On our visit to the Smokies on August 27, we visited Cades Cove, one of our very favorite places in the Smokies. To find out more info on Cades Cove, check out one of my recent posts by clicking HERE. In that post, I showed a map of the 11 mile loop road around the cove. You will find where the Primitive Baptist Church is by looking at the map (number 3 on that map).
Today I will share pictures with you which we took at the Primitive Baptist Church that Friday. As you can see by looking at the sign pictured above, this church was established in 1827. A log building served their needs until this one replaced it in 1887.
Here is a picture of the outside of the pretty little church, taken as we walked around the cemetery beside it. As you can tell, there were quite a few other visitors here on this day also. It was a gorgeous day to be visiting Cades Cove.
The church closed during the Civil War. Official church correspondence after the war explained it all: "We the Primitive Baptist Church in Blount County in Cades Cove, do show the public why we have not kept up our church meeting. It was on account of the Rebellion and we was Union people and the Rebels was too strong here in Cades Cove. Our preacher was obliged to leave sometimes, and thank God we once more can meet."
Here is a picture of the inside of the little church. I just sat down for a few minutes and thought about the early settlers in the 'cove' who attended worship here.
As much as I love seeing churches, I also love visiting old cemeteries... I usually look for the oldest dates on the tombstones I can find. What I found fascinating here were the fancy tombstones, ------------ and...
... the 'not-so-fancy' ones... Made me wonder who is buried here....???
There is a walkway which visitors have to stay on --in order to see the tombstones in this cemetery. The walkway went all of the way around the cemetery... I took this picture of George, who was on one side --and I was on the other. Like me, he was checking out the information on the tombstones.
George found this tombstone of John Oliver and his wife Lurena , who were the first permanent white settlers in Cades Cove. In an upcoming post, I will show you the John Oliver cabin.
I worked hard to get one photo of the church without people in the picture.... And I did it....
Hope you enjoyed our tour of the Primitive Baptist Church in Cades Cove (Smoky Mountains, TN). If you ever get a chance to visit here, you would love it. If not, I encourage you to read some of the stories of the early settlers in this area. There are several books written about Cades Cove, and you can find lots of info on the internet... It is so fascinating, and is our HISTORY. (WARNING though: IF you visit in October, the traffic is bumper-to-bumper!!!)
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Enjoy your Labor Day Weekend. We have no specific plans yet ---but I'm sure we will grill some brats on Monday, and I'll make some 'tater salad and some of Betsy's Baked Beans!!!!!! We may have some delicious corn-on-the-cob also!!! Other than that, we won't do much 'laboring' on Labor Day!!!!!! ha
Have a fabulous weekend, and I'll blog again on Tuesday morning.
Hugs,
70 comments:
Pretty photos this morning Betsy. I imagine it was still very hot the day that you were there. Wonderful that you were able to capture a shot of the church without people - it looks like a postcard! Hope you both have a nice Labor Day weekend. Your menu sounds delicious!
Good morning Betsy - I hope that you and George enjoy your weekend. We are heading out to do some hiking!
Jane
I can only imagine the feeling you had as you sat in that church and reflected on those of long ago..nice!
What an interesting history this little church has. I too love old cemeteries.
Enjoy your holiday weekend!
☼ Sunny
I enjoyed the pics Betsy! I too like to wander thru old cemeteries. I always wonder what kind of lives the people/person had.
Hope you guys have a great weekend!
That is a beautiful church, inside and outside. I enjoy taking pictures of churches and cemeteries too.
Have a great Labor Day weekend! We are going to visit a zoo this weekend, so expect animal pictures in a future blog post.
I love this little church.The fellowship at a place like this must have been precious.I think that be in a small church like that beats the huge ones of today.Thanks for taking me to church today.
I hope your weekend is full of blessings.
❤ Ruth
I love old churches with cemetarys. there are many like this one scattered all over Georgia. one name Shiloh, is where about 100 of my ancestors are buried. the insdie of this one is different than Shiloh is. i would have sat for a while to. i like to visit places and think about how they dressed and acted and the hardships of no AC and no screens on the windows and cold in the winter. see i a thinking just looking at the photos
Love your pictures! I, too, wait it out for an unpopulated photo opportunity! You have a great weekend too!
I love little country churches and cemeteries...this is great! Interesting about them closing it during the war.
Thanks for a revisit to a place I really enjoyed. I always get goose bumps when standing or sitting where people did many years ago.
