Historic Cemeteries

These historic cemeteries within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park preserve the heritage of the Appalachian pioneer communities. Located primarily in Cades Cove, Cataloochee, and the Sugarlands, these sites feature hand-carved headstones, fieldstone markers, and traditional burial practices. They provide a genealogical record of the families—such as the McCarters, Olivers, and Palmers—who established farms, churches, and schools in these remote mountain valleys before the park's creation in 1934.

N.S. McCarter Cemetery

Small family burial ground located in the Greenbrier area, containing graves of the McCarter family and other early mountain residents.

Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery

Established in 1827 in Cades Cove, this cemetery contains the graves of the community's first European settlers, John and Lucretia Oliver.

Methodist Church Cemetery

Located behind the 1902 frame church in Cades Cove, this site holds many of the valley's earliest residents with markers predating the current building.

Missionary Baptist Church Cemetery

Site of a congregation that split from the Primitive Baptists in 1839 over theological differences; the grounds serve as a record of Cades Cove's religious history.

Old Sugarlands Cemetery

Located near the Sugarlands Visitor Center, this site marks the former location of a thriving mountain community displaced by the park's establishment.

Little Greenbrier Cemetery

Adjacent to the 1882 Little Greenbrier School and Church, containing graves of the Walker sisters' ancestors and other local community members.

Palmer Cemetery

One of the largest cemeteries in Cataloochee Valley, containing generations of the Palmer family, who were prominent early settlers and farmers.

Hiram Caldwell Cemetery

A small family plot in Cataloochee Valley located near the historic Hiram Caldwell house, featuring traditional fieldstone markers.

Negro Graveyard Cemetery

A preserved site in Cataloochee Valley containing the graves of African Americans who worked for local families and in the regional timber industry.

Cable Branch Cemetery

A remote cemetery on the north shore of Fontana Lake, accessible primarily by boat or hiking, serving the former Cable and Forney Creek communities.