Brief History of The Great Smoky Mountains National Park Movement in North Carolina

              A Brief History
of
The Great Smoley Mountains National
Park Movement
m•
North Carolina
n,
GEORG:tt W. McCoy
•
-...
A Brief History
of
The Great Smoky Mountains National
Park Movement
• tn
North Carolina
By
G EORGE W. McCoY
Printed by
THE INLfu~D PRESS
ASHEVILLE, N. C.
1940
Author's Note
This brief history of the Great Smoky
Mountains National Park movement in
North Carolina was prepared at the request
of the North Carolina Park Commission.
A painstaking effort was made to give
an accurate account of the movement. If
there be errors of fact or of omission, the
author assumes the sole responsibility.
G. W.M.
CHAPTER I
The suggestion that led directly to the first organized
movement for the establishment of a national park in the
Southern Appalachian Mountains was .made by Dr. Henry
0. Marcy, of Boston, Massachusetts, although it is not
clear as to who first conceived the idea.1 Evidence that it
was Dr. Marcy's suggestion that made a lasting impression
and resulted in an organized effort in behalf of a national
park is set forth by Dr. Chase P. Ambler, of Asheville,
North Carolina, who pioneered in the park movement. In
a report, 2 Dr. Ambler said:
"The first person, so far as we know, who advocated in
writing the establishment of a national forest reserve or
national park in the Appalachian Mountains was Dr.
Henry 0. Marcy, of Boston, Mass.
. "Dr. Marcy read a paper before the American Academy
of Medicine, New York, October 29, 1885, on the climatic
treatment of disease, advocating Western North Carolina
as a health resort. This article was published in The Jour­~
al of the American Medical Association, December 26,
1885. A reprint of the article was sent to the writer by
Dr. Marcy ....
"In the closing paragraph of this article, Dr. Marcy
says: 'The wise legislator, seeking far reaching results,
.would do well to consider the advisability of securing under
1. George H. Smathers, attorney oi Asheville, N. C., is authority for the
statement that the Rev. C. D. Smith, of Franklin, N. C., advocated the estab­lishment
of a national park in the Southern Highlands in an article that was
published in ·a Waynesville, N. C., newspaper in the early 1880'a.
2. 'The Activities of The Appalacllian National Park Association and The
Appalachian National Fozut Reserve Association, 1889-1906." Compiled by
C. P. Ambler, M. D., Asheville, N. C., August, 1929. (This manuscript and
accompanying exhibits were deposited by Dr. Ambler in the archives of the State
Historical Commission, Raleigh, N. C., with the understanding that if and when
a museum ia established in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park they "are
to be turned over to and become the property of the National Park Museum.")
s
state control a large reservation of the higher range as a
park. Its costs at present would be merely nominal.' "3
This article impressed Dr. Ambler. When he moved
from Ohio to Asheville in 1889 he was "struck with the
beauties of the mountains of the Southern Appalachians
and for several years advocated that either the st~te or fed­eral
government should control the higher mountain tops."
The first official action favoring the establishment of a
national park in the Southern Appalachian mountains was
taken by the General Assembly of North Carolina. On
January 24, 1893, Representative Barlow, of Edgecombe
county, introduced in the lower house of the General As­sembly
a "Resolution of instruction to our Senators and
Representatives in Congress in relation to the establishment
of a national park in Western North Carolina." On Febru­ary
3, 1893, according to the Legislative Journal, "Mr.
(Robert) Vance of Buncombe county moved to put on its
immediate passage the resolution of instruction concerning
the establishment of a national park in Western North
Carolina. The bill was amended by the committee so that
the place for the park would not be fixed at Grandfather
Mountain but would be left to the discretion of the N a­tiona!
Committee. The bill as amended passed third read­ing."
The Senate journal of February 7, 1893, shows that the
Senate passed the "Resolution urging the Senators and
Representatives in Congress to favor the establishment of a
national park in Western North Carolina."
This resolution, as amended, and published in the Pub­lic
Laws of 1893 of North Carolina follows:
"A resolution requesting our Senators and Repre­sentatives
in Congress to use their influence for the es-
3. Ibid., pp. 1 and 2.
6
tablishment of a national park in Western North
Carolina.
