Pigeon Forge in Sevier County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)
Tourism Arrives in the Mountains
| | The Old Mill | |
Photographed by Thomas Smith, June 9, 2025
1. Tourism Arrives in the Mountains Marker
Modern tourism in the region got a huge boost in the 1930s and 1940s with the founding of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Some 20 years in the making, the park brought national attention to the beauty, isolation, and distinctive folk life of the southern Appalachian Mountains. Although the tourism boom was delayed by World War II (1941-1945), the coming of a national park changed the region forever.
In Pigeon Forge, tourists discovered The Old Mill, an authentic, picturesque 19th-century grist mill still operating in the middle of town. Soon, local restaurants, small hotels and guest houses, recreation and entertainment entrepreneurs, and regional craftspeople and artisans began capitalizing on the increasing visitation to the national park. The Smoky Mountains Parkway, opened in 1952, gave travelers a fast, easy route to Pigeon Forge.
Captions
(Top Right Photo) President Franklin Delano Roosevelt
this page online
(Bottom Right) Ferguson's Pottery, offering hand-thrown mountain pottery, was one of the first tourist-oriented businesses in Pigeon Forge. (photo courtesy of Pigeon Forge Public Library)
(Bottom Left) Years ago tourists were not warned about human and bear interactions and these encounters were common. "Don't feed the bears!" is, not only, for your safety, but for the bear's too! Heed the warnings!
(Bottom) (photo courtesy of Pigeon Forge Public Library; Lucinda Ogle Collection)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Entertainment • Horticulture & Forestry. A significant historical year for this entry is 1930.
Location. 35° 47.313′ N, 83° 33.235′ W. Marker is in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, in Sevier County. It is at the intersection of Old Mill Avenue and Old Mill Street, on the left when traveling west on Old Mill Avenue. Outside the Old Mill Restaurant. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address:
Photographed by Thomas Smith, June 9, 2025
2. Tourism Arrives in the Mountains Marker
Regionally, this marker is in East Tennessee 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 Confederate States of America, the State of Franklin, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Unionists Within the Confederacy (a few steps from this marker); Pigeons + Forge = Pigeon Forge (within shouting distance of this marker); Welcome to The Old Mill (within shouting distance of this marker); Exploring The Old Mill (within shouting distance of this marker); Antebellum Tennessee: A State Divided (within shouting distance of this marker); Farming The Frontier (within shouting distance of this marker); Grist Mills: What a Grind (within shouting distance of this marker); Pigeon Forge Pottery (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Pigeon Forge.
Credits. This page was last revised on July 10, 2025. It was originally submitted on June 27, 2025, by Thomas Smith of Waterloo, Ill. This page has been viewed 89 times since then and 18 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 27, 2025, by Thomas Smith of Waterloo, Ill. • James Hulse was the editor who published this page.