The simplicity of that church is just as impressive as the more ornate ones. Pretty sure God isn't all that impressed with stained glass windows and velvet.
Hi Betsy! Gosh I have'nt been around for so long! ( sorry). I have been alot in my singing site. Have had 12 weeks of Summerfest Challenges!
I also love cemetaries ! Thanks for posting all your wonderful photos, to go with your stories:)
I love this one up here of the old church inside. I'll just take a seat and be quiet. :)
Have a great and safe Labor Day :)
Hugs, Sunny
Love the little white church. We have several similar little churches here. All methodist---all built in the late 1800s to early 1900s.
I love the inside view.
I too love the older cemetaries.
Have a great weekend.
the girls are going to be riding at the Evergreen State Fair and I will be home .
My car broke down and is sitting in a parking lot miles away. I hope I find someone to fix it.
MB
Isn't the wood in that old church amazing? Beautiful.
Have a terrific weekend Betsy!
xo Catherine
I love going to see the old church and cemetery. Haven't been there in a while so your photos brought wonderful memories to surface. Have a awesome holiday weekend!
That's a place I would love to visit. I can picture the ladies in their Sunday wear and sitting in church with fans and hats. Have a great Labor Day.
Marvelous tour!
I love things as old as all of these are. Such history, in one place.
Betsy, I really enjoyed this post! Although I've been to Cades Cove several times, we didn't take time to get off the main road to see this church. Next time I will make it a point to see this first hand. Have a great weekend!
I have loved the Cades Cove posts you and George have done. I do love that area and we haven't been for several years. Your photographs bring back so many good memories.
Betsy, what a beautiful church...it gives me a feeling of serenity to see it. These are such wonderful photos and I do remember going to Cades Cove at some point in my life, just not sure when.
Have a wonderful weekend!!!
Hi, Betsy, I'm wrestling with the word primitive as it pertains to the name of the church. Why would they call themselves primitive when it was new? Beautiful pictures of it and of the cemetery. Those things ARE very interesting. A cemetery makes you wonder so many things. Thanks for sharing. Diane
Aw! I would love to see this, you know I love old cemetaries, and I even posted tiny Trinity Church. This one just makes me think of that song "Come To The Church In The Dell". And this time you went inside!!! You and George are always showing great buildings, then you never go inside, and I'm left wondering! Well, mostly George! Usually they are closed or something. Wow! What a contrast the inside is to the outside!! I'm so glad you were able to go IN this one!! Do you know what that metal plate is on the floor? Perhaps an escape hatch made during the war! It is do dark! And teeny tiny wondows! The lone picture of the old, broken headstone is good!! I have many cemetary pics and just love driving around them. Funny, isn't it, because neither you or I are morbid. In fact, we are the opposite!! After I make comments, I have to go back and remove some of my exclamation marks! I do this all the time, I just can't help myself!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Could you imagine if the walls of that little church could talk??? Wowza.
But, if the cemetery could talk, that would not be good.
Great photos Betsy!
Betsy,
Primitive Baptist sure is a beautiful old church. You did a great job taking the photos. I want to visit Cades Cove and see this lovely church in the woods. What a fantastic posting. Thanks for sharing such beauty with us.
I hope you and your husband have a wonderful Labor Day.
Very interesting ~ there were some pretty old dates on those tombstones! I need to do more cemetery walks... and check them out. I love the pic of the old cracked headstone. Was there a date on that one?
Such wonderful history in this area you call home!
Strolling through old cemeteries is another favorite pasttime of mine. Are you sure we're not sister's, Betsy!
Oh I just can't wait to get back there! We will arrive on Oct 25th and leave about Nov 7. Will the grounds still be there???
Beautiful and thank you for sharing. Can't wait for some more posts on Cades Cove.
Oh, and we'll be over for dinner! LOL!
Have a fabulous day!
Love,
Debbie
I love the OLD grave stones, they get you wondering what sort of life these folk led.
I really enjoyed this post, Betsy! I love old churches and this one is a beauty.
Your photos are wonderful and will tide me over until we can take another trip to Tenn. to see this area!
Have a good weekend!
Cheryl
Thanks so much for sharing Cades Cove with us. It has been so long since I have been there. Have a wonderful weekend!!
Betsy: That is such a neat place to visit.
Sometimes, it depresses me, but I like going to old, country churches and visiting their cemeteries. It is almost like taking history over again. I know you and George will be off hiking some where over the holiday. Take care and be safe.
