Tyson McCarter Place
Encyclopedia
The Tyson McCarter Place was a homestead located in the Great Smoky Mountains
of Sevier County
, in the U.S. state of Tennessee
. Before the establishment of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
in the 1930s, the homestead belonged to mountain farmer Jacob Tyson McCarter (1878–1950), a descendant of some of the area's earliest European settlers. While McCarter's house is no longer standing, several outbuildings— including a barn, springhouse, corn crib
, and smokehouse
— have survived, and have been placed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
The Tyson McCarter Place— like the Noah Ogle Place
a few miles to the west— was once characteristic of the hundreds of small farms that once dotted the isolated coves and valleys of the northern Smokies. McCarter's house and outbuildings were arranged in an unusual circular formation around an open barnyard, probably to allow the livestock maximum protection from wild animals. Another unique feature of the McCarter outbuildings is the adjoined barn and corn crib (these are usually two separate structures). Two chimney falls and the remnants of a foundation mark where McCarter's house once stood, and several well-built rock walls criss-cross the homestead.
at Pittman Center
. The 15.8 miles (25.4 km) Old Settlers Trail crosses the Tyson McCarter Place 3.2 miles (5.1 km) west of the trail's junction with the Maddron Bald Trail
(near the Sevier-Cocke county line). An unmarked 0.5 mile (0.80467 km) gravel maintenance road (usually gated, but open to foot traffic) connects the Tyson McCarter Place to U.S. Route 321
, just west of the Rocky Grove community. With the exception of a small clearing containing the barn, corn crib, and smokehouse, and a small clearing containing the house ruins and springhouse, the area is coated in a dense hardwood forest.
The barn is a one-story double-pen rectangular log "drive-through" barn with an attached lean-to corn crib. The side walls of the barn are built of saddle-notched unhewn logs, whereas the front and back walls are built with hewn logs. The barn's gabled roof was originally built with hand-split shingles, and the foundation was originally built of loose stones and logs. The two pens are each 11 feet (3.4 m) by 16 feet (4.9 m), and are separated by an 8 feet (2.4 m) drive-through (wagons were usually parked in the drive-through). The corn crib is built of unhewn saddle-notched logs, and originally included a handmade door secured by a wooden latch.
The smokehouse, used for curing meat, is a one-story structure built of hewn, dove-tail notched logs, measuring 11 feet (3.4 m) by 17 feet (5.2 m). Like the barn, the smokehouse has a gabled roof originally covered with hand-made wooden shingles and a foundation of loose stones and logs. The door and storage shelves are missing. The springhouse, used for refrigeration, is a rectangular structure built of hewn chamfer notched logs, measuring 8 feet (2.4 m) by 12 feet (3.7 m). The earthen floor contains a stone trough through which a spring flowed, which kept perishables cool. Two chimney falls, each approximately 9 feet (2.7 m) tall and 30 feet (9.1 m) apart, indicate the former location of the McCarters' house.
Great Smoky Mountains
The Great Smoky Mountains are a mountain range rising along the Tennessee–North Carolina border in the southeastern United States. They are a subrange of the Appalachian Mountains, and form part of the Blue Ridge Physiographic Province. The range is sometimes called the Smoky Mountains or the...
of Sevier County
Sevier County, Tennessee
Sevier County is a county of the state of Tennessee, United States. Its population was 71,170 at the 2000 United States Census. It is included in the Sevierville, Tennessee, Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Knoxville-Sevierville-La Follette, TN Combined Statistical Area. The...
, in the U.S. state of Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
. Before the establishment of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a United States National Park and UNESCO World Heritage Site that straddles the ridgeline of the Great Smoky Mountains, part of the Blue Ridge Mountains, which are a division of the larger Appalachian Mountain chain. The border between Tennessee and North...
in the 1930s, the homestead belonged to mountain farmer Jacob Tyson McCarter (1878–1950), a descendant of some of the area's earliest European settlers. While McCarter's house is no longer standing, several outbuildings— including a barn, springhouse, corn crib
Corn crib
A corn crib or corncrib is a type of granary used to dry and store corn. It is also known as a cornhouse or corn house, though this term can refer to any granary....
, and smokehouse
Smokehouse
A smokehouse is a building where meat or fish is cured with smoke. The finished product might be stored in the building, sometimes for a year or more.-History:...
— have survived, and have been placed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
The Tyson McCarter Place— like the Noah Ogle Place
Noah Ogle Place
The Noah "Bud" Ogle Place was a homestead located in the Great Smoky Mountains of Sevier County, in the U.S. state of Tennessee. The homestead presently consists of a cabin, barn, and tub mill built by mountain farmer Noah "Bud" Ogle in the late 19th-century...
a few miles to the west— was once characteristic of the hundreds of small farms that once dotted the isolated coves and valleys of the northern Smokies. McCarter's house and outbuildings were arranged in an unusual circular formation around an open barnyard, probably to allow the livestock maximum protection from wild animals. Another unique feature of the McCarter outbuildings is the adjoined barn and corn crib (these are usually two separate structures). Two chimney falls and the remnants of a foundation mark where McCarter's house once stood, and several well-built rock walls criss-cross the homestead.
Location
The Tyson McCarter Place is siutated along Webb Creek, which flows northward from its source high up on the slopes of Greenbrier Pinnacle and empties into the Middle Fork of the Little Pigeon RiverLittle Pigeon River
The Little Pigeon River is the name of several rivers in the United States:*Little Pigeon River in Indiana*Little Pigeon River — three rivers of that name in Michigan*Little Pigeon River in Tennessee...
at Pittman Center
Pittman Center, Tennessee
Pittman Center is a town in Sevier County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 477 at the 2000 census.Pittman Center is situated in Emert's Cove, a broad valley along the Middle Fork of the Little Pigeon River...
. The 15.8 miles (25.4 km) Old Settlers Trail crosses the Tyson McCarter Place 3.2 miles (5.1 km) west of the trail's junction with the Maddron Bald Trail
Maddron Bald Trail
The Maddron Bald Trail is an American hiking trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park of Cocke County, Tennessee. Rising from the outskirts of the Cosby community, the trail ascends Maddron Bald, a mountain crowned by one of the park's most substantial heath balds...
(near the Sevier-Cocke county line). An unmarked 0.5 mile (0.80467 km) gravel maintenance road (usually gated, but open to foot traffic) connects the Tyson McCarter Place to U.S. Route 321
U.S. Route 321
U.S. Route 321 is a spur of U.S. Route 21. It runs for 526 miles from South Carolina to Tennessee. The northern terminus of U.S. 321 is between Lenoir City and Oak Ridge, Tennessee, at Interstate 40 exit 364, which is about 4 miles west of Interstate 40's junction with Interstate 75...
, just west of the Rocky Grove community. With the exception of a small clearing containing the barn, corn crib, and smokehouse, and a small clearing containing the house ruins and springhouse, the area is coated in a dense hardwood forest.
Historical structures
The barn and outbuildings at the Tyson McCarter Place were probably built around 1876 (they were definitely built before 1900) The farm was one of a dozen or so farms that once comprised the Webb Creek community. McCarter's daughter Olive "Ollie" McCarter (1904–1998) recalled that she, her father, and her sisters built the farm's rock walls, some of which are still standing and run parallel to the Old Settlers Trail for a short distance (rock walls such as these were common in the northern Smokies, where they served the same purpose as barbed-wire fences). The McCarters raised hogs, and used the large barn stalls to house mules. The farm's main crops were corn, rye, wheat, and tobacco. Their farm also included a peach orchard and an apple orchard.The barn is a one-story double-pen rectangular log "drive-through" barn with an attached lean-to corn crib. The side walls of the barn are built of saddle-notched unhewn logs, whereas the front and back walls are built with hewn logs. The barn's gabled roof was originally built with hand-split shingles, and the foundation was originally built of loose stones and logs. The two pens are each 11 feet (3.4 m) by 16 feet (4.9 m), and are separated by an 8 feet (2.4 m) drive-through (wagons were usually parked in the drive-through). The corn crib is built of unhewn saddle-notched logs, and originally included a handmade door secured by a wooden latch.
The smokehouse, used for curing meat, is a one-story structure built of hewn, dove-tail notched logs, measuring 11 feet (3.4 m) by 17 feet (5.2 m). Like the barn, the smokehouse has a gabled roof originally covered with hand-made wooden shingles and a foundation of loose stones and logs. The door and storage shelves are missing. The springhouse, used for refrigeration, is a rectangular structure built of hewn chamfer notched logs, measuring 8 feet (2.4 m) by 12 feet (3.7 m). The earthen floor contains a stone trough through which a spring flowed, which kept perishables cool. Two chimney falls, each approximately 9 feet (2.7 m) tall and 30 feet (9.1 m) apart, indicate the former location of the McCarters' house.
External links
- Tyson McCarter Place — Library of Congress — Historic American Buildings Survey
- Jacob Tyson McCarter — entry at Smokykin.com