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Cades Cove: The Life and Death of a Southern Appalachian Community, 1818-1937
Cades Cove
The Life and Death of a Southern Appalachian Community, 1818-1937
Durwood Dunn
Winner of the Thomas Wolfe Literary Award!
Drawing on a rich trove of documents never before available to scholars, the author sketches the early pioneers, their daily lives, their beliefs, and their struggles to survive and prosper in this isolated mountain community, now within the confines of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
In moving detail this book brings to life an isolated mountain community, its struggle to survive, and the tragedy of its demise.
"Professor Dunn provides us with a model historical investigation of a southern mountain community. His findings on commercial farming, family, religion, and politics will challenge many standard interpretations of the Appalachian past."
--Gordon B. McKinney, Western Carolina University.
"This is a fine book. . . . It is mostly about community and interrelationships, and thus it refutes much of the literature that presents Southern Mountaineers as individualistic, irreligious, violent, and unlawful."
—Loyal Jones, Appalachian Heritage.
"Dunn . . . has written one of the best books ever produced about the Southern mountains."
—Virginia Quarterly Review.
"This study offers the first detailed analysis of a remote southern Appalachian community in the nineteenth century. It should lay to rest older images of the region as isolated and static, but it raises new questions about the nature of that premodern community."
—Ronald D Eller, American Historical Review
Not only is his book a worthy addition to the growing body of work recognizing the complexities of southern mountain society; it is also a lively testament to the value of local history and the variety of levels at which it can provide significant enlightenment."
—John C. Inscoe,LOCUS
The Life and Death of a Southern Appalachian Community, 1818-1937
Durwood Dunn
Winner of the Thomas Wolfe Literary Award!
Drawing on a rich trove of documents never before available to scholars, the author sketches the early pioneers, their daily lives, their beliefs, and their struggles to survive and prosper in this isolated mountain community, now within the confines of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
In moving detail this book brings to life an isolated mountain community, its struggle to survive, and the tragedy of its demise.
"Professor Dunn provides us with a model historical investigation of a southern mountain community. His findings on commercial farming, family, religion, and politics will challenge many standard interpretations of the Appalachian past."
--Gordon B. McKinney, Western Carolina University.
"This is a fine book. . . . It is mostly about community and interrelationships, and thus it refutes much of the literature that presents Southern Mountaineers as individualistic, irreligious, violent, and unlawful."
—Loyal Jones, Appalachian Heritage.
"Dunn . . . has written one of the best books ever produced about the Southern mountains."
—Virginia Quarterly Review.
"This study offers the first detailed analysis of a remote southern Appalachian community in the nineteenth century. It should lay to rest older images of the region as isolated and static, but it raises new questions about the nature of that premodern community."
—Ronald D Eller, American Historical Review
Not only is his book a worthy addition to the growing body of work recognizing the complexities of southern mountain society; it is also a lively testament to the value of local history and the variety of levels at which it can provide significant enlightenment."
—John C. Inscoe,LOCUS
288 pages, Paperback
First published August 15, 1988
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
June 15, 2021
I recently visited Cades Cove . . . read about half the book before the trip, half after. It added so much to my understanding and enjoyment of the beautiful cove in the Smokies.
Author was a history professor at a nearby college; had grown up in the area, was related to the original pioneer families of Cades Cove and had access to family photos, documents and oral stories so this combines a personal and academic look at the cove's geography, folk life, religion and history. Also author makes a strong case for the tragedy that it was to remove the people from their community and then "recreate" from the oldest buildings there, a "pioneer settlement" that gives only a partial view of life in Cades Cove.
Especially interesting was his analysis of the effects of the Civil War on the community (most of the community were Unionists, surrounded by Confederates and raided frequently by Rebels from the North Carolina side of the mountains).
The Cades Cove community, with its memories of long dead residents and stories of happenings from decades before and with its tradition of helping other members of the community, reminded me of Port William and the "beloved community" in Wendell Berry's novels. This book refutes the myths of the backward mountain people & is really worth the time to read if you have interest in Appalachia.
Well researched but sources are in footnotes at the end of the book and don't interrupt the flow of reading.
Author was a history professor at a nearby college; had grown up in the area, was related to the original pioneer families of Cades Cove and had access to family photos, documents and oral stories so this combines a personal and academic look at the cove's geography, folk life, religion and history. Also author makes a strong case for the tragedy that it was to remove the people from their community and then "recreate" from the oldest buildings there, a "pioneer settlement" that gives only a partial view of life in Cades Cove.