I love visiting places like this. I really like walking through old cemeterys and looking at the headstones.
I'm glad you showed the inside of the church. It is interesting to think about what life was like for the early settlers in the cove. The tombstones are fascinating. Looking forward to seeing the John Oliver cabin in one of your future posts.
This little church won my heart on my very first visit to Cades Cove.
Sitting on those old wooden church pews and walking on the rickety old plank floor, transports one back in time.
It's the loveliest of old churches, you can feel the souls of it's congregation, lovers of their Cove and God.
Such a wonderful post Betsy, thank you for sharing.
Enjoy your Labor Day weekend, get pictures :)
What a wonderful post about the Primitive Baptist Church in Cades Cove. I too love to visit grave-yards and imagine how the early settlers must have lived and died. One interesting cemetery I found near here (in the edge of Meigs County I think) has these words on several tombstones --- "Mary, Consort of John" or "James Consort of Janice" or "Fred, Consort of Frances" etc. and etc. Do you have any idea what that means? I don't.
I had not thought to google Cade's Cove...hope I can remember to do that when I have more time. I use google for everything, but some of the more obvious just for fun things have to be pointed out to me.
I think I have pictures of the church here somewhere...they are not as good as yours though!
Just last week our nephew posted a picture of this church on his facebook account!! I thought, "No way, I bet Betsy and George have been there." What a lovely post with all that history - and yes, we were told that it would be bumper to bumper during the foliage extravaganza!!
Have a fabulous week-end! Going to have some corn on the cob for supper!
Cades Cove just might be my favorite place on earth. The first thing that strikes you is all the natural beauty and wildlife (we saw 5 bears the last time we were there) but as you point out, the cove's human history is very rich and fascinating. And if you do visit in October, you can still avoid the traffic by going in the morning on Wednesdays and Saturdays - on those days, they don't allow cars to enter until 10:00 a.m., so you can park at the gate and walk the loop road in peace!
Such a pretty little white church, Betsy! There are lots of interesting things to learn about on old headstones. Hope you and George have a nice weekend! :)
I love little white churches....so pretty.
Have a good weekend!
Beautiful post again Betsy!! I love the inside of the church, I bet it could tell some stories!!
Fascinating, Betsy..I love old tombstones too... the neatest ones I have ever seen were in Savannah at the old cemetery downtown there..I would like to do tombstone rubbings someday on some!
Hi Betsy, Cade's Cove looks like someplace I want to visit next spring or summer. Thanks for the great pictures & history info. Have a extra nice day tomorrow! By the way, nice picture of Mirror Lake!
I'm pretty sure this is the same church where my Mom and I took pictures many years ago. As I recall one of her shots from the cemetary was spooky and paranormal like. :)
Love that George found the headstone of the Olivers.
Hope you and George have a great weekend! My mouth is watering just reading your menu!
There is such an incredible amount of history in places like this little church and I always enjoy hearing it. I do remember this church and cemetery.
You and George enjoy your Labor Day Weekend. You reminded me I need to make a stop at the farmers' market tomorrow morning and pick up some fresh corn!
On our few visits to Cades Cove we have been disappointed - the traffic mostly. Once we made the mistake of going on a Saturday morning - after waiting for the road to open (it is closed on Saturday mornings to cars - for bicycles to use it), we started out around the loop in a long line of vehicles, it seems all we could see was the back of the vehicle in front of us and smell the exhaust. I know it is a beautiful area and we really must make time to go during the middle of the week sometime.
In the meantime, I can enjoy your beautiful pictures! Have a great weekend.
Amazing church and history!
Thank you for sharing Betsy.
Enjoy your long weekend both.
♥ Regina
Cades Cove does look lovely from all the beautiful photos you took. We're going to have to make a trip there some time soon. Enjoy your weekend Betsy, and have a great Labor Day weekend.
An English Girl Rambles
This looks like a fascinating place to visit. I love the inside of the little church. It would be hard to doze off mid-sermon while sitting on one of those benches! Sometimes I think our padded pews make us too comfortable.
I love Cades Cove and reading those stones...however sad...you see where someone lost twins and the mother as well, etc, etc.
Last time I went I ran out of film!! How awful!! Today I wouldn't have that problem, huh?
I love Cades Cove and reading those stones...however sad...you see where someone lost twins and the mother as well, etc, etc.
