current day Townsend is located in what use to be Tuckaleechee Cove. All
agree that the name is originally a derivation of "Tikwalitsi" from the Cherokee
language but accounts vary about its meaning. Some say it means "peaceful,
green place." Others say that the original meaning and actual translation
has been lost. Regardless, it is indeed a peaceful green place.
The cove is situated in a "limestone window," one of many along the northern edge of the Smokys. Windows are geological formations (taking eons of time) born out of the mountain building process. Basically, softer slate and sandstone layers weather and erode to the harder limestone or granite layers leaving a flat, fertile hole in the surrounding mountains. Windows are usually a little "flatter" than your typical garden variety valley. Other windows in the area include Cades Cove and Wear Cove.
Locals have long taken advantage of the cove's ability to support the "good life" as it were. Archeological surveys in and around Townsend have documented Native American artifacts that go back as far as 2000 B.C. Additionally, pottery fragments and tooling (mainly ax heads) dating to the Woodland period have been found in the area. Sometime around the early 1600s the Cherokee arrived on the scene and became the predominant Native Americans either melding with or displacing their forerunners. They successfully occupied the area for well over a 100 years. Again, accounts vary... some say the Cherokee had abandoned the cove by the time European settlers arrived in the area in the late 1700s. Others believe they were in the cove as late as the 1830s when they were forced west on the infamous Trail of Tears.
Settlement by Anglo / European descendants came in waves and the first of these were in the late 1700s. A few of the first settlers were just part of a normal migration but some were Revolutionary war veterans. Most of them were immigrants of the Scots-Irish variety. Tennessee became the 16th state in the union in 1796 but until then most of the eastern part of the state was actually North Carolina. When the Revolutionary War ended in 1783, North Carolina began giving 50 acre land grants to war veterans. Many of these grants were in what is modern day Tennessee. These original settlers were sustained by living off the land; farming, fishing, hunting, and such. And so, life moved on.
Fast forward around 80 years... The American Civil War begins. Opinions varied and tempers flared but like most folks in this particular region of the mountains people in Tuckaleechee Cove, for the most part, tried to remain neutral. And like most people in the mountains that tried to stay out of it, they suffered raids from both sides as each side tried to get supplies to sustain and forward their war effort. Still, men that fought in the region took note of it and saw it beyond the extremes of war. And although land grants weren't in play, another small wave happened after the Civil war ended.
Logging the Smokys...
The third wave happened in the late 1800s and early 1900s when the logging and
railroad industry created a huge impact on the cove. By the early 1880s,
bottom land deforestation by logging companies along the Mississippi delta and
Ohio valley had begun to wind down because the resources had been depleted.
Sadly, they began to look to the virgin timber of Appalachia.
In 1886 a group of Pennsylvania investors including J.W. Wrigley, F.H. McCormic, Joe Dickey, and Asbury Lee, and headed by Colonel Wilson Bailey Townsend (1854-1936) came south looking for logs. What they found were large beautiful stands of virgin timber along the Little Pigeon River and Little River watersheds. They began acquiring land from mountain residents and what they wound up with went from Tuckaleechee Cove over to Clingman's Dome and up to Elkmont. Estimates for the total land acquired range between 75,000 and 90,000 acres of prime forest by the time they were done.
Most of the land was bought and paid for by 1900. Townsend applied for and received a charter for his new company. In 1901 the first mill was built and began operation. The Little River Lumber Company was born and with the influx of mill workers Tuckaleechee Cove became Townsend in 1902, named after the lumber mills new president Col. W.B. Townsend. In 1905 the mill burned down and was quickly rebuilt. It burned down again in 1916 and again was rebuilt.