"Whereas, There is a widely prevalent sentiment
among the people of the southeastern section of the
United States in favor of the establishment of a national
park among the mountains of the Appalachian system
similar to the Yellowstone Park, to be owned, controlled
and maintained by the federal government in the in­terest
of science; and
"Whereas, the mountain section of the state of North
Carolina has many points of high altitude which are
still covered with primeval forests containing practically
unimpaire~ the original flora of said section, and is like­wise
well adapted to the propagation and preservation
of the original fauna thereof, therefore,
"Resolved by the House of Representatives, the
Senate concurring:
"First. That our senators and representatives in
Congress be requested to exert their united influence in
furtherance of the proposition aforesaid, and use all
honorable means to bring the same to a successful issue. .
·"Second. That a copy of this resolution be for­warded
to each of our senators and representatives
aforesaid.
"Ratified the 9th day of February, A. D. 1893."4
The North Carolina Press Association was the next to
take action. It met at New Bern on April 27, 1893, and'
unanimously adopted a memorial to Congress urging the
establishment of a national park in North Carolina. The
4. Webb, Charles A. "Some Facts Relating to the Early History of the
Establishment of a National Park in the Southern Appalachian Mountains."
Ms. read before the Asheville Civitan Club on August 30, 1939, and reported in
The Asheville Times on August 31, 1939.
7
resolution, introduced by W. F. Burbank, of The Winston­Salem
Sentinel, was as follows:
"Whereas, There is no National Park east of the
Mississippi river, and, whereas, this state possesses the
most beautiful and the grandest scenery in this part of
the United States, and has also the advantages of fine
climate and accessibility, therefore be it
"Resolved, That the Congress of the United Sta~es
be requested to give this matter their consideration, and
that the Secretary of the North Carolina Press Associa­tion
shall transmit a copy of this resolution to the secre­tary
of the United States Senate and also to the Clerk
of the National House of Representatives. "5 ·
The third step was on March 27, 1894, when John s ·;
Henderson, of Salisbury, member of Congress from North ·
Carolina, introduced into the House of Representatives the
memorial of the North Carolina Press Association.6
Dr. Ambler, in Asheville, continued to advocate the es­tablishment
of a national park. While on a fishing trip in
the Sapphire section of North Carolina in June, 1899, wHh
Hon. William R. Day, of Ohio, who had recently returned
from the Paris Peace Commission and was spending his
vacation in the Asheville section, Dr. Ambler mentioned the
national park idea to Judge Day and asked his advice as
to the feasibility of making such a reservation.
"J udlge Day first stated that it appeared to him as an ·
impossible proposition; but several days later he mentioned
the subject again and stated that he believed it would be
possible, although it would take years to accomplish any­thing.
The writer (Dr. Ambler) volunteered to Judge Day
to do anything he could and suggested that if Judge Day
S. Ibid.
6. The Congressional Record, March 27, 1894. P. 3260.
8
would outline a plan under which he thought results could
be accomplished, that the writer would undertake to see that
his suggestions were carried out. A few days later, Judge
Day presented us several sheets of paper with rough notes
on a suggested plan. . . . Unfortunately, Judge Day's
notes were later carried into one of the open meetings and
disappeared. His plan, as outlined in June, 1899, em-bodied
the following points:
"1st: Form an organization in Asheville to push
the matter.
"2nd: Enlist the assistance of Asheville Board of
Trade.
"3rd: Secure the cooperation of as many newspapers
as possible.
"4th: Endeavor to educate the people of the state
to the feasibility and necessity of reserving the moun-tain
tops. ·
"5th: When the city was thoroughly organized, go
to Congress, first securing the interest of senators and
representatives from this state.
"6th: Endeavor to have them introduce bills in
Congress.
"7th: Endeavor to enlist the interest of the Presi­dent
of the United States, and, if possible, get him to
• give a special message to Congress in the matter.
"8th: Through the organization formed in Ashe­ville
publish printed matter and send to influential
people over the country and to as many newspapers as
possible.
"9th: Secure the endorsement of scientific and civic
organizations throughout the state and country.
