Cataloochee in Haywood County, North Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

Cataloochee Homeland

— Great Smoky Mountains National Park —

Photographed by Tom Bosse, July 22, 2023

1. Cataloochee Homeland Marker

Inscription.
Today houses, cabins, barns, and churches still stand in Cataloochee, the largest community affected by the 1930s creation of the national park. Many signs of the more than 1,200 people who lived here during Cataloochee's heyday have disappeared, but memories live on.

The remaining buildings remind us of a time when life was more directly tied to the land, when food came from fields, not the store. But time did not stand still here—like any community Cataloochee evolved. The most vivid evidence of this evolution is in the buildings. The earliest families built log cabins, but as sawmills and roads were developed building materials and construction methods changed. Families built framed additions around their log cabins. And later, many large, wood framed structures were added, like the Caldwell House and Palmer Chapel. Today Cataloochee is a historic district, preserving the architectural integrity of this once-thriving community.

(captions)
Over 200 buildings once dotted Cataloochee valleys. Today only a handful remain.

Most sites in Big Cataloochee can be reached by paved or gravel roads. Be sure to visit the

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Palmer House for information and to see the Cataloochee history exhibits. The sites in Little Cataloochee can only be reached by foot, walked a little over 2 miles on the Little Cataloochee Trail.

Beginning in the 1830s fertile bottom lands along Cataloochee Creek were cleared for crops, orchards, and livestock. Now the park mows the remaining fields to maintain the open, historic character.

Campers, hikers, anglers, and wildlife observers now enjoy the solitude and wildness of the place.
br> Caldwell House

Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Parks & Recreational Areas • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1930.

Location. 35° 37.881′ N, 83° 5.285′ W. Marker is in Cataloochee, North Carolina, in Haywood County. It is on Cataloochee Entrance Road 0.4 miles west of Cataloochee Creek Road, on the left when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Waynesville NC 28785, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in North Carolina’s

Photographed by Tom Bosse, July 22, 2023

2. Cataloochee Homeland Marker

Marker is on the left.

Mountains, specifically in Greater Asheville,

and in the Great Smoky Mountains.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the original Cherokee Nation,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 9 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Welcome to Cataloochee (a few steps from this marker); Cataloochee (approx. 1.6 miles away); "Cataloochee Trail" (approx. 5.1 miles away); Welcome to the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area (approx. 5.6 miles away); In Memory and Appreciation of D. Reeves Noland (approx. 5.6 miles away); Kirk's Raid (approx. 7.7 miles away); The Masonic Marker (approx. 8.1 miles away); Felix Walker (approx. 8.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Cataloochee.

Also see . . . Cataloochee

Cataloochee Elk image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tom Bosse, July 22, 2023

3. Cataloochee Elk

(Great Smoky Mountains). Wikipedia entry (Submitted on June 15, 2024, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)

Credits. This page was last revised on June 15, 2024. It was originally submitted on August 15, 2023, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 309 times since then and 18 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on August 15, 2023, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.