11:22 a.m. October 6, 2014
Hiker claiming to find abandoned town in Smoky Mountains that is simply our beloved Elkmont
By Jeaneane Payne

This historic structure in the Historic Elkmont District in Great Smoky Mountains National Park was once a weekend cottage owned by a socially prominent family. Image by Jeaneane Payne.

Newspapers around the world are heralding that hiker Jordan Liles discovered an abandoned town in the Smoky Mountains. This unfounded news reaches as far as the UK through the Daily Mail with headlines reading “Hiker discovers abandoned Tennessee town untouched and over 100 years old while trekking through Great Smoky Mountains National Park.” The Inquisitr, in response to Liles’ claim, says “What do you think of Liles unique find? It seems that it is easy to forget exactly how much land in the United States is rarely traversed.” The Huffington Post exclaims “it's harder and harder to find places that haven't been explored…kind of like the entire friggin' town in the middle of Tennessee's Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

The Colorado Newsday and Georgia Newsday report “One man made the discovery of a lifetime while out on a recent hike. Jordan Liles, who currently lives in San Diego, California, was in Tennessee back in May 2013 when he decided to take some photos during a trek through Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Those photos turned out to be incredibly interesting when the young man managed to stumble across a seemingly forgotten town the woods.”

A little research on the 100 year old town of Elkmont would have produced some great reads. Elkmont began as a rough and tumble logging town which evolved into a haven for the socially prominent and wealthy members of Knoxville, Maryville, and Chattanooga. Many cottages were built and used for the summer. A beautiful area in the summer, Elkmont provided a haven away from the hassles of the city for some of its residents. However, the mainstay of the town was still timber operations. When Great Smoky Mountains National Park became a reality in 1934, the residents of Elkmont remained in their homes although the government took ownership of the homes. The leases expired in 1972 but were renewed for another 20 years. About 50 leases expired on December 31, 1992 and four more expired on December 31, 2001.

Elkmont has been preserved as an historic district. Many of the cabins remain. Visitors to the district can drive or walk through the area but cannot enter the cabins.

The beautiful Elkmont Historic District sits next to an invigorating mountain river and flaunts an abundance of mountain laurel in the spring. More information on Elkmont is at www.mysmokymountainvacation.com/elkmont.html.

Published October 6, 2014