"1Oth: Through the organization in Asheville, have
prepared a memorial to Congress, embodying the neces-
9
sities, feasibility, the cost, and the possibility of a forest
reservation or national park in the Southern Appala­chian
Mountains. "7
After returning to Asheville, Dr. Ambler conferred with
A. H. McQuilkin, printer an publisher of a magazine,
"Southem.Pictures and Pe cillings," who became intensely
interested in the plan an aided in the work. In August,
1899, there appeared in the magazine an article entitled
"The Movement for a Southern National Park." This was
the first of many articles written by Mr. McQuilkin in be­half
of the plan.
On August 19, 1899, Dr. Ambler, in a letter, asked Jeter
C. Pritchard, U. S. Senator from North Carolina, if he
would support the movement, suggested a meeting to form
an organization in Asheville, and submitted for his ap­proval
the draft of a petition addressed to him as U. ~.
Senator. The petition, submitted to Senator Pritchard on
August 30, 1899, set forth eleven reasons why there should
be a nat~onal park in the Southern Appalachian mountains.
Senator Pritchard, in a letter to Dr. Ambler, said he would
"do all in my power to secure the necessary appropriation."
On October 8, 1899, Dr. Ambler was appointed to serve
with Mr. McQuilkin and Henry T. Collins on the Parks
and Forestry Committee of the Asheville Board of Trade.
Much preliminary work was done by this committee. In
October, 1899, a second article was published in "Southern
Pictures and Pencillings." Five hundred copies of the
magazine were mailed to prominent persons throughout the
.Southern states. In that month Dr. Ambler and Mr. Mc­Quilkin
met daily, sometimes twice a day. It was decided
to print 1 ,000 petitions and to circulate them first in Ashe­ville
and later elsewhere. Within a few weeks the petitions
7. Ambler, op. cit., pp. 2-4.
10
had been signed in Asheville and a second printing of 5,.:.
000 petitions was issued for the purpose of obtaining signa­tures
of persons outside of Asheville. On October 18, 1899,
the Parks and Forestry Committee sent fifty letters to gov­ernors,
senators, and representatives of North and South
Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, and Virginia, .ask­ing
them for permission to use their names in calling a
mass meeting for the purpose of advocating the establish­ment
of a national park in the Southern Highlands. These
letters met with "very little response." In the latter part
)f October, the committee decided to issue a call for a mass
meeting to be held in Asheville on November 2 2. A thou­sand
copies of a circular letter, calling attention to the
movement and the mass meeting, were prepared and sent
to the editors of newspapers. Two thousand reprints of the
article in "Southern Pictures and Pencilings" were mailed
at about the same time. During the few weeks preceding
November 2 2, Dr. Ambler and Mr. McQuilkin prepared
. data every day for newspapers.
. . The mass meeting, or convention, which had been called ·
by th~ Parks and Forestry committee of the Asheville Board
of Trade, opened on November 22, 1899, in the Battery
Park hotel in Asheville, being called to order by Captain
T. W. Patton, of Asheville. A full account of the conven­tion
is given by Dr. Ambler in his reports and in a news­paper
story entitled "Can1paign for a National Park."9
N. G. Gonzales, of Columbia, South Carolina, was
elected temporary chairman and Dr. Ambler temporary
secretary. Locke Craig, of Asheville, who later became gov-
8. Ibid., pp. 11-18.
9. The Asheville Citizen, November 23, 1899. Reprinted in The Rhodo­dendron
number of The Asheville Citizen and The Asheville Times on June 17,
1939.
11
ern or of North Carolina, addressed the convention, explain­ing
the objects of the meeting. He said:
"It has been the policy of the government to establish
parks from time to time, and it is remarkable that this
mountain region of the South has heretofore been over­looked;
for above all other sections it is an ideal country
for a park. It has not the snow-clad altitudes of the
Rockies nor the sterile grandeur of the Sierra N evadas;
but here is a great country of undulating table lands and
mighty mountain ranges whose soil is as productive as the
prairies of Illinois; here are peaks where Vulc~n might
forge his thunderbolts and where the gods of Olymp~
might sit in council above the clouds; here are fertile val­leys
sleeping peacefully beneath the giant cliffs of moun.::.
tains .that rise in majestic grandeur, above the· storms,
watered by crystal streams that break in everlasting melody
fresh from the granite of eternal hills; here is a region
where winter lingers not; the mountains swell with life
at the breath of early spring and clothe themselves in gar­ments
of emerald leaf and many tinted flowers; summer
sunshine wraps the earth in lustrous woodlands, changing
to royal robes of autumn splendors of purple and crimson
and cloth of gold; transparent waters of creeks and rivers
glide and dance and foam over their rocky beds, above them
as an arch, the arms of the giants of the forests, on their
banks the honeysuckle, the violets, the tiger lily, the ivy and
the laurel breathe perfume as sweet as the odors of the
'lilies of eternal peace.'
