The seven Walker Sisters - Margaret, Polly, Martha, Nancy, Louisa, Sarah Caroline, and Hettie - spent their entire lives in a cabin in Little Greenbrier Cove that was built by their grandfather in the 1840s.
The cabin was obtained by their father, John Walker, after he returned to the area after fighting for the Union in the Civil War. John and his wife Margaret had eleven children: seven daughters and four sons!
When John Walker died in 1921, the property was left to his unmarried daughters. Without any men around, the Walker Sisters assumed all of the responsibilities on the farm and so for the next 40+ years, the sisters raised livestock, grew vegetables, and made their own clothes.
The National Park Moves In…
Although Nancy died in 1931, the five remaining Walker Sisters were still going strong when the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was officially dedicated in 1940. While most locals moved away after the creation of the park, the Walker Sisters refused to give up their family farm. Eventually, a deal was struck in which the sisters received $4,750 for their land and permission to continue living in their cabin for the rest of their lives.
With the establishment of the national park came a host of new restrictions. The Walker Sisters weren’t allowed to hunt, fish, cut wood, or graze livestock. To compensate, the sisters became quasi-ambassadors for the national park. When visitors came to Little Greenbrier, they would say hello and sell their handmade products, such as fried apple pies, crocheted doilies, and children’s toys. Louisa even wrote poems that were available for purchase!
The Old Ways are the Best Ways
Why did the Walker Sisters insist on living like they were still in the 19th century? For the sisters, if the old ways were good enough for their father and grandfather, it's good enough for them. The sisters put it best themselves when they said, “Our land produces everything we need except sugar, soda, coffee, and salt.”
Polly Walker passed away in 1946, with Hettie following her the next year. When Martha died in 1951, the two remaining sisters asked the National Park Service to take down the “Visitors Welcome” sign at their cabin, because they were simply too old to do all of their chores and entertain tourists as well. Margaret died in 1962 at the age of 92, and Louisa lived in the house until she passed in 1964. Sarah Caroline, the only sister who got married and moved away, died in 1966.
The Walker Sisters may be gone, but their historic cabin is still standing in the national park. The Walker Sisters Place is located along the Metcalf Bottoms Trail. To get to the homestead, first take the 0.7 mile hike from Metcalf Bottoms to the Little Greenbrier School, which was built by John Walker. Then, continue on the trail for 0.6 mile, where the path crosses over a footbridge. After 1.1 miles, hikers will reach the 0.2 mile side trail that leads to the Walker Sisters Place.
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Sharing with Sepia Saturday this week.
This is such a wonderful story of the sisters. It was great that they got to continue to live there. Building a cabin for his unmarried sisters mad the father feel better about his responsibility toward his daughters.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fascinating story chronicling the inspiring history of strong women fending for themselves, but also the pluses and pitfalls of National Park Service intervention. While NPS may have saved the home for posterity, the sisters might have wanted to farm a bit longer than they were allowed. Still, it gave them a home in their old age -- something most seniors desire for their final years.
ReplyDeleteThanks Molly, and L.D.
ReplyDeleteI've read about this story before, since it's been around for a long time. But this was the way it was posted on Facebook this time, and it just seemed to come together for me. Someone has been posting the memorial plaques from the Shenandoah National Park, so I've been thinking about how many people were relocated from these 2 parks. The plaques are probably i the Smokies too, I haven't seen them. They are chimneys with a list of names on a metal plaque, of the displaced families.
Thanks for sharing this very interesting story.
ReplyDeleteYou're most welcome, Kathy. I love checking other's blogs...so that's my next aim for this rainy afternoon.
ReplyDeletewow, what a story! I love those sisters. You go Girls!
ReplyDeleteA fascinating story. I like that the sisters were almost self-sufficient, and certainly creative, selling their handmade goods.
ReplyDeleteAll great photos but my favorite is the ladies quilting. I used to belong to a quilting group and very much enjoyed the camaraderie associated with it. But the sisters must have gotten along rather well to have survived so successfully together all those years. I was kind of hoping, however, the story was going to turn into a rip-roarin' musical - "Seven Grooms for Seven Sisters". Ah well. :)
ReplyDeleteThe Walker sisters' family bond must have been exceptionally strong to stay together in relative isolation for so long. I wonder if future generations will understand the resilience and determination that true mountain folk needed to make a life far away from urban communities.
ReplyDeleteThat host of new restrictions really had to hurt even though they stayed and greeted the people and sold items I'm sure it didn't feel the same to them . I could go on but you people are smart enough to figure all this out.
ReplyDeleteIn the early 60’s my Mother, & Grandmother went to their home to visit. I waited in the car as they approached the porch. Grandma said a note was on the door that the sisters were ill and not accepting visitors. I wish we had gone to visit them earlier.
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