Page Updated: February 02, 2024
Walker Sisters’ Cabin
Walker Sisters’ Homestead - GSMNP
Built by Union Soldier John Walker shortly after returning from the Civil War, the 19th-century cabin and surviving structures share a remarkable chapter in Appalachian history.
Once home to a family of thirteen and the center of a 122-acre homestead, the Walker Sisters Cabin is one of the last log structures from the 1800’s remaining within Great Smoky Mountain National Park and is a valuable piece of the park’s historic collection of barns, cabins, churches, and mills.
This is an amazingly secluded true example of mountain life. Unlike the Mountain Farm Museum where structures have been collected from all over the Smokies and placed in a central location, the surviving structures at the Walkers Sisters’ homestead remain where they were built.
The cabin was closed for restoration the day of our visit, but we were able to peak in a few windows. Tulip poplar logs insulated with mud and brick give a glimpse into the past. Most impressive is the cabin’s massive stacked stone chimney.
Six unwed sisters lived out their days at the homestead maintaining a self-sufficient life in the Smokies. They raised their own livestock, tended their own crops, even created their own textiles. After the creation of the park in 1940, the sisters greeted curious visitors and welcomed the opportunity to sell handmade items like fried apple pies and crocheted doilies.
The springhouse is situated atop a flowing creek that leads to the Straight Cove Branch of the Little River. The flowing water provided cool storage for pickled produce and items such as butter and milk.
The oversized gabled roof of the corn crib created a sheltered space for storage. Hewn logs with half dovetail notches planking its sides speak to a remarkable skill that seems to be long gone.
This location in the park could use interpretive signs, but it’s an interesting place to explore anyway. Will be cool to see the cabins interior once restoration work has been completed.
Update: GSMNP announced the Walker Sisters Cabin renovations are complete! The cabin is now open to the public. - June 21, 2023
-b&b
Little Greenbrier to Walker Sisters’ Cabin
Stones River Greenway