Also in 1901 and 1902 Col. Townsend began laying track both over to Walland and up into the mountains towards Elkmont. The eight miles between Townsend and Walland became operational on January 1, 1903. Not long afterwards, they also completed the other three miles from Townsend to Fork. The track they put down was for the old Shay cog locomotives. Cog rails use a third center track that meshes with a gear on the locomotive to pull the trains up steep mountain grades. Eventually the Little River Lumber Company, under the name of the East Prong Railroad, completed the 15 miles from Forks to Elkmont in 1908. Many branches, or lumber spurs as they were known, were built including: East into Cades Cove, Eldorado Creek, and Laurel Creek, Northeast up the East Prong above Elkmont to the North Carolina line, and North up the Middle Prong into Walker's Valley above Tremont.
Logging was good for the company and production was excellent. A single large American chestnut in those days could easily be expected to produce 15,000 board feet of lumber and there were thousands of them. Still, by the early 1920s something between 50% and 60% of the lower Smoky mountains had been deforested and conservationists began efforts to halt logging operations. Initially Col. Townsend was against it, claiming that it would hurt the economic situation for the mill and rail workers. But Townsend wasn't stupid. He could "see the writing on the wall" and he was a crafty business man. So, in 1925, while the gettin' was good, Townsend set in motion the process of deeding the land over for the park.
On February 1, 1925 Col. Townsend sold 76,507 acres of land for $3.58 per acre to the State of Tennessee who, in turn, turned it over to the U.S. Government. But there were caveats. Being the fox that he was he did it before conservation efforts rose to a fever pitch... For the most part the land he sold had already been clear cut and the agreement for the sale allowed the Little River Lumber Company to continue logging within the Park boundaries until 1938. By the time the lumber company ceased operations in late 1938 or early 1939 (opinions vary) between 65% and 75% of the Smokys had been deforested and over two billion board feet of lumber had been cut out of the Little River watershed. Ultimately though, the sale was a milestone needed for the creation of the Park.
"Fifty-seven varieties of hardwood were marketed by Little River in the early years of operation" (Burns).
Although logging in the Smokys was done without regard for its impact on any of the mountain eco systems, in a very strange twist of irony, harm here was minimal. The types of hardwoods harvested were considerable in number but some estimates dictate that as many as three out of every four trees in this particular region were American chestnuts. Chestnuts were already falling prey to the chestnut blight and dying. By the time logging operations ceased, most of the trees in the area would have already died and offered no benefit to the mill or rail workers, the conservationists, or the visitors to the park. Loggers unwittingly cleared the way for reforestation by other tree species unaffected by blight. For more on this check out the Chestnut Story.
Of course the Little River Railroad and Lumber Company wasn't the only company logging in the area. Other companies chartered to operate in Blount Co. included Chilhowee Lumber Company, Tennessee Lumber Canal Company, Tennessee Manufacturing Company, and Tuckaleechee Timber and Boom Company, and they all played their part. Today the legacy and historical significance of these times, these people, and these companies are preserved at the Little River Railroad and Lumber Company Museum.
Post park growth...
Tourism to the park caused fairly steady but manageable growth from the 1940s
on. However, a couple of events in the late 1970s and early 1980s, seemingly
unrelated, caused a considerable spike or growth spurt; the final wave if you
will.
The Eisenhower Highway System upgrades were pretty well complete by the early 1970s. And considering what Alcoa and Oak Ridge were to the military industrial complex Federal highways in East Tennessee were among the best in the system. Roads built by the CCC stopped at the park boundaries and the Interstates stopped at the exit ramps. Towns between the two, like Townsend, had seen little improvement in roads beyond what were originally put down. That all changed in the late 1970s when the state of Tennessee began updating the infrastructure around Townsend. State road TN-115 became US-129, TN-73 became US-321, and improvements were made to US-441.
Knoxville hosted the 1982 World's Fair. In the four month span from May 01 to October 31, 1982, Knoxville saw a visitor load of 11,127,786 people. Eleven million people!!! Although this seems staggering for such a short period of time, the area as a whole was use to a large visitor load because of the park, the most visited in America.
