The history of Gatlinburg,
Tennessee is as unique as the town itself. Gatlinburg
has the perfect location, nestled in the mountains of
East Tennessee. It’s not a surprise that people refer to
it as the “Gateway to the Smoky Mountains.” It lies foot
of the beautiful Mt. LeConte. The small resort town is
best known for its breath taking scenery, fantastic
shopping, and unique history. For years, families, and
groups of all kinds come to vacation in the quaint small
town of Gatlinburg. Gatlinburg was not the original name
of this unforgettable resort town. Settlers first began
calling it White Oaks, and throughout the years, the
resort town name changed to Gatlinburg.
South Carolinians were the first
settlers to voyage out to the present day Gatlinburg
area.
The undiscovered area in which they
settled in was thriving with heavily wooded trees,
forests and wildlife. Only the Native American tribes
stayed in the area. The family history traces to the
name of Oglesby (later changed to Ogle.) Martha Jane
Huskey Ogle brought her seven children to the area and
built her cabin. They were the first family to settle in
White Oaks Flat. Eventually, the pioneer settlers made
the area their home and veterans of the Revolutionary
War came to settle in White Oaks Flats from North
Carolina.
As time passed White Oaks began to
expand as a community prosperous with structure such as
the White Oaks Baptist Church, an in 1867 a school had
been built. Around 1855 Radford Gatlin, a native from
North Carolina opened a post office in the mercantile. A
man by the name of Richard Reagan was named the
postmaster, and in appreciated of the owner Radford
Gatlin, Richard Reagan renamed his office Gatlinburg.
The new name of Gatlinburg reached to all of the
establishments in White Oaks, and in the late 19th
Century, its original name was out of date. In the late
1800’s the name was officially changed to Gatlinburg.
Although the city of Gatlinburg was
named after Radford Gatlin, he was not respected by all.
Gatlin was a strong supporter of the Confederate, and
was very outspoken and straightforward with many of his
political views. His shameless feelings led to a severe
beating by a group of masked men, which forced Gatlin to
leave Gatlinburg immediately.
Present day Gatlinburg, Tennessee
is very much appreciated for its history. Many reminders
of the history exist today. Martha Ogle’s original cabin
that her family settled in can be seen at the Arrowmont
School of Arts and Crafts. Historic buildings still
exist; the theme throughout Gatlinburg still remains the
quaint mountain village it was started as. Come stay in
a
Gatlinburg cabin rental and experience Gatlinburg’s
historic beauty, catch glimpses of historic sites, and
see why year after year people vacation in this perfect
resort-town.
