Blount County

What the Smokies looked like before it became a
national park
PHOTO: Blount County Library

Today, many people associate Blount County with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. However, before the national park was created, large parts of the Smoky Mountains in Blount County were clear cut by the Little River Lumber Company.

In fact, many of the road beds and trails in the Smoky Mountains were originally created by the lumber company!

The grave of one of the 15 Revolutionary War
veterans at Eusebia Cemetery.

Here is an interesting connection between Blount County and early U.S. history: No less than 15 veterans of the American Revolution are buried at Eusebia Cemetery, which is in the middle of Blount County.

Today, no one is really sure why Eusebia became such an important place (no other cemetery in Tennessee has more veterans of the Revolutionary War). One thing is for sure, however: Eusebia is sacred ground.

A church in Cades Cove

Blount County also contains Cades Cove, a valley in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park that contains pioneer farms, grist mills and churches that still look much as they did when first built.

One thing that has changed since the early days, however, is that a lot of people come to Cades Cove now. There is a scenic road that loops around the valley, and in peak months the road is quite crowded with tourists.

The Appalachian Trail in Blount County

Blount County is one of seven east Tennessee counties that contains parts of the Appalachian Trail, which runs 2,175 miles through Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia.

There are people who have hiked the ENTIRE Appalachian Trail; it takes about four to six months.

Click here to take a quick virtual tour of the Appalachian Trail in Tennessee.