"This magnificent productive country was made to
produce the highest types of enlightene~ men and women.
It was designed for peaceful, prosperous homesteads, for
fields of golden grain and the happy songs of the reapers.
12
Man was not made for the forests, but the forests were
made for man. While this is true it would be reckless
stupidity, negligence of the grossest kind, if a portion of
this grand and picturesque region be not preserved in its
original, natural condition for the enjoyment and welfare
of the people. There is only one feasible way to accom­plish
this, and that is by government ownership. These
large areas can now be purchased at nominal sums. The
timber alone, even at present prices, is worth · more than the
price asked for in the fee simple title. The lumber supply
of the United States is rapidly diminishing, the value of
timber is rapidly advancing. Within a few years every
timber tree to the tops of our remotest mountains will be
valuable for lumber and will be cut down. The forests
will be dJestroyed unless something be done for their pro­tection.
The owners of these lands may appreciate their
natural beauty and the irreparable loss from a sentimental
standpoint, but we cannot expect the individual in this age .
of money making to sacrifice to sentimental considerations
his material welfare and opportunity to better his condi­tion.
The government must preserve this valuable gift of
nature for the benefit of the people and now is the accepted
time, now is the day of salvation .... Today the men of
the best blood of the North are turning their faces toward
the South. The Vanderbilts and the Roeblings, men of that
type, men of large means and large intellects and large pa­triotic
hearts; honest, industrious, thrifty tradesmen,
farmers and artisans and professional men of the highest
talent are making their homes among us, bringing here their
Lares and Penates. They constitute a most valued element
of our citizenship. All these, whether rich or poor, we hail
with a most cordial greeting and stretch out to them the
13
right hand of welcome and brotherly love. We esteem
their money, but prize their manhood more.
"What shall hinder our getting this park? To the men
who have thus far labored so earnestly and diligently for
it, is due ali praise and thanks. If the work continues 1n the
same spirit, with the same zeal and energy, the realization
of our hopes is assured. Other sections have their parks, why
not the South? She pays more than her pro rata part of the
revenues of this government. In many of its advantages
she does not participate. To the millions of pension money
for the soldiers that fought for the union she cheerfully
contributes, but asks not one dollar for the sol&iers of the
armies of the 'storm-cradled nation that fell.' Every child;
of Dixie is loyal to the Republic. She has heard upon her
bosom the tramp of embattled hosts. She was smitten and
. smitten again by the cruel, relentless hand of civil war; she
felt to the -quick the scourge of avenging armies. The argu­ments
of Calhoun were answered by the logic of the swords;.
her honest purpose was foiled, her brave armies were de­stroyed.
She accepted the decree of the Almighty will. In
the travail of her sorrow and desolation, from the depths of
her being, she cried 'Amen.' In the dark hours, bleeding
and crushed, there came the dawn of a nobler life. With a
never faltering faith, we believe that the Lord of ·Hosts
shed upon her face the light of a grander dny and breathed
into her soul the inspiration of a grander destiny. "10
At the conclusion of Mr. Craig's address, the following
committees were appointed:
Resolutions: Josephus Daniels, of Raleigh, N. C.;
A. H. McQuilkin, of Asheville; J. J. Seay; ~1oses
H. Cone, of Greensboro, N. C., and Pleasant A.
Stovall, of Savannah, Ga. ---------------------------------------------------- 10. Ibid.
14
Permanent organization: Col. A. M. Wad dell, F. R.
Hewitt, F. C. Mason, J. C. Garlington, and Charles
A. Webb, of Asheville.
By-laws: R. D. Gilmer, S. Wittkowsky, of ·Charlotte;.
W. B. Gwyn, and ·Dr. Thomas Lawrence.
The members of the committee on resolutions were nomi­nated
by George H. Smathers, of Asheville, and the com­mittee
on permanent organization by Charles MeN amee,
who was in charge of the Biltmore Estate of George Van­derbilt.
