Little River Railroad Museum Little River Railroad Museum

Fun at Railroad Days

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.

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

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

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

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