FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: CONTACT:
Jeff Muir
Blount Partnership
(865) 983.2241
JMuir@blountpartnership.com
Jennifer Wiggins
AkinsCrisp Public Strategies
(865) 680.1457 jwiggins@akinscrisp.com
BLOUNT COUNTY, Tenn.—The Smoky Mountains are filled with history, folklore, legend and heritage, and thanks to a historical trail, visitors to Townsend can learn about the community’s rich past while enjoying the mountains. The “Shadows of the Past” Historical Trail is a 10-mile trail through Townsend that includes 13 historic sites. A detailed brochure, which can be picked up at the Townsend or Maryville Visitors Centers, provides a map along with descriptions and the history of each site.
The trail was designed to not only provide a history of the area to visitors, but to keep up with the demand of today’s tourists who are migrating toward areas that provide heritage, history and a sense of place.
“The Smoky Mountains attract more than 10 million visitors a year, and we work hard to provide those visitors with experiences that add to their experience, allowing them to learn about the heritage of the area as they enjoy its beauty,” said Tami Vater, director of Tourism for the Smoky
Mountain Tourism Development Authority.
Vater said that today’s travelers are very likely to take trips to places where they can experience people, lifestyles and cultures very different from their own. They want to learn about the uniqueness of our region, and this trail will help them do that.
The “Shadows of the Past” Townsend Historical Trail was designed to showcase Townsend’s rich culture and interesting history.
“The trail is a great way for visitors to enjoy the refreshing mountain air while learning about our history. The trail is paved, and not a strenuous walk or bike ride, so most visitors will be able to enjoy it,” said Vater.

Informational signs posted throughout the trail, as well as the brochure, provide information about the region, which was once home to part of the Great Cherokee Indian nation and one of the nation’s largest logging operations. The trail runs parallel with US Highway 321, but it takes visitors on a diverse journey through sites that date as far back as 9,000 years and as recent as the 1930s.
Those sites include Indian dwelling grounds, grocery stores, cabins, a cemetery and a church.
The 13 historic sites include:
 Potleg Hill: the site of a small grocery and gathering place where Will “Potleg” Myers welcomed lumber and railroad workers.
 Laughing Horse Motel: The building was originally used as a button factory and a flower shop before Claude and Isabelle Derris remodeled it into a hotel in the 1930’s. At that time, rent was just $2.50 per person, including a bath.

Art Emert Store: In the 1900s two adjacent stores were located at the Little River Railroad switchyard. The stores provided an array of materials and food products to workers and neighboring communities.

Dark Island Swinging Bridge: The bridge is one of the only still-standing swinging bridges dating back to the 1900’s when workers used the bridges to access cottages from the railroad or lumber mills on the other side of the river.

Little River Railroad Museum: The museum collects and preserves rail engines and equipment once used by loggers to haul timber out of the Great Smoky Mountains. It is also home to the Shay Engine number 2147, the last Shay to have run at the Little River Lumber
Company.

Native American Home at Nawger Nob: This late 1600s winter home is complete with a central hearth and was built using saplings and clay.

Native American Base Camp: The camp was a seasonal home for nomadic Indians, located across the street from the present day Back Porch Restaurant. Experts believe that this site was used 4,000 to 9,000 years ago.

Kinzel Springs and Sunshine Area: This is the last stop before heading back toward the visitor’s center. The area was named after the German immigrant, Edward John Kinzel. By
1935, the Kinzel Springs community had a resort, built by Kinzel, as well as a post office and a mulit-purpose pavilion.
 Campground Methodist Church: The original church dated back to 1831 and was the destination for many circuit-riding preachers. The grounds were also used as a mustering ground for militia. The present day structure was built after the Civil War.
 Native American Site: This site dates back to circa 200 BC and AD 350. The round homes measured 18-19 feet in diameter. These Indians used earth ovens for cooking, similar to the modern Dutch ovens.
 Indian Period Forts: The forts enclosed several structures that were square with rounded sheds. The palisades were constructed more than 950 years ago because of group warfare between Chiefdoms.


John Smith’s Cabin: John Smith was one of the first settlers of the region and his cabin is one of the oldest structures in Townsend.
 Myers Cemetery: The cemetery dates to the late 1700s. It is the burial ground of the earliest settlers. The surnames on the burial stones still match names common to the Townsend area today- such as Abbott, Lane Myers, Scott, Tipton and Walker.
The “Shadows of the Past” brochure, which provides detailed information for each site, can be obtained at the Smoky Mountain Visitors Center at Townsend, located at 7906 E. Lamar Alexander
Parkway, or the Smoky Mountain Visitors Center at Maryville, located at 201 South Washington
Street.
About Blount County, Tennessee
Blount County, Tennessee is located just south of Knoxville at the foothills of the Great Smoky
Mountains. The communities that make up Blount County—Townsend, Maryville, Alcoa,
Friendsville, Louisville and Rockford – provide visitors with an abundance of outdoor activities, attractions and regular celebrations of the region’s rich Appalachian heritage and culture. Blount
County is also home to the nation’s most visited national park—the Great Smoky Mountains
National Park.
For more information about Blount County, please contact the Smoky Mountain Tourism
Development Authority at (800) 525.6834 or visit www.SmokyMountains.org
. Follow the Smoky
Mountain Tourism Development Authority at www.Facebook.com/PeacefulSide and
Twitter.com/PeacefulSmokies .
If you are in the area, please stop in to the Smoky Mountain Visitors Center at Townsend, located at
7906 E. Lamar Alexander Parkway, or the Smoky Mountain Visitors Center at Maryville, located at
201 South Washington Street, for more information. (January 2013)
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