Christmas at the Museum

The Little River Railroad and Lumber Company was founded by Colonel W. B. Townsend. History tells us that in 1903 his wife Margaret Townsend introduced the Christmas tree to the area now known as Townsend, Tennessee. Margaret Townsend was known for her interest in the mountain people and her generosity.

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THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY OF THE GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK

The story of the Little River Railroad & Lumber Company is the story behind the story of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. From 1901 to 1939 the Little River Lumber Company cut 560 million board feet of lumber out of the Great Smoky Mountains. If you laid it all

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HAT TIP TO EDDIE MCCLANAHAN

Someone once compared the study of history to going out on a windy day and gathering everyone’s blown off hats in an attempt to get each one back on the right head. Needless to say, this insightful illustration illuminates the difficulty of accurately retelling history as it actually occurred. Since

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TANNING YOUR HIDES

Chilhowee Gap was formed by the Little River basin through the Chilhowee Mountains. Originally known as Murphy’s Cove, it was renamed Miller’s Cove around 1800, when settled by the Miller brothers—Andrew and Alexander. In 1845, George Amerine built a forge in Miller’s Cove. It served as Blount County’s largest ironworks

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SKOOKUM

Our museum’s Shay Engine, Number 2147, is the only surviving Shay from our Little River Railroad. However, Number 110, which was the pride and joy of the Little River Railroad, as well as the smallest Pacific steam locomotive ever built in the United States, is still running today in Coldwater,

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NUMBER 110

Number 110 was the flagship stem locomotive of the Little River Railroad. It was special ordered by Colonel W. B. Townsend, so as to combine the power of a logging (Shay) locomotive with the speed of a traditional passenger train locomotive. It was further distinguished by the fact that it

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RAILROADED BY PROGRESS

Progress had taken America by the turn of the 20th century, thanks to the Industrial Revolution. America’s railroads had carried it everywhere, changing America into a country of commerce and the average American into a consumer. In 1894, Richard Sears pioneered the concept of mail order merchandise with his Sears,

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EXCHANGING A CASH COW FOR AN IRON HORSE

The Smokies’ balds are large pastures or meadows atop the mountains. Some of the best known are Gregory’s Bald, Andrew’s Bald, and Spence Field. No one knows exactly how or why they were formed. It was once believed that the Cherokees kept them clear as hunting grounds or lookouts, but

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LEVI TRENTHAM, THE PROPHET OF THE SMOKIES

One of the early mountaineers you can learn about in our museum is Levi Trentham, who was called “the Prophet of the Smokies” and the “Mayor of Elkmont.” In his early days, Levi eked out an existence trapping bears and selling their hides. When tourists began invading the mountains, Levi

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