Cataloochee Homeland

Cataloochee was once a thriving community where more than 1,200 people lived during its heyday, with over 200 buildings dotting its valleys. Beginning in the 1830s, fertile bottom lands along Cataloochee Creek were cleared for crops, orchards, and livestock, and life was closely tied to the land. The earliest families built log cabins, but as sawmills and roads were developed, building materials and construction methods changed, leading families to build framed additions around their log cabins and later larger wood-framed structures such as the Caldwell House and Palmer Chapel. The 1930s creation of the national park affected Cataloochee more than any other community, and although many signs of its past have disappeared, houses, cabins, barns, and churches still stand. Now a historic district, Cataloochee preserves the architectural integrity of this once-thriving community, while the remaining fields are mowed to maintain its open, historic character and campers, hikers, anglers, and wildlife observers enjoy its solitude and wildness.

North Carolina · United States