National Register of Historic Places

Cole, Alex, Cabin

Gatlinburg, Sevier County, Tennessee
Listed
January 2, 1976
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
76000165

About this property

The Alex Cole Cabin is a historic house in Sevier County, Tennessee, United States, along Roaring Fork within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The last remaining building of the community of Sugarlands, it was built by Albert Alexander "Alex" Cole (1870–1958). The cabin was originally located at 35°40′0″N 83°31′17″W, across the Little Pigeon River from what is now the "Quiet Walkway" opposite the Huskey Gap Trailhead, just off Newfound Gap Road. After being placed on the National Register of Historic Places in the 1970s, the cabin was moved to the Jim Bales Place along the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail (the last owners of the Jim Bales Place lived in a relatively modern frame house). Alex Cole was one of the most industrious residents of the Sugarlands. In the early 1900s, Cole and his sons made a weekly trek across Sugarland Mountain via what is now the Huskey Gap Trail to Elkmont, where they worked for the Little River Lumber Company. As tourism increased in the mountains in the 1920s, Cole began offering his services as a mountain guide, especially for tourists wanting to hike to the summit of Mount Le Conte. Historian Vic Weals wrote that Cole's "considerable knowledge of his wilderness" made him "one of the more sought-after native guides." The cabin is a single-pen one-story cabin measuring approximately 20 feet (6.1 m) by 18 feet (5.5 m). The walls are built of hewn logs with dovetail notching. Fieldstone and loose rock comprise the cabin's foundation, and the cabin's gabled roof is covered with hand-split shingles. The interior contains a sawn board floor and a loft, and is accessed by a sawn board door. The chimney is built of masonry rubble.

Location

Gatlinburg, Sevier County, Tennessee
35.66657, -83.52272

Categories

ARCHITECTURE
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Ogle, Bud, Farm
Listed
2 mi
Ownby, John, Cabin
Industrial
2.1 mi
First Methodist Church, Gatlinburg
Industrial
3.1 mi
Settlement School Community Outreach Historic District
Listed
3.2 mi
Settlement School Dormitories and Dwellings Historic District
Listed
3.3 mi

Questions about this property

When was Cole, Alex, Cabin listed on the National Register?

Cole, Alex, Cabin was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 2, 1976.

What type of historic resource is Cole, Alex, Cabin?

Cole, Alex, Cabin is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Cole, Alex, Cabin?

The period of significance for Cole, Alex, Cabin is recorded as the industrial era.

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