Jan 29, 2009

My Heritage


If you've ever been to the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee you already know it is a place of stunning beauty. Have you ever been to Cades Cove in the Smoky Mountain National Park? Have you driven around The Loop to see the original historical homes and buildings of a thriving Appalachian community? Cades Cove was settled in the 1820's on land that the Unites States government had purchased from the Cherokee Indians. John Oliver was the first non Indian to live there, settling the community - and he was my great great great grandfather. I grew up spending time in the Smokies and in Cades Cove. I remember my grandfather taking me to the John Oliver cabin as a child. The walls were wallpapered with old newspapers and at that time you could go into the upper level to see the area the children slept in. There is a large fireplace in the cabin used for heating and cooking. My great grandparents were married in front of that fireplace. If you visit the Cove and drive the Loop, do stop and go in the cabins and buildings. You will find a wealth of information and you will be impressed and amazed at the creativity and hardy disposition the early settlers had to possess in order to survive this beautiful but challenging country.

About 6 or 7 years ago my daughter and her husband started a Limited Edition collection for me from the National Heritage Gallery called the Cades Cove Winter Series. Each hand crafted piece is signed and numbered. I only have three pieces but I definitely want more! Of course, the first building they bought me was the John Oliver cabin. Next, they gave me the Primitive Baptist Church, where my great great grandfather was a minister. Lastly, they gave me the Blacksmith Shop which is part of the Cable Mill Community area. The next building I want to add to my collection is the Cable Grist Mill. Below are some pictures of the three buildings in my collection so far. The Appalachian heritage is rich in arts, music, folklore. There is a wonderful Native American, English, and Irish history in the Smokies. My family heritage is rich in all three. Thanks for stopping by Mimi's Garden today to see my Show & Tell Heritage post!




















To find links to more Show & Tell posts visit Kelli at There Is No Place Like Home!

39 comments:

Pink Slippers said...

My sister-in-law is from the same place..I'm gonna have to ask her exactly where. funny.
This has to be the best 'show & tell' ever!

pam said...

Kathy, that is so cool. Your heritage and you have a visual reminder with you always.

Yellow Rose Arbor said...

What a great collection with such special meaning of your heritage!

My little grandson is named Caden, I had never heard that name before and when I googled the name, Cade's Cove came up! I've always wondered about what the history was.

Very interesting! Thanks for sharing!

Katherine

Anonymous said...

How lovely...the story and the pieces. Thank you!!

~CC Catherine said...

Hey Kathy... Sweet share today! I love anything that tells a story about one's heritage. It's always nice to have something trigger such a precious legacy and history! Enjoyed it very much! ~CC Catherine

Ceekay-THINKIN of HOME said...

Kat - those are precious and you so need to complete the collection. It is absolutely necessary - a family connection heirloom!

Lady Katherine said...

I love the story of your heritage and all the wonderful houses and buildings! Great show and tell!

Unknown said...

Wow - how wonderful to be able to trace so far back, and to have it all still there for everyone to visit.

It was lovely to see both the collectors items and the actualy buildings today too.

A real sense of history and a wonderful family heritage.

Thanks for sharing.

Gattina said...

Wonderful little reproductions ! and an interesting story !

Hootin Anni said...

This is stupendous...just plain amazing.

Excellent show n tell. Mine's posted, I do hope you can stop by and visit with me sometime today. Happy Friday.

Kym-Anne said...

What a awesome collection, it's sure to be a family hierloom.
Thanks for dropping by my blog
Have a great week.

A Hint of Home said...

What wonderful gifts with so much heritage. I have been to Cade's Cove and watched the deer cross right in front of our car but what I loved most was the wild horses running free.

Constance said...

Those are beautiful! I am a genealogy fanatic and LOVE it when people share their rich family histories! You have real treasures there!
Connie

LBP said...

How cool is that! What a great collection. Thanks for sharing

Blessings

Linda

Elizabeth-Plain and Simple said...

Our family has been to the Smoky Mountains many times over the years and Cades Cove has been one of our favorite places to visit. We love seeing the old homes and buildings as well as all the wildlife, especially deer. On one of our trips we actually saw 3 bears (Moma & 2 small ones). I love your Cades Cove Winter Series collection. Thanks for sharing it.