Two events that seem to be unrelated but now we connect the dots. Many of those eleven million visitors to the World's Fair also put a visit to the Smokys on their "things-to-do" list. The proximity of the Fair to the park made it too tempting to pass up and the improvements to infrastructure gave them a more direct path from Knoxville to not only the most visited park in America but the most visited part of it, Cades Cove. This straight shot took them right through Townsend. Along the way they got to see what life in Paradise was like. Many of those started making plans to move and many of them did.
This growth spurt complete, Townsend and Blount county as a whole have returned to a more "normal" growth curve. As of the 2000 census Blount county's population density was 190/square mile. During the same period Townsend's was 265.7/square mile. But with a total population of 244 this is still a small quiet southern town complete with all the atmosphere and charm one would expect from such a place. Townsend really is "the Peaceful Side of the Smokies."
Today, beyond being a gateway into one of the most visited areas of the park, Townsend visitors will enjoy a leisurely pace and relaxed atmosphere among some of the friendliest people to be found anywhere. Instead of being part of the Smokys hysteria Townsend caters more to the subdued. Folks who want a support base for hiking, camping, fishing, and biking will be right at home here. And no matter when you're in town enjoy the scenery.
If you happen to be in the area at the right time you may want to check out either of two major annual festivals: The Spring Festival and Old Timers Day and the Fall Heritage Festival and Old Timers Day events are usually held at the Townsend Visitors Center and celebrate the heritage of Townsend and Great Smoky Mountains of yesteryear. For scheduling information check the Townsend Chamber or Visitor Center websites. Or there's always the Festival website that you can check out.
For those more interested in history some of the other things to see and do around the area include:
For those that are a little more adventurous, try these out:
Townsend, like several others, is one of the gateway communities leading directly into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and is located in Blount County. Blount County actually extends into the park and Townsend is about as far as one can get into the southeast part of the county and still be out of the park. A couple of nearby towns of note are Maryville, the county seat, and Alcoa (like the aluminum company). Some of the smaller communities in the county include Alnwick, Binfield, Cold Springs, Dry Valley, Friendsville, Happy Valley, Laws, Chapel, Mentor, Rockford, Seymour, Six Mile, Sunshine, Walland, and Wildwood. Sounds like some happy places doesn't it?
So, if you want to experience the "Peaceful Side of the Smokies," Townsend and the surrounding area is the place to be. The folks are great and the pace is easy. For more information, click on one (or all) of the township links above or check out the Blount County Chamber page.
Credit where it's due...
I would like to thank Sandy Headrick. Sandy is the Treasurer of the
Little River Railroad and Lumber Company
and owner of the Highland Manor Inn.
She was instrumental in helping me get some much needed information so that
this page could be completed and produced as accurately as possible. Her
help and support was greatly appreciated. If you're going to be visiting
the area, give her a call. She's good people.
Burns, Inez E. History of Blount County, Tennessee: From War Trail to Landing Strip, 1795-1955
Nashville. Benson Print, Co. 1957.
"Elkmont History.", and linked articles. History of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 2008.
<http://www.mysmokymountainvacation.com/elkmont-history.html>.
(07 Oct., 2009).
"Little River Railroad and Lumber Company.", and linked articles. Blountweb.com. 2009.
<http://www.blountweb.com/littleriverrailroad>.
(06 Oct., 2009).
"Little River Railroad (Tennessee).", and linked articles. Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. 2009.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_River_Railroad_(Tennessee)>.
(05 Oct., 2009).
"Townsend History.", and linked articles. Townsend Chamber of Commerce. 2009.
<http://www.townsendchamber.org>.
(05 Oct., 2009).
"Townsend, Tennessee.", and linked articles. Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. 2009.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Townsend,_Tennessee>.
(05 Oct., 2009).
"Welcome to Blount County.", and linked articles. Blount County Chamber of Commerce. 2009.
<http://www.blountchamber.com>.
(05 Oct., 2009).