Marion Butler, U. S. senator from North Carolina, in
an .address, said he was heartily in sympathy with the
·movement for a national park. "This government is in the
.:?ark business already," he said. "It has expended con-siderable
money on the Yellowstone national park, a park
of a size equal to that of the state of Connecticut. ... With
one-half the land, one-quarter the money spent there you
could have a great national park here, every inch of which.
would be bristling with points of beauty. . . . The moun­tains
of North Carolina bewitch you. When you leave, you
long to be back.
"If the government is going to have parks for all of us,
then there should be one laid out here . .... The next park
should be established in the east, and there is no place in
the Appalachian range where you. can find such a favorite . reg1on.
"This is where nature .places her handiwork in profu­sion.
If the park is to be here it should be .secured right
away, for the forests are being denuded. It is worth estab­lishing
a park here simply to preserve the water courses .
. . . There is but one objection that could be raised and
that is the question of money. What will it cost? Suppose
15
the government should buy 400,000 or 500,000 acres of
land; suppose a committee is sent down to look over the
ground, and suppose you find that you have to pay five or
six dollars an acre for the land, what would it cost them?
Why a beggarly two million dollars, for a great government
like this; less money than we put in a little cruiser, which
may be wrecked in a few minutes, like the Charleston.
When you go to Congress to ask for an appropriation, don't
be too modest; ask for a big park. This is a big country
and when it buil~ it should build for all time. If we get
a million acres and paid $10 per acre for it, it would be a
small investment. The government could ~ot make a better
investment, owing to the increasing value of timber land. )
"All that is necessary for me to say is that I am glaf:l
you are moving in this direction. Let us not ask for a park
for the South. We don't have to. If there were some other
place that were proper for a park, and if we could only get
one as a concession, we might ask for a Southern park,
but let us ask for it as a national park. "11
Telegrams were read from J. C. Pritchard, U. S. sena­tor
from North Carolina, giving assurances of his support,
and J. A. Holmes, North Carolina state geologist, appoint­ing
Charles MeN amee to represent the state geological
board, of which he was a member.
Upon invitation, Col. Alfred M. vVaddell addressed the
convention. He said he loved every inch of the soil of
North Carolina and believed this western region to be the
most beautiful spot on earth. He expressed the belief that
Congress would make a large appropriation for this cause
and said he would do all he could to advance it.12
Pleasant A. Stovall, editor of The Savannah Press, in
11. Ibid.
12. Ibid.
16
an address, said that the most eloquent remark he could
make in favor of the park was his presence here, having
come a long distance. Georgia, he said, had a vital inter­est
in the movement for that stat~ had a section that might
be suited for a national park, but she would gladly and
gracefully yield the primacy to Western North Carolina.
. . . South Carolina and Georgia, he said, had suffered
from the destruction of forests. The government had al­ready
spent hundreds of thousands of dollars for parks, but
these as a rule marked out places where contending armies
met and· clashed and died. Noble as is the work of honor­ing
brave men, he said, the government might turn aside
and cast its eyes to the future instead of to the past; in­stead
of marking out battlefields let the government estab­lish
parks for the living.13
The temporary chairman then referred to messages from
persons in different sections of the country who expressed
interest in the movement. They included: Col. Cha:rles A.
Woolsey, Col. A. B. Andrews, D. L. Russell, Benton Mc­..
Millan, J. J. Jenkins, A. H. Hull, A. 0 . Bacon, J. A.
Holmes, James R. Wood, W. V.I. Kitchin, T . F. Klutz,
J . H. Small, J. L. McLauren, and Governor McSweeny, of
South Carolina.
W. T. Crawford, representative in Congress from North
Carolina, in an address, said, in part:
