Tennessee sisters sold 122-acre homestead for $4,750 but kept living there

Rep ese tative
image

Deep
i
the
hea t
of
G eat
Smoky
Mou tai s
Natio al
Pa k,
whe e
mist
cli gs
to
the
idges
a d
the
fo est
hums
with
life,
sta ds
a
quiet
log
cabi .
It
is
the
home
of
the
Walke
siste s,
six
u ma ied
wome
who
efused
to
leave
thei
mou tai
home,
eve
as
the
wo ld
cha ged
a ou d
them.
Thei
sto y
is
o e
of
esilie ce,
i depe de ce
a d
a
u b eakable
bo d
with
the
la d
they
called
home,
as
sha ed
by
the
Natio al
Pa k
Se vice
(NPS).
Read
o
to
k ow
mo e
about
them
he e:A
family
ooted
i
the
SmokiesThe
Walke
family’s
sto y
bega
i
the
afte math
of
the
Civil
Wa .
Joh
N.
Walke ,
who
had
fought
fo
the
U io
a d
bee
imp iso ed
by
the
Co fede acy,
etu ed
home
i
1866
a d
ma ied
Ma ga et
Ja e
Ki g.
Th ough
Ma ga et’s
family,
Joh
obtai ed
a
house
a d
p ope ty
i
Little
G ee b ie
Cove,
late
expa di g
his
la d
by
buyi g
out
he
b othe s
a d
siste s.The
house
was
made
of
logs
f om
tulip-popla s,
i sulated
with
mud
a d
ock.
Othe
buildi gs
o
the
Walke
p ope ty
i cluded
a
ba ,
co c ib,
smokehouse,
pig
pe ,
apple
ba
a d
blacksmith
shop.
A
sp i ghouse
situated
o
a
ea by
flowi g
c eek
kept
dai y
p oducts
such
as
milk
a d
butte
cool
th oughout
the
yea ,
as
well
as
p ovided
sto age
oom
fo
pickled
oot
vegetables.Joh
was
a
i ovative
ma .
He
c afted
ladde back
chai s,
looms,
tools
a d
a
small
cotto
gi .

He
also
pla ted
o cha ds
that
i cluded
mo e
tha
20
ki ds
of
apples,
as
well
as
peaches,
che ies
a d
plums.
Chicke s,
sheep,
goats
a d
hogs
we e
all
aised
o
the
fa m.Togethe ,
the
Walke s
aised
eleve
child e ,
seve
gi ls
a d
fou
boys.
All
eleve
child e
eached
matu ity,
a
ext emely
a e
case
give
the
time
pe iod
a d
its
lack
of
medical
ca e.
The
siste s,
f om
oldest
to
you gest,
we e
Ma ga et,
Polly,
Ma tha,
Na cy,
Louisa
(p o ou ced
Lou-EYE-za),
Sa ah
Ca oli e
a d
Hettie,
as
pe
NPS.

The
seve
Walke
siste s:
F o t
left
to
ight
–
Ma ga et,
Louisa,
a d
Polly.
Back
left
to
ight
–
Hettie,
Ma tha,
Na cy,
a d
Ca oli e.
Photo
c edit:
Jim
Shelto
took
this
photo
i
1909
(via
NPS)

Life
o
the

homesteadThe
Walke
boys
left
home
o
ma ied,
while
o ly
o e
of
the
seve
siste s,
Sa ah
Ca oli e,
ma ied.
The
othe
six
u ma ied
siste s
stayed
i
Little
G ee b ie
with
thei
fathe
a d
i he ited
the
fa m
afte
his
death
i
1921.
He
was
80
yea s
old.
O e
of
the
siste s,
Na cy,
died
te
yea s
late ,
a d
the
emai i g
five
siste s
bega
to
establish
thei
life
o
the
fa m.
They
fed
a d
clothed
themselves,
aised
livestock
a d
mai tai ed
thei
mou tai
homestead
fo
ove
fo ty
mo e
yea s.A
typical
meal
at
the
Walke
house
almost
always
i cluded
po k
a d
co .
Thei
ga de
also
p ovided
them
with
ma y
othe
types
of
f esh
vegetables
i
the
g owi g
seaso .
I
the
wi te ,
ham,
baco
a d
salt
po k
was
cu ed
i
the
smokehouse.The
siste s
we e
also
excelle t
spi e s
a d
weave s.
Wool
f om
thei
sheep
was
washed,
ca ded
a d
spu
usi g
a
spi i g
wheel,
sometimes
dyi g
the
ya
with
be ies
o
ba k.
They
the
wove
the
skei s
of
ya
i to
fab ic.
Flax
a d
cotto
we e
also
g ow
at
the
Walke
siste s’
fa m
to
p oduce
thei
ow
textiles
usi g
the
cotto
gi
that
thei
fathe
had
built.
The
li sey-woolsey
ble d
cloth
c eated
was
used
to
sew
thei
ow
clothi g.
Followi g
i
thei
mothe
Ma ga et’s
footsteps,
the
daughte s
also
kept
a
he bal
ga de
fo
mou tai
emedies,
i cludi g
ho se adish,
bo eset
a d
peppe mi t
fo
heali g
teas.
Natu al
pla ts
i
the
fo ests
we e
collected,
too.
The
Walke
siste s
o ce
said,
“Ou
la d
p oduces
eve ythi g
we
eed
except
suga ,
soda,
coffee
a d
salt.”