Especially interesting was his analysis of the effects of the Civil War on the community (most of the community were Unionists, surrounded by Confederates and raided frequently by Rebels from the North Carolina side of the mountains).
The Cades Cove community, with its memories of long dead residents and stories of happenings from decades before and with its tradition of helping other members of the community, reminded me of Port William and the "beloved community" in Wendell Berry's novels. This book refutes the myths of the backward mountain people & is really worth the time to read if you have interest in Appalachia.
Well researched but sources are in footnotes at the end of the book and don't interrupt the flow of reading.
February 18, 2017
my sister recommended this book to me. oh sister! we live about 1 hour away from Cades Cove, so we are familiar with the area. There was enough here to keep you somewhat interested but (for me) they seriously skipped way too much of the fun stuff. I want to hear about those folk remedies and folk tales and ghost stories but they were passed over. the narrator was ...not the best I've ever listened to. but I don't think I could've read this book. by the end, I was really upset with what happened and how the cades cove community was lied to. sure, it's beautiful but so is all the surrounding area. they could've left them alone.
January 29, 2022
General review:
If you would like to learn about the history of Cades Cove, this is definitely the book for you! Very informative about the history of the Cades Cove community and the lives of the people within it. It also contains pictures of what the area looks like prior to the demolition of structures and buildings within the community, which was one of the most fascinating aspects of this book, as a lot of the source material comes from a private collection.
Historian Review:
(This is an early review, I still have to go back and transcribe my notes that I took during reading) In terms of argument, I found it difficult to follow along with in various parts of the book due to the sheer inundation of information that is included in this micro history. Also, in terms of disputing stereotypes of Appalachia, I didn’t detect much beyond that The prevailing stereotypes of southern Appalachia are bad and incorrect, without follow up to define or contrast the definitions of Appalachia. In trying to provide a comprehensive history of the community, it felt like lenses such as gender and culture were under explored in favor of overarching narratives of economy and labor. It makes several interesting points about the role of the environment as a character in the history of Appalachia, in which I thoroughly enjoyed reading those aspects of the book! I’ll come back to articulate my thoughts more succinctly later, but it left me with a lot of questions about race, class, and gender within the community that were on an answered.
If you would like to learn about the history of Cades Cove, this is definitely the book for you! Very informative about the history of the Cades Cove community and the lives of the people within it. It also contains pictures of what the area looks like prior to the demolition of structures and buildings within the community, which was one of the most fascinating aspects of this book, as a lot of the source material comes from a private collection.
Historian Review:
(This is an early review, I still have to go back and transcribe my notes that I took during reading) In terms of argument, I found it difficult to follow along with in various parts of the book due to the sheer inundation of information that is included in this micro history. Also, in terms of disputing stereotypes of Appalachia, I didn’t detect much beyond that The prevailing stereotypes of southern Appalachia are bad and incorrect, without follow up to define or contrast the definitions of Appalachia. In trying to provide a comprehensive history of the community, it felt like lenses such as gender and culture were under explored in favor of overarching narratives of economy and labor. It makes several interesting points about the role of the environment as a character in the history of Appalachia, in which I thoroughly enjoyed reading those aspects of the book! I’ll come back to articulate my thoughts more succinctly later, but it left me with a lot of questions about race, class, and gender within the community that were on an answered.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 27, 2008
A good history of one community in the Smokies that refutes a lot of the stereotypes about Appalachia.
July 11, 2012
Have to love books that make you keep a dictionary on hand, as you come across atypical words! This book is nonfiction and is fairly informative about this area. Each chapter focuses on a specific aspect of life in this region, with plenty of other works cited for further explorations.
February 2, 2014
This very academic history book reads like a novel. I really enjoyed this book and learned a tremendous amount about the Cade's Cove settlement. I wish all historians wrote with a style similar to Dunn. History doesn't have to be a chore to read.
June 9, 2012
Strictly based on primary materials: land transfers, court records, journals, church notes and so on, this great work tells the history of a small community without bias or inference. It takes to task the myths and romantic fables spread as journalism and ethnography in the early part of the Twentieth Century by writers like Mary Noailles Murfree of isolated back-country "hicks". This community was destroyed by eminent domain in the Thirties to make way for the Great Smokies National Park. Dunn provides documentation throughout of a community thoroughly in step with the mainstream of American life, culture, and even economy: but to better tell the story of a hardy, isolated, "pioneer" enclave, all the modern homesteads were destroyed by the Park Service, and only those primitive cabins which evoke the hardship of rural life were left standing.
