Historic Places: Elkmont
Located in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Elkmont is definitely a treasure to find. What appears to be a "Ghost Town" actually started as an Appalachian Club vacation community. The land was once owned by Little River Lumber Company and in 1910, they started selling off the land in order to create an elite private social club. Later the Wonderland Hotel was purchased and the Wonderland Club was created. This area quickly became a favorite vacation spot among wealthy East TN families. Elkmont became the home for the birth of the National Park. In 1926, Colonel Wilson B. Townesend, the owner of Little River Lumber Company, sold the 76,000 acres so that it could be turned into the national park. While most people in park boundaries were forced to sell their land and relocate, those in the Elkmont area were able to sell their cottages at half the price in exchange for lifetime leases. Most of the leases expired in 1992 and the final two expired in 2001....