"'\Ve all realize the importance of taking steps to secure
a park. Senator Butler has well said that since the· govern­ment
is in the business of building and maintaining parks
there is no good reason why we may not induce Congress to
undertake this project. It is well known that the Yellow­stone
National Park has not met the expectations of the
13. I bid.
17
people generally. It is said that there is no month there
without ice. We have everything here that would induce
people to travel through a national park, and spend a few
weeks. We must push this matter; everybody is not going
to be as enthusiastic as we are. Senators and representa­tives
have tried time and time agM.n to get Congress to sell
out the Yellowstone National Park, and we will have that
fact to contend with, and we must overcome it. If the park
should be secured in four, six or ten years, even, it would
be a good work and we ought not to be discouraged. I be­lieve
the thing will be inaugurated, although it is a hard
matter to get an appropriation past Uncle Joe Cannon. He
is a North Carolinian, however, and I believe he has
pleasant memories of his native land. You must have an
active intelligent committee at Washington to present the
matter to good advantage."14
Richmond Pearson, of Asheville, in an address, said
that, while Mr. Crawford and he differed politically, they
were absolutely united in this cause. He said he would
work at this end of the line, at the other end, and between
the lines if necessary, or anywhere he could be of service.ts
Charles MeN amee invited the delegates to visit the Bilt­more
Estate of George Vanderbilt the next morning. He
sai<t: "On behalf of the man who first inaugurated prac­tical
scientific forestry in the United States, I extend to the
members of the convention a cordial invitation to visit the
Biltmore Estate.". The invitation was accepted.
At the evening session, the chairman stated that fully
fifty letters and telegrams of endorsement had been received,
in~luding messages from Secretary of Agriculture .James
Wilson; Colonel W . . A. Turk, editor of The Charleston
14. Ibid.
15. Ibid.
18
News and Courier; R. B. Tillman, J. C. Hen1phill, and
Stayame Wilson.
Colonel A. M. Wad dell, chairman of the committee on
permanent organization, said that the temporary officers of
the convention should continue their offices as officers of the
association to be formed, but the committee wished to defer
its report until the committee on the constitution and by­laws
had reported.
R. D. Gilmer, chairman of the committee on by-laws,
and Josephus Daniels, chairman of the committee on reso­lutions,
made reports.
Charles A. Webb, of Asheville, moved that the organi­zation
be known as "The Appalachian National Park As­sociation."
Dr. Ambler moved that it be called "The
Southern National Park and Forest Reserve Association,"
and Locke Craig moved that the name be "The Southern
National Park Association." Then John P. Kerr moved
that the report of the committee on by-laws be adopted.
This was done and the name became "The Appalachian
National Park Association."16 The committee on by-laws
also recommended that there should be 25 vice-presidents,
that the date of meeting should be the second Tuesday in
September, and that the association should have power to
establish auxiliary associations.
The committee on resolutions, through Josephus Dan­iels,
offered a resolution setting forth the desirability of a
national park in Western North Carolina, and asking the
senators and representatives to urge Congress to enact legis­lation
to establish a park. Mr. Daniels said the only matter
of dispute in the committee was as to whether a park should
be recommended for the Southern Appalachians or for
16. Ambler, op. cit., pp. 16-17.
19
Western North Carolina. The committee, he said, con­sisted
of one North Carolinian, one from Illinois, one from
New York, and one from Georgia. The member from North
Carolina was the only one who favored making no recom­mendation
that the park be established in Western North
Carolina. All the other members being in favor of such a
recommendation, it was adopted.
The committee on permanent organization reported in
favor of the following for permanent officers:
President: George S. Powell, of Asheville.
Secretary-Treasurer: Dr. C. P. Ambler, of Asheville.
Vice-presidents: North Carolina, A. H. McQuilkin,
M. H. Cone, R. D. Gilmer, Hugh MacRae, J.P. Caldwell,
Harry Walters, A. B. Andrews, S. Wittkowsky, F. R.
Hewitt; Tennessee, Benton McMillin, Prof. C. W. Dab­ney,
R. L. Taylor; Virginia, J . Skelton Williams, John W.
Daniel, Hoge Tyler; South Carolina, John B. Cleveland,
N. G. Gonzales, Gen. McCrady; Kentucky, John R. Proc­tor,
J. C. S. Blackburn; Georgia, J. J . Seay, Clark Howell,
A. J. Candler; West Virginia, Prof. Corbett.
Directors: South Carolina, J. C. Garlington; Wash­ington,
D. C., M. V. Richards; Biltmore, C. A. Schenck ;
Georgia, P. A. Stovall; Kentucky, S. C. Mason; North
Carolina, J. A. Holmes, Charles A. Webb, A. M. Waddell,
]. A. Nichols, E. P. McKissick, S. C. Welch, Josephus
Daniels. These officers were elected.1'
Decision was reached to incorporate the association. It
was also decided that each member should contribute two .
dollars.
