CCPA Awards

Nomination For Blount County Historic Trust 2005 Oak Shingle Award

Honoring The Cades Cove Heritage Through Cemetery Preservation

Nominee : The Cades Cove Preservation Association

P.O. Box 213

Alcoa, Tenn. 37701

865-984-4963

A people who do not honor the deeds of their worthy dead will do nothing worthy of being honored by their descendants. Macalay

The above quotation has been adopted by the Cades Cove Preservation Association, Inc. (CCPA) to direct and motivate the organization in pursuit of its mission to understand, document and preserve the cultural history of the former Cades Cove community, previously within the 16th Civil District of Blount County and now within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP). In pursuit of this mission, the CCPA, established and chartered in 2001, has invested significant time, effort and funding to address the degraded conditions of those cemeteries which represent the final resting places of Cades Cove ancestral roots to demonstrate that their lives and contributions are appreciated and their graves are appropriately preserved for benefit of future generations.

The focus of CCPA cemetery preservation attention are cemeteries located within the GSMNP. Remediation of such cemeteries has required establishment of an effective partnership with the GSMNP and the conduct of preservation activities has been performed using methods and materials which are reviewed and approved by appropriate GSMNP officials. Time, weather and enormous pedestrian traffic have contributed to erosion of the cemeteries located at the remaining Cades Cove church buildings and it is those cemeteries which received initial CCPA attention. The Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery, containing the graves of many Cades Cove pioneering families, was remediated in 2001. Accomplishments included the elevation and righting of grave markers, the fill of eroded pathways and other depressed areas, and the installation of pathway barriers to encourage traffic to preferred routes. This effort was followed by similar accomplishments at the Methodist Church Cemetery in 2002 and at the Missionary Baptist Church Cemetery in 2003. Continual efforts are required to maintain these cemeteries appropriately. CCPA volunteers perform maintenance activities weekly at the three church buildings, remove litter from the cemetery grounds and report existing and impending deficiencies to the GSMNP.

In addition to those cemeteries located at the remaining Cades Cove church structures, CCPA attention has been directed to the remediation and preservation needs of three family cemeteries. These burial grounds were established either prior to those provided near the church houses or by preference of pioneering or prominent Cades Cove families. The remediation of the Cable Cemetery was completed in 2003, the Robert Burchfield Cemetery in 2004, and the Davis Cemetery in 2004. Effort will be devoted to the Boring Cemetery, the Post Cemetery and the Graveyard Hill Cemetery in 2005.

The Coves of Blount County were always attractive to pioneering settlers but were dependent on the passage of treaties with the Native Americans to legalize settlement and development. As a result, the nearby Tuckaleechee Cove was populated in the late 1790s, almost thirty years prior to Cades Cove. The early and later Tuckaleechee Cove settlers and their descendants migrated over the high mountain ridges into Cades Cove as land there became available. These families had a significant impact on and made immeasurable contributions to the Cades Cove community. Many family surnames are common to both coves. The cemeteries of Tuckaleechee Cove bear evidence to those relationships. In partnership with the Blount County Chamber of Commerce/ Townsend Visitors Center, the Townsend Police Department, and the Myers family, the CCPA has addressed preservation needs of the Myers Cemetery, adjacent to the Townsend Visitors Center, to recognize the contributions of those interned there and to contribute positively to the Blount County “Gateway to the Smokies”. This effort initiated in 2004 and continues in 2005. Accomplishments include removal of brush and debris from the periphery, elevation, righting, repair and cleaning of grave markers, filling of depressions and seeding.

The CCPA has been encouraged and supported by the contributions of many individuals and organizations in pursuit of the organization’s cemetery preservation objectives. The accomplishments can, and should, be shared by many. Countless volunteer hours have been provided. A conservative estimate is in excess of 2000 person hours. This effort has included former Cades Cove residents, descendants of Cades Cove residents, non descendant CCPA members, and many who care about preservation of the heritage of Cades Cove and Blount County. In addition to those who have contributed labor, others have contributed encouragement and financial support. Perhaps one day, after completion of the CCPA cemetery preservation efforts, the spirits of the Cades Cove ancestral roots will observe from the rim of Cades Cove Mountain or from the State Line, “a job well done”.

Nominator:Herb Handly

Executive Vice President Tourism

Smoky Mountains Convention and Visitors Bureau

7906 East Lamar Alexander Parkway

Townsend, Tennessee 37882

865-448-6134

hhandly@smokymountains.org

Linda Braden Albert

2005 ETHS Award Of Excellence

History In The Media Award

The CCPA is extremely proud that “one of our own”, Linda Braden Albert, was honored at the East Tennessee Historical Society’s Annual Meeting on May 10, 2005 with an ETHS Award of Excellence, the History in the Media Award, for her personal and professional accomplishments. Linda needs little introduction to CCPA members as she does a great job as Editor of our quarterly newsletter, Cades Cove Cousins, participates at most CCPA functions and provides excellent coverage of CCPA projects and accomplishments consistent with her responsibilities at The Daily Times. Needless to say, the CCPA is indebted to Linda for the strong support and many contributions she has provided. The CCPA congratulates Linda for her most deserved recognition. We are “busting with pride”!

History in the Media Award ~ Linda Braden Albert, Maryville Daily Times

“As Linda Braden Albert’s readers will attest, when she writes about history she draws on much more than her background in historical and genealogical research -- she writes from the heart. In addition to her newspaper column, Where I Come From”, Ms. Albert’s projects include publishing her own family history and the gigantic task of photographing every tombstone in Blount County. Professionally and personally, her work is of high quality and preserves important parts of our history.”

ETHS Awards of Excellence May 10, 2005

Special Award of Distinction

Smoky Mountain Convention and Visitors Bureau

Herb Handly

CCPA members should also note and congratulate staff of the Smoky Mountain Convention and Visitors Bureau, under the leadership of our friend and Board of Directors member, Herb Handly, who were honored with an ETHS Special Award of Distinction for “excellence in programming and managed development”. Herb accepted this award in behalf of the SMCVB and it is because of his skills and professionalism that the recognition was possible. We congratulate Herb for this honor and appreciate the support provided to the CCPA at the Townsend Visitors Center.

Ramsey Award for Lifetime Achievement

Dr. Durwood Dunn

Durwood Dunn, Cades Cove descendant and Chair of the History and Political Science Department at Tennessee Wesleyan College, received the prestigious ETHS Ramsey Award for Lifetime Achievement. Dr. Dunn’s many publications includes Cades Cove: The Life and Death of a Southern Appalchian Community, 1818-1937. Many CCPA members reference this work in their research of the Cove.