Blessings,
Elizabeth

Kristen said...

What a precious collection. I hope you are able to get all that you want. It will be neat to have an entire little village.

Candy said...

Love the mountains. Great pieces of history. I love miniature houses.
Happy Friday, Candy

Carla said...

wonderful! Once, we did a drive through the mountains at the start of fall to see the colors, WOW! Stopping a visiting home sites would have been wonderful! Thank you so much for sharing your pretties, and their story:)

JudyBug said...

Oh I love this post! Cades Cove is one of my favorite places ever! We've been thru about 5 times I guess. We were just there last year. It is the most peaceful place I know of. The history of the area fascinates me. Thanks for your post and love your buildings!

Heather said...

what a great story! i love your collection too!

threesidesofcrazy said...

Sounds beautiful and pretty pieces.

Old Centennial Farmhouse said...

How neat! I just posted about going to Cades Cove a few summers ago today on my blog!...it's a gorgeous place and how special for you to have a connection to it that's so personal and sweet! I love the little collection!

Rechelle ~Walnuthaven Cottage~ said...

How utterly fantastic that you can literally look upon part of your heritage and where your family settled. To be able to walk where your "greats" walked and lived is just priceless.

Alice said...

How cool is this!!! Your heritage in photographs and in tangible means. Awesome! It's nice too that they realize its importance to you. Treasure them. Thanks for sharing.

You are always welcome in The Shadow of the Cross. Feel free to stop in anytime.

SmilingSally said...

What delightful little replicas they are. Thanks for sharing. Happy Show and Tell Day!

Just A Girl said...

Hi Kathy,
Wow! What a great heritage you have. To actually be able to trace your family back to a particular area and have them be the founders is rare. How fun!
Hope your Friday's going well.
xo Cori

BECKY said...

I love this post. We visit the Smoky Mtns. in NC every other year. Truly beautiful.

I love your story and heritage in the Tenn mtns. Thank you for sharing it and your beautiful replicas of Cades Cove.
Blessings,
Becky

Linda C said...

This show and tell is beyond cool and so interesting! Did I mention cool?:)

How wonderful to have to much information about your heritage and to have it preserved!

Your replicas are so special, you must be over the moon with delight:)

Thanks so much for sharing this.

Linda C

Lisa Cobler said...

These are awesome! My Great Grandpa was a Primative Baptist peacher to. The church he built is still going.

Belinda said...

What a wonderful, intriguing story about your family heritage! That's so neat! And these Cades Cove pieces are just beautiful...I can see why you could get addicted to collecting them! :-) Thanks for sharing today!

Sweetie said...

Thank you for introducing me Cades Cove. I love genealogy so I was facinated by your family information. The Cades Cove Winter Series collection is lovely.
Hugs,
Sweetie

Brittany said...

Kathy,

Thanks so much for visiting my blog! What a neat reminder you have of your heritage!

Of course you can follow my blog! I'm looking forward to reading more of yours as well!

In Him,
Brittany

Linda Q said...

Great show and tell story and items Kathy. I learned something from this and was fun to see!
Linda

Danette said...

What a rich heritage you have! I was in the Smoky Mountains once as a teenager. I'll never forget the stunning beauty. What a wonderful blog post to read. I love all the history. And love those darling little houses!
~Danette

Janet, said...

That was a wonderful post. It is great that you know so much about your ancestors and visited their homestead.

Heidi Pocketbook said...

I really enjoyed reading about your family history, the pictures of the real places and the collection. What a great family you come from! It was like a living history lesson and I loved it :-)

Kelli said...

That is so neat, Kathy! What beautiful keepsakes!
~Kelli

Anonymous said...

This is a great collection. I have been to Cade's Cove many times and love going. Every time I go I come back home and want to live more simple. We have many family pictures taken in the cabins.

Thanks for visiting my blog.

Angela

Jewel Sauls said...

I love Cade's Cove and the GSMNP! How special to have a bit of it all the time! :D Jewel