~fr. Daniels offered a resolution of thanks to The Ashe­ville
Citizen and! The Asheville Gazette and all who had
17. The Asheville Citizen, op. cit.
20
assisted in the work of the association. The resolution was
adopted.
At the morning session on November 23, it was moved
that the number of the committee on membership be left to
the discretion of the president. After the appointment ·of
various committees, the convention adjourned to meet at the
call of the president.
The delegates, conveyed in carriages, then visited Bilt­more
Estate and the N onnal and! Collegiate Institute. A
photograph of the delegates was made at Biltmore Estate
by A. B. Pope. Those in the party included: E. P. Mc­Kissick,
then manager of the Battery Park hotel, Asheville;
S. P. Ravanel, of Asheville; S.C. Satterthwaite; Pleasant
Stovall, of Savannah, Ga.; Charles A. Webb, of Asheville;
Dr. H. N. Wells, of Waynesville; Dr. Chase P. Ambler, of
Asheville; Frank Jarrett, of Dillsboro, N. C. ; Capta~n
J . E. Ray, of Asheville; N. G. Gonzales, of Columbia,
S. C.; George S. Powell, of Asheville; Josephus Daniels,
of Raleigh; Herbert Ferguson, of Waynesville; A. H. Mc­Quilkin,
of Asheville; W. G. Candler; H. T. Collins;
R. D. Gilmer; Marion Butler, U. S. senator from North
Carolina; George H. Smathers, of Asheville; Sam Welch,
of Asheville; James R. DuBose; W. T. Crawford, of
Waynesville; Lucius Alexander; C. A. Schenck, and S.
Wittkowsky, of Charlotte, N. C.ts
An active publicity campaign was inaugurated by the
officers and directors of The Appalachian National Park
Association following the convention on November 22 and
23, 1899. A list of several hundred newspapers was pre­pared
and printed matter was sent to each one every month.
Most of the printed matter sent out during the first year was
18. Rhododendron Number, Tbe Asheville Citizen and The Times, June
17, 1939.
21
written either by A. H. McQuilkin or by Dr. Ambler. Meet­ings
were held each month, sometimes three or four times
a month.
Dr. Ambler, in his report, stated: "A memorial to Con­gress19
was prepared by Charles MeN amee, a member of
the committee on petitions and memorials. This memorial
was dated December 19, 1899 . ... In this memorial Mr.
MeN amee embodied the reasons for asking for a national
park in the Appalachian Mountains and in fact, this me­morial
was so comprehensive in form that up to the present,
we have never heard a new reason or new argument pre­sented
as to why the state or federal government should es­tablish
either a forest reserve or park in the Southern Ap­palachians.
This memorial was presented to the Senate by
Senator Pritchard ... .
"Accompanying this memorial was a map-which, by
the way, was actual hand pen work by the secretary- . . .
showing the boundaries within which such forest reserva­tion
or park should be established. Up to this date (April
25, 1927) such land as the government has bought for
forest reservation purposes and such action as is now being
taken by the states interested in the establishment of a na­tional
park, all pertain to and include such land within
the boundaries shown on this original map.
"The memorial was presented to Congress on January
4, 1900, and was referred to the Committee on Agriculture.
On April17, 1900, the officers of the Park Association ap­peared
before the Agriculture Committee of the Senate and
presented the case of the Appalachian National Park Asso­ciation.
On April 21, 1900, Senator Pritchard introduced
19. Mc~amee, Charles. Petition to Congress of the Appalachian National
Park Association. December 19, 1899. Asheville, N. C. Reprinted in The
Asheville Citizen-Times, October 19, 1930.
22
a bill praying for the appropriation of $5,000 for prelimi­nary
investigation. On April 26, 1900, Senator Pritchard's
bill was passed and became a law on July 1st.
"When the officers of the Park Association appeared
before the Agriculture Committee on April 17th, they were
fiatly informed that Congress could do nothing with this
Memorial for the reason that any action the federal gov­ernment
might take would interfere with states' rights and
the officers were told that before appearing before Congress,
they should secure the cooperation of the states involved.
The committee took the matter up with the six states con­cerned-
namely, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia,
Alabama, Tennessee, and Virginia-and appeared before
the legislatures of these various states in an endeavor to
have the various states cede to the federal government the
right to acquire title and exempt lands for park purposes
from taxation.