The
c eatio
of
a
atio al
pa kI
1926,
Co g ess
app oved
autho izatio
of
the
pa k,
allowi g
No th
Ca oli a
a d
Te essee
to
sta t
aisi g
mo ey
to
buy
ea ly
half
a
millio
ac es,
most
of
which
was
p ivately
ow ed.
Pa cels
of
la d
collected
f om
families
a d
timbe
compa ies
alike
we e
ba gai ed
fo ,
haggled
ove
a d
eve tually
pu chased,
i cludi g
the
Walke
siste s’
122-ac e
homestead.Refusi g
to
leave
thei
mou tai
home,
the
siste s
held
out
u til
1940,
whe
P eside t
Roosevelt
officially
dedicated
G eat
Smoky
Mou tai s
Natio al
Pa k
f om
a
sto e
memo ial
at
Newfou d
Gap.
With
the
c eatio
of
the
pa k,
the
siste s
eceived
$4,750
fo
thei
la d
as
well
as
the
oppo tu ity
to
live
out
the
est
of
thei
lives
at
thei
home
th ough
a
lifetime
lease.But
livi g
i
the
atio al
pa k
mea t
t aditio al
p actices
such
as
hu ti g
a d
fishi g,
cutti g
wood
a d
g azi g
livestock
we e
ow
p ohibited
withi
the
pa k
bou da ies.
A
ew
lifestyle
developed
fo
the
siste s.
Visito s
flocked
to
the
pa k
a d
visited
what
became
k ow
as
“Five
Siste s
Cove”.
The
Walke s
welcomed
the
cu ious
ewcome s
a d
saw
them
as
a
oppo tu ity
to
sell
ha dmade
items
such
as
child e ’s
toys,
c ocheted
doilies,
f ied
apple
pies
a d
eve
Louisa’s
ha d-w itte
poems.
The
siste s
we e
eve
featu ed
i
the
Satu day
Eve i g
Post
i
Ap il
1946,
showcasi g
thei
mou tai
lifestyle
to
the
est
of
the
cou t y.The
fi al
yea sThe
yea
befo e
the
Post
w ite
visited
the
homestead,
Polly
passed
away.
Hettie
died
a
yea
late
i
1947,
a d
Ma tha
died
i
1951.
With
o ly
two
siste s
left,
Ma ga et
a d
Louisa
w ote
a
lette
to
the
pa k
supe i te de t
aski g
if
the
“visito s
welcome”
sig
—
with
i fo matio
about
the
Walke
siste s
—
could
be
take
dow ,
explai i g
that
they
we e
getti g
too
old
a d
ti ed
to
get
wo k
do e
o
the
fa m
a d
g eet
visito s,
too.
At
that
time
Ma ga et
was
82
a d
Louisa
was
70.Ma ga et
Walke
died
i
1962
at
age
92,
a d
Louisa
stayed
i
the
house
u til
she
died
o
July
13,
1964.
The
last
siste ,
Ca oli e,
who
had
moved
away
a d
ma ied,
died
i
1966.A
legacy
that
e du esThough
the
Walke
siste s
a e
ow
go e,
thei
legacy
lives
o
th ough
thei
homestead,
the
objects
they
c eated
a d
lived
with,
a d
the
eighbou s
a d
visito s
they
i te acted
with
well
i to
the
1950s.
By
pa ki g
at
Metcalf
Bottoms,
you
ca
take
the
sho t
half
mile
walk
up
to
the
Little
G ee b ie
schoolhouse,
which
Joh
Walke
a d
his
so
helped
build.
If
you’ e
up
fo
a
little
mo e,
take
the
Little
B ie
Gap
T ail
a
mile
up
to
the
Walke
siste s’
beloved
home.
Sta d
o
the
po ch
a d
imagi e
what
life
was
like
fo
the
five
siste s
whe
they
t apped
food
i
the
fo est,
te ded
to
thei
ga de s
a d
livestock
a d
ope ly
welcomed
visito s
befo e
a d
afte
the
pa k
was
established.New
visito s
will
ot
be
g eeted
by
f ied
apple
pies,
but
i stead
by
a
emi isce t,
peaceful
atmosphe e
that
su ou ds
the
ow-vaca t
homestead
of
the
Walke
siste s.

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