Video: Scenic Drives of TN | Chapman Highway | Knoxville to Sevierville

Chapman highway is the old route many vacationers have taken to get to the Smoky Mountains. It follows highway US 441 from east of the Tennessee River in downtown Knoxville into Sevierville.

For the purpose of this video, we start at the I-40 exit for US 441, cross the river in downtown Knoxville, follow the highway through the suburbs and into the country. Once in Sevierville, we follow the two right turns and head part of the way to Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. Along the way, we see lots of kudzu, old motels, and billboards for attractions, old and new.

Dolly Parton Statue - Sevierville, TN

In 1987, the people of Sevier County, Tennessee built a statue to Dolly Parton on the grounds of the county courthouse.

Scenic Drives of the Smokies: US 441 & Gatlinburg Bypass

a portion of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park extends to the few miles between Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg along highways US441 and US321. Since Gatlinburg also has heavy traffic, there is a scenic bypass to get to the main entrance of the park.

This Dashcam footage is the highway from the edge of Pigeon Forge to the Gatlinburg Bypass. Along the bypass, there are some areas with downed trees, which shows what the wildfire-damaged areas look like five years later.

Video: Gatlinburg's Abandoned Chair Lift

While the Sky Lift has been around for decades and Anakeesta has been opened for a few years, there's a third chair lift in Gatlinburg which has been abandoned for over 20 years. Fun Mountain was a small theme park which opened in 1993 and closed in 2000. All the other rides were removed about a decade later, but the chair lift has remained in disrepair. The machinery is all rusted and the chairs are still overhead but trees have grown through them. This place is now a parking lot.

Walker Mill Hydroelectric Station - Sevierville, TN

I might be the only person who would go to the Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge area and look for a century old spillway.
This dam in Sevierville is on the National Register of Historic Places. Here is the text from its 1990 NRHP nomination form:

The Walker Mill Hydroelectric Station is located in Sevier County (population 41,418) on the West Prong of the Little Pigeon River at mile 2.5, and just off U.S. Highway 441.

The dam is a concrete gravity structure approximately 227 feet long and eleven and five-tenths (11.5) feet high. It features an uncontrolled spillway section 115 feet in length.

The steel reinforced concrete powerhouse substructure and brick powerhouse measures forty (40) feet by twenty (20) feet and is located on the dam approximately fifty (50) feet from the right abutment. One tapered concrete pillar extends from the river helping supporting the powerhouse's northwest corner. The intake is an opening in the powerhouse headwall which is controlled by two gates. The water conductor is a simple open flume.

The Walker Mill Hydroelectric Station is significant under National Register criterion C for engineering because it represents the kind of hydroelectric engineering projects typical at the time of its construction on the smaller rivers of the State of Tennessee. Its design, while not unique among its class in the Volunteer State, displays the typical vertical emphasis of what can be called "early hydro-style." It, along with another now demolished site, provided the electric needs of the town of Sevierville until 1938 when the TVA acquired the station. It is capable of operation today when the water level is high enough.

The Walker Mill Hydroelectric Station is likewise significant under National Register criterion A, as it represents a change in the business of trading, commerce, services and commodities, and the gradual introduction of electricity into everyday human existence during the early twentieth century in Tennessee.

Initial interest in a hydroelectric facility was expressed in Sevierville in 1912. On October 28, 1914, the concrete dam was finished, and by November of that year the facility began generating electricity. Local competition flourished and soon there were two hydroelectric stations on the West Prong of Pigeon Forge River, one at the Newport Milling Company site, the other at the Walker Mill site. By 1938 the TVA had purchased both sites and by 1940 sold them back to city of Sevierville which would buy its power from TVA and extend its own system to local rural areas. Only the Walker Mill site is extant and occasionally in operation when the river level is adequately high.

Douglas Dam - Sevier County, TN

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_Dam
Douglas Dam is a hydroelectric dam on the French Broad River in Sevier County, TN. The dam is operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), which built the dam in record time in the early 1940s to meet emergency energy demands at the height of World War II. Douglas Dam is a straight reinforced concrete gravity-type dam 1705 feet long and 202 feet high, impounding the 28,420-acre Douglas Lake. The dam was named for Douglas Bluff, a cliff overlooking the dam site prior to construction.

McMahan Indian Mound - Sevierville, TN

Here's an easy to miss spot on the way to Gatlinburg. It's a historic Indian Mound with business built around it. The small preserved and landscaped area is along the main road (US441) between a motel (Landmark Inn) and a Shoneys.

From the historic marker:
This Mississippian substructure,16 ft. high and 240 ft.in circumference, built during the Dallas phase (1200-1500), was first excavated in 1881, with artifacts being sent to the Smithsonian. Later excavations exposed nearby villages of the Woodland Indian dating from 200 A.D. to the Cherokee who roamed this valley when pioneers settled in the late 1700s.

New Salem Baptist Church – Sevierville, TN

The New Salem Baptist Church was built in 1886 by Isaac Dockery, noted African American builder, and is Sevierville’s oldest surviving building, Sevier County’s oldest brick church building, and the only historic African American church in the county. The Gothic-revival church served the thriving African American community until the 1950s when the last services were held by the original congregation. Since that time, the church has been used by other congregations and denominations, and the historic integrity has slowly been chipped away. The original bell tower and pulpit furniture have been removed and the overall interior has been altered significantly. Even with these changes, the church was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2003, and a Tennessee Historical marker was placed on the grounds in 2006.
knoxheritage.org/etpa/east-tennessee-endangered-heritage/

The Old Mill - Pigeon Forge

In the early 1800s, this gristmill was built on the Little Pigeon river in what was then a small mountain community of Pigeon Forge. The mill, which was built to make meal and flour for the locals still does that today. The Old Mill even furnished electricity for the town until 1935.