July 17, 2010
I started this three days ago and I'm half done. Reads fast for a detailed non-fiction accounting of the start and stop of white settlement of Cades Cove. Lots of evidence and references. Balanced intellegent anaylsis of factors. Good pictures too. Geographically there's a reason Cades Cove is so special. For anyone who enjoys learning about historical geography, this is a good read.
I did not know that the entire region (multiple states) suffered economic depression for nearly 30 years after the civil war.
I did not know that the entire region (multiple states) suffered economic depression for nearly 30 years after the civil war.
October 11, 2017
I bought this book about a year ago at the Smoky Mountains National Park. Though we didn't go to Cades Cove that day, I had been there 20 some years prior. Parts of the book were a little too text-booky, but I really enjoyed the family stories. I also found it interesting that the civil war divided the Cove somewhat, though the residents were mostly pro-Union.
"Much more substantive, the crux on which the entire folk culture rested, was the intimate knowledge of one another, which the community shared. It began with the genealogical data: all the known relatives, living and dead, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and so on, of any single resident was common knowledge, frequently recited, to all members of the community. In such a close-knit society, secrets concerning one's personal life or family were practically impossible to keep, and an attempt to conceal any major event was interpreted in the worst possible light as both an obvious indication of guilt and an affront to and rejection of the entire community. Individuals might forgive one another such omissions readily enough in Christian charity, but the collective folk mind seldom forgave or forgot." (148)
"In a sense, the cove was actually one large extended family, bound together by myriad ties of both kinship and a common past." (179)
"Old age did not relieve woman of many of their traditional household chores. Long after their children were grown and gone, and their husbands forced by old age to leave the bulk of their farm labor to younger men, most women continued to work unassisted at these same tasks until their death." (185)
"Much more substantive, the crux on which the entire folk culture rested, was the intimate knowledge of one another, which the community shared. It began with the genealogical data: all the known relatives, living and dead, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and so on, of any single resident was common knowledge, frequently recited, to all members of the community. In such a close-knit society, secrets concerning one's personal life or family were practically impossible to keep, and an attempt to conceal any major event was interpreted in the worst possible light as both an obvious indication of guilt and an affront to and rejection of the entire community. Individuals might forgive one another such omissions readily enough in Christian charity, but the collective folk mind seldom forgave or forgot." (148)
"In a sense, the cove was actually one large extended family, bound together by myriad ties of both kinship and a common past." (179)
"Old age did not relieve woman of many of their traditional household chores. Long after their children were grown and gone, and their husbands forced by old age to leave the bulk of their farm labor to younger men, most women continued to work unassisted at these same tasks until their death." (185)
May 19, 2019
In response to Horace Kephart, Our Southern Highlanders (1913), Dunn argues that leadership and the sense of community was strong in Cades Cove and that development there was not idiosyncratic but followed regional patterns. The chaos that accompanied the Civil War proved to be a watershed that burned “diversity and innovation” from the Cove (145). Yet even so, family life in the Cove at the beginning of the 20th century “was largely indistinguishable from that of other rural Tennesseans.” (200)
Although the book is well researched and nicely written, the chapters seem to have been composed independently, which results in some repetition. Also a better acquaintance with the history of American religion would have limited the author’s surprise that progressivism and religious fundamentalism once walked hand-in-hand.
Although the book is well researched and nicely written, the chapters seem to have been composed independently, which results in some repetition. Also a better acquaintance with the history of American religion would have limited the author’s surprise that progressivism and religious fundamentalism once walked hand-in-hand.
November 24, 2024
This book is one of the best I’ve read in a long time. I picked it up at a gift shop in the area- admittedly with mild expectations- but I ended up loving it.
It is dense and rather slow moving but incredibly rewarding if you commit to it. I would say it is accesible to non-experts, coming from a college freshman, as the author conveys information clearly. The author is knowledgable on the subject and includes many interesting details.
Despite its density, the narratives are compelling and by the end of the book I was fully invested- enough so that I nearly a year after I finished it, I still find myself thinking about it. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys research- and detail-heavy histories.