Last time I went I ran out of film!! How awful!! Today I wouldn't have that problem, huh?
these photos reminded me of some scenes in the movies. the historical side of the place cannot be left out. the place itself speaks of a culture so colorful and interesting. they are gorgeous. love them.
That church has been around a long time and seen a lot of joy and sorrow, I'm sure.
The note about closing during the Civil War is fascinating.
I love old cemeteries, too. It is interesting to contemplate who might be buried beneath that old, broken stone.
I enjoy visiting little churches very much! There are quite a few in Sri Lanka and also I remember visiting many in the United Kingdom, especially in Wales and Cornwall.
What a great insight into the history of the area.
When I was doing my family history I visited a lot of cemeteries looking for their tombstones. There are so many unique head stones - some so well cared for even today and others like the cracked one you showed.
Interesting how the words are still so legible on some of the stones.
A fascinating story and beautiful pictures, Betsy. I enjoy the history that old parks provide.
As I looked at your photos they reminded of a park in Allenwood, NJ with an old church and cemetery that is similar in a lot of ways to this one.
I attended a wedding at the small old church there, it was beautiful.
Have a blessed Sunday, Betsy.
Hugs, back at ya :)
thank you much, for any/all photo tips you can give me! i get frustrated at times, when this or that goes wrong. [like the fuzziness, i complained of]
but i just keep going and trying. :-) can't stop, i know that. and i learn so much from people in pretty blog land, who take great pics.
happy labor day to you, too!
beautiful photos as usual, Betsy!
I love to read your post and enjoying the pictures...
Thanks for sharing all with us.
hope you have a wonderful week ahead!
hugs,
nensa
That is a beautiful old church and cemetery! So interesting...some of those graves are very, very old.
Your labor day meal sounds just like mine..including 'Betsy's Baked Beans' haha. Enjoy!
How is your knee doing now?
That is a beautiful old church and cemetery! So interesting...some of those graves are very, very old.
Your labor day meal sounds just like mine..including 'Betsy's Baked Beans' haha. Enjoy!
How is your knee doing now?
Beautiful old churches are fun to tromp around for history's sake and to get a sense of what life used to be like. I also love taking photos of churches. Have a wonderful Labor Day and enjoy those beans.
Meems
We've been to every cemetery in that area. I love to look at old cemeteries. However, it's kind of sad sometimes when you see all the kids that died so young.
Your Labor Day menu sounds so delicious. We will be spending a quiet day here in Michigan. I loved seeing the potos and reading your post about Cades Cove. I want to look into some books and read a little more about it. I hope you have a great day.
Your photos are great as usual. I love that little church. There is a small church like that near me and my nephew was married in it. It was beautiful. It did have regular pews and they still have church there. I like looking at old tombstones and wondering about the people. Our first Governor is buried near his home here and there is a little family cemetary. They died so early back then and the children often died of pneumonia. I love seeing and hearing about your trips. Oh, my flooring is Pergo. I think it will make a difference in my allergies to get rid of the old carpet and padding. Have a great week.
Old churches and cemeteries have so much to say to us.
Beautiful peaceful pictures.
Hello Betsy! I love old cemeteries, so peaceful. The tombstones are interesting. The church is lovely and full of character. I can almost picture the Scarlet Letter scenario. People always have a burning desire to come together in prayer.
Have a nice day, to you and Geaorge!
What great photos of such a beautiful church. I love its simplicity. One can only imagine what it would be like there on a Sunday morning so long ago..I too love to look at the headstones in old cemetaries. They can be very elaborate or just like the basic headstone you have pictured here. It makes me want to "go back in time" for a bit to see what life was really like there. Hope you two had a great Labor Day weekend!
I too like to read old tombstones and find the oldest dates. Some of them have beautiful designs.
So Betsy, what is your recipe for grilled Bats? giggle,giggle:)
Hi Betsy, those are wonderful photos and experiences in a very historical place. I specifically appreciate the photos of the not so fancy 2-stoned tombstone. It could have been as old as the old Oliver settlers. BTW, you have a lot of friends commenting here, that is so wonderful, how i wish they will visit mine too, hehe. thanks.
What an interesting historical church! As you now I like visiting cemeteries and I know I'd enjoy seeing this one and looking at ll the stones and inscriptions.
My husband had off on Friday so we had a four day weekend to enjoy. We grilled did soem yard chores and relaxed. It felt so good!
Hope your Labor Day holiday was also a good one!
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