In 1830, William Love dammed the Little Pigeon and started construction on the mill using 40' long yellow Poplar logs.

In those days, the mill was the hub of local activity and now, 180 years later is one of the most popular tourist spots around the Smoky Mountains. The adjoining restaurant is also one of the most popular in Pigeon Forge. The Old Mill is also on the National Register of Historic Places.

Adventure Golf: Shark - Pigeon Forge, TN (Now gone)

Sadly, this place is now gone and it is a vacant lot. Here is my write-up from 8 years ago.

"Big Jim" Sidwell worked at his family's furniture business in Murfreesboro, TN. He was looking for an outlet for his creativity when he and his family visited Goofy Golf on a vacation to Florida. In his backyard, he built a large dinosaur out of wood and wire mesh, and then another and another.

In 1961, he opened Jolly Golf in Gatlinburg with many of his creations. He went on to build more mini golf parks in Daytona, Marietta and Lake of the Ozarks. When other attractions which also wanted his dinosaurs came calling, he started a fiberglass dinosaur factory in Murfreesboro. In the late 70's his tourist attraction vision expanded to a theme park in Pigeon Forge called Magic World.

At the gateway of the Smokies, tourist attractions come and go, but one of the Sidwell family's parks is still open. Pigeon Forge exploded in popularity once Gatlinburg couldn't expand anymore. Adventure Golf along US441 looks like it remains popular after all these years. It has a charm I like that many of the newer large corporate parks don't have.

There's a large Dinosaur by the entrance and a shark in the pond right by the 18th hole. Perhaps the most noticeable thing is the over-sized octopus in another pond and one of its many tentacles is raised up in the air!

The Old Mill - Pigeon Forge

In the early 1800s, this gristmill was built on the Little Pigeon river in what was then a small mountain community of Pigeon Forge. The mill, which was built to make meal and flour for the locals still does that today. The Old Mill even furnished electricity for the town until 1935.

In 1830, William Love dammed the Little Pigeon and started construction on the mill using 40' long yellow Poplar logs.

In those days, the mill was the hub of local activity and now, 180 years later is one of the most popular tourist spots around the Smoky Mountains. The adjoining restaurant is also one of the most popular in Pigeon Forge. The Old Mill is also on the National Register of Historic Places

The Apple Barn - Sevierville, TN

The Apple Barn had become a "Must Stop" location for my wife and I every time we go to the Pigeon Forge / Gatlinburg area.

Back when this was a rural area, this was an actual farm and barn, which was built in 1910. The area was purchased to become a more touristy/retail location in the 70s. After several years of restoration, in the early 80's, the barn became the central store at the complex.

Historic Jim Bales Cabin

Historic Jim Bales Cabin

located in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park along the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail.

See Rock City - World's 8th Wonder - Barn now gone

There's several commonly seen Rock City barns in and around Sevierville, and before it was removed a few years ago this one might have been the least frequently seen. Vacationers coming from the east travel along US 411. I think in the 80's, the Dolly Parton Highway was built to accommodate the growing traffic. It runs parallel to Old TN Highway 35, the old Newport Highway. This barn is located along the old highway.

Also located in the area is the Old Covered Bridge.

A couple of years ago I spotted This picture. It is the remains of the barn I photographed and it's now located inside the Ole Smokey Moonshine Distillery in Gatlinburg.

See Beautiful Rock City To-day

Not far from Sevierville, TN, this See Rock City Barn is located along the Chapman Highway (U.S. 441 and U.S. 411) at the intersection with Garner Hollow LN. Those going westbound will see this.

Of note to Rock City Barn enthusiasts, the way the "Today" is painted is different than it used to be. It is all block letters now, but used to be in cursive script. The cursive part has been painted over in black but barely can be seen below the TY in CITY. Click the photo below to see a closeup.

Smokey Mountain stream

Seen along the Roaring Fork Motor Trail

Scenic Motel - Pigeon Forge

This is a standard view of a vintage motel sign in the heavy tourist area of Pigeon Forge. I decided to upload this version, even though it can't compete with the way it looked one night at dusk in 2006, which flickr still says is my 2nd best photo in interestingness.

Flapjack's Pancake Cabin

Sevierville, TN - US441

I like the 3D nature of the sign, with the 3d butter on top of 3D pancakes in the 3d Skillet - until you look at it in the original size and the 3d butter doesn't look so appealing.

Scenic Motel sign - Pigeon Forge, TN

This, and many other, hotel sign is located along THE parkway in Pigeon Forge, TN (US Highway 441/321). Photographed at dusk with no photoshopping. I just happened to be there when the color of the sky was perfect. This was one of my first Motel neon signs photos and still seems to be my most popular.

Hillbilly Village - Pigeon Forge, TN

It's not a wacky tourist stop in Pigeon Forge unless it has a shotgun wielding moonshiner!

Hillbilly Village is one of the oldest tourist traps in Pigeon Forge. When it opened up in the 60's, there was vacant land on either side of the place. Now, there's no vacant space to be found anywhere along the main strip in Pigeon Forge. For years, their advertising material has pointed out that they have a real Moonshine Still out back, which really isn't that hard to find in the south. The day I was there, it was closed.