The Sisters Who Wouldn’t Budge!
With Christmas fast approaching and mother nature having mood swings we have had to be creative with our outings and adventures. Today we had a few hours and decent weather so we chose to fit in a quick hike to explore the Little Greenbrier School and the Walker Sister’s Cabin in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Little Greenbrier School
Just 0.6 miles from Metcalf Bottoms you will find the Little Greenbrier School. This school is a typical single room building and was used as a school from 1882 until 1936. The desks remain but unfortunately vandalism has taken a toll on the property over the last decade. My YouTube video on the cabin shows the level of damage that has been done to this property! I also highlight the methods to report such vandalism to the park service as we must ALL work together to preserve our history.
Walker Sister’s Cabin
A short 1.1 mile hike from the Little Greenbrier School takes you to the Walker Sister’s Cabin. The cabin was built in the 1800s and acquired by John Walker around 1866. In time the property would be inherited by the children and eventually occupied by 5 of the 6 sisters who remained unmarried. The sisters farmed and developed the land and in roughly 1926 the government came calling as they were working to acquire land for a new national park. Unlike many residents of the area, the Walker sisters chose to fight to retain their family farm.
In 1940 President Roosevelt officially dedicated the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Walker Sisters were paid a small sum for their property along with a lifetime lease to remain residents inside the park boundaries. For many years after the sisters made a living by selling handmade goods to park visitors. The last sister died on July 13, 1964 and total control of the land turned over to the park.
Overall the hike is great and an easy trip for a family. The terrain isn’t too steep and there’s plenty of area at the cabin to spread out for a picnic. As usual we spread out our heavy duty survival blanket to have lunch and enjoyed our On the Go lunch meals before heading back out to the car.
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