It is dense and rather slow moving but incredibly rewarding if you commit to it. I would say it is accesible to non-experts, coming from a college freshman, as the author conveys information clearly. The author is knowledgable on the subject and includes many interesting details.
Despite its density, the narratives are compelling and by the end of the book I was fully invested- enough so that I nearly a year after I finished it, I still find myself thinking about it. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys research- and detail-heavy histories.
February 2, 2022
Interesting case study. Dunn’s thesis centers around dismantling Appalachian stereotypes, but at times it seems like he furthers them instead. As the descendant of families from Cades Cove, he has a personal connection to the story of this community. Given that these people were removed for the establishment of a national park, it is no wonder he wrote a book on the history of this place. Shines a light on Tennessee history as well, in particular Eastern Tennessee and it’s Unionist stance during the Civil War. Dunn’s book effectively shows how different Appalachian communities can be distinctive on their own, and how studying the region as a whole can become complicated because of this.
September 2, 2023
This is a well-researched, definitive history of the Cades Cove community which eventually was taken over by the National Park Service as part of Great Smoky Mountain National Park.
The end result is very sad and disappointing because the National Park Service has its own ideas of what visitors to this extremely popular national park should see and learn, and the presented perception has very little to do with the actual history of this tight-knit Appalachian community and the eminent domain takeover by the NPS.
The end result is very sad and disappointing because the National Park Service has its own ideas of what visitors to this extremely popular national park should see and learn, and the presented perception has very little to do with the actual history of this tight-knit Appalachian community and the eminent domain takeover by the NPS.
June 25, 2023
This book is about as complete a book on the lives of the Cades Cove community. It details the growth of Cades Cove, tells the progressiveness, the desire to be part of the larger political scene, and eventually the forces that ultimately destroyed the community of Cades Cove.
May 10, 2024
interesting account of the people who populated Cades Cove and the ultimate demise by the federal government to create the smokie Mountains. Arguably for the good of all of us, but still the destruction of a community.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 14, 2025
A well researched and interesting read about a beautiful part of the country. It was enlightening to read about the people before the park, especially to go so far beyond stereotypes and introduce real people whose real lives remain such a part of Cades Cove.
December 21, 2019
APPALACHIAN. .
December 28, 2016
Cades Cove is one of my favorite places to visit. I really enjoyed learning more about its history. It's so sad though to think of the people who lost their whole community.
March 2, 2016
I really wanted to like this book because I am absolutely fascinated by Appalachian history but I just could not get into this book. I kept putting it down and then later force myself to try to pick it up again....after 5-6 months of doing this, I decided to shelf it and come back to it another time. The book is definitely full of information but it comes off at times very much like my dry history books from high school and a more academic read. I had hoped for more of a read about the amazing people of the area and the stories of their lives.
September 5, 2016
A scholastic history on the community of Cades Cove from its founding in 1818 until the community's death with the creation of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. As a direct heir to the Oliver family, Durwood Dunn had access to an awesome array of primary documents and this work presents excellent descriptions of the cove's social and economic life.
Read
July 5, 2012Usually I don't add books until I am finished, but I am going through a busy time, amd thought I would start adding my ide onas this topic. I had a lot of experiences in my childhood with traveling through the Appalachian Mountains and was rather diisnterested. The last few years have brought me through a corner of North Carolina, Georgia, South Carolina,and Tennessee, and I am hooked on learning about the culture and heritage. This should be fun to read, I hope.
April 15, 2010
a great picture of appalachian life on the frontier. this is must for anyone living in e. tennessee. i'll warn you, the writing is weak and overcooked in some places. i read this book while also reading sutree by cormac mccarthy. this book would've been so much better if it had been written by mccarthy.
January 17, 2011
This was required reading for Dr. Eller's History 580 course. Unlike most of the books I read cover to cover, it is not a fiction novel. It is a true account of the occurrences in Cade's Cove, a place in Tennessee. This book truly held my attention, containing an interesting, true story, chocked full of intriguing details.
January 30, 2024
The end had me upset and angry about how the government treated it all. Cades cove is one of my favorite places on earth, the smokies are where my heart sings. Knowing more about the people of the cove and how they flourished and then disappeared totally changes my perspective.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 22, 2013
Excellent history of a southern appalachian community, just happened to located in the Great Smoky Mountains
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews