Historical Treasure in the Great Smoky Mountains

 

Her husband found the land of promise. He cut logs and stacked them on land he claimed as his. Then he went back across the Appalachian Mountains to get her and the children. They would have a good life in that new territory.

Vintage Cabin--Public Domain.

William Ogle died at home, unable to take his wife Martha to the spot he had decided on. This widow was determined. She took her family, including her brother, and crossed the mountains. When she found the wood cut and stacked earlier by her husband, the family built a cabin. The settlement of White Oak Flats, Tennessee started in that moment.

It did not stay named that, though. The United States Post Office was responsible for changing the name. The government called the place after the store where they sent the mail. Since the store belonged to a man named Gatlin, the town became known as Gatlinburg.

Martha Ogle’s great grandson settled those same mountains. He built a 400 acre farm outside of Gatlinburg in what is now a part of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. In fact, you can still visit Noah Ogle’s farm if you go to the park. My husband and I did that last month.

For February, it was an amazingly warm day. In the upper sixties, we were able to tromp around the preserved farm site without snow stopping us. The saddle bag cabin is open to visitors. Two large rooms sit on each side of a large rock chimney—hence the name for the building.

What surprised me about the cabin was the wood used in constructing it. Looking around me, none of the tree trunks were especially large. But the wood used to make the house had been virgin timber and very, very wide. I could still see the ax marks where someone hand-hewed the fallen trees to make boards. Handmade oak shingles cover the roof like they did a hundred and fifty years before.

 

Ogle Place, Great Smoky Mountain National Park

I half-expected Noah Ogle himself to step out and greet me. Tradition has it that he welcomed all who visited him at the farm which he named Junglebrook because of the large rhododendron plants that surrounded the area.

For an author of historical fiction, this cabin was a treasure. I observed so much about the time-intensive construction. I hope it flavors my future books.

Lost Confederate gold brings danger to a woman who only wants to find a home.

Marietta can't go home. No, she won't give her father a chance to sell her again.
Determined and desperate, she heads west as a mail-order bride. Little does she know that an equally determined man is chasing after her.

"I found the perfect book for a rainy, cold Friday night. Marisa Masterson is a master at her craft, creating wonderful multi-dimensional characters."--Amazon Review

STEPPING BACK IN TIME by Marisa Masterson

The Internet is essential for me as I research. I love the many images and sites I find there. That said, my best research comes from stepping back in time.

I bet you'd like to know where I bought my time machine. While it's true that I can't and don't actually travel backward through time, I have been able to visit many historical places dedicated to helping me feel like I have. Some places I've visited are well known, like Colonial Williamsburg. Others are hidden gems run by local historical societies.

While writing my book A Farmer for Christmas, I relied on one such place. Tucked away in the rolling hills around Reedsburg, Wisconsin, Pioneer Log Village and Historical Society is a historical treasure. Open Saturdays from Memorial Day to Labor Day, it boasts a collection of settler cabins that are authentic. These very old cabins were hauled from different sites in the state and brought to the Pioneer Log Village. Now, they aren't allowed to block the roads and haul the buildings, but in the 1940s and 1950s they could.

Rare puncheon floor

To preserve the history of the state, farsighted people gathered these cabins in one place so visitors would be able to see examples of homes built by ethnically different immigrant groups. There is a German cabin, a Swiss cabin, and so on. One of the things that so delighted me was the puncheon floor in Gluth-Kruse Cabin. I'd read about puncheon floors. Actually seeing one was an incredible opportunity and truly made me feel like I'd stepped into another time.

Gluth-Kruse Cabin

The cabins and other buildings, such as the church, are filled with wonderful antiques. In one, I remember seeing a collection of butter churns. Each was different and together showed how the butter churn evolved over the years. This definitely helped me, as an author, better imagine the lives of my female characters.

You might not be in Wisconsin, but I imagine there is a historical society museum near you. Often, volunteers who are a part of these groups give visitors a great hands-on experience with their local history. I encourage you to check them out.
For more information about Pioneer Log Village, go to http://www.rahspv.com/.

Children! Myra Smithson is tired of them. She didn't expect to be disinherited or to end up as her brother's unpaid nanny and cook. Thank goodness her matchmaker neighbor offers Myra a way out of the situation.Reinhold "Holder" Sittig knows he can't expect his terminally ill mother to care for his daughters. Following advice, he sends away for a mail-order bride. Too bad he forgets to mention his children in the letter.What happens after this Christmas bride discovers she's once again expected to be the unpaid nanny and cook? Will she find any tenderness from her stubborn German husband?

https://www.amazon.com/Farmer-Christmas-Spinster-Mail-Order-Brides-ebook/dp/B07T2MY829