"North Carolina passed such a bill on January 18,
1901; South Carolina on January 29, 1901 ; Georgia on
January 29, 1901; Alabama on March 21, 1901; Ten­nessee
on March 28, 1901; and Virginia on March 28,
1901.
"The directors of the Association were greatly indebted
to Professor J. A. Holmes for this work before the legisla­tures
of the six states. Profes~or Holmes at that time be­ing
State Geologist of North Carolina. . . . Associated
with Professor Holmes . . . were Mr. (H. B.) Ayres and
Mr. (W. W.) Ashe .... Professor Holmes was succeeded
as State Geologist by Dr. Joseph Hyde Pratt who took up
the work which Professor Holmes had been carrying on.
Invaluable assistance was given the movement by these state
officials . ...
23
"During the summer of 1900, the government Forestry
Bureau with the cooperation of the Geological Survey, made
a thorough investigation of the Southern Appalachian
Mountains from Virginia to Alabama, and on January 1,
1901, the Secretary of Agriculture, James Wilson, sent a
report to congress through the President, regarding the in­vestigation.
On January 10, 1901, Senator Pritchard in­troduced
a bill praying for the appropriation of five million
dollars for the establishment of a forest reserve in the
Southern Appalachian Mountains, approximating two mil­lions
of acres. The bill was referred to the Committee on
Agriculture. (It was passed by the Senate, but failed of
passage in the House. )
"On January 19, 1901, after. the personal solicitation
on the part of the secretary of the Association, C. P. Ambler,
President ~1cKinley sent a special message to Congress rec­ommending
the report to the favorable consideration of
Congress.
"The week from July 3 to 10, 1901, Secretary Wilson,
accompanied by Prof. Gifford Pinchot, chief of the Gov­ernment
Forestry Bureau; J. A. Wilson, private secretary
to Secretary Wilson; W. J. McGee, of the U.S. Bureau of
Ethnology; F. H. N ewal, of the U. S. Geological Survey;
Professor J. A. Holmes, State Geologist of North Carolina,
and Hon. Theo. F. Klutz, M. C., Seventh District, spent in
the Southern Appalachian Mountains, making a personal
investigation of the sites where it was proposed to locate
the 'Appalachian National Forest Reserve.'
"During the year 1901, it developed that the Park As­sociation
had made a mistake in asking for a national park
as the government had already gone on record as opposing
the purchase of lands at any future time for national park
24
purposes. For this reason, the Association changed its
name from the Appalachian National Park Association to
'The Appalachian National Forest Reserve Association.'
"Following the investigation of the Southern Appala­chian
Mountains, the report of the Secretary of Agriculture
was transmitted to the Senate and House of Representa­tives
by the President of the United States, Theodore Roose­velt.
The complete report was published by the Govern­ment
printing office under date of 1902 in a volume
known as 'Senate Document No. 84 of the 57th Congress'
and entitled 'Message from the President of the United
States Transmitting a report of the Secretary of Agriculture
in Relation to Forests, Rivers, and Mountains of the
Southern Appalachian Region.' "20 This volume contains
the memorial of the Appalachian National Park Associa­tion,
the preliminary report of President McKinley, copies
of bills passed by the legislatures of the various states con­cerned,
and maps, photographs, and data showing the
necessities and the feasibility, the possibility and the ad­vantages
of the government taking over a part of the
Southern Appalachians.
"During the five years following 1900, Senator Prit­chard
and Congressman Moody each pushed the matter be­fore
his respective body in Washington, with the results that
one year a bill carrying from five to ten million dollars
appropriation would pass the Senate and would be killed
in the House by non-action, and the following year, a bill
would go through the House and die in the Senate on ac­count
of non-action.
"It looked as though the committee on Rules would not
20. Ambler, op. cit., pp. 19-24.
25
allow the bill to be placed before Senate and House the
same year and, for this reason, while continued interest was
· being aroused over the country, the sentiment of all was that
the government should act, no legislation was passed. . . .
"Following 1900, the association formed in Asheville
got together a list of large tracts of land in the Southern
Appalachian mountains and approached the owners to se­cure
prices thereon. In 1901, there was offered to the fed­eral
government, through the Appalachian National Park
Association, a million and one half acres of land in the
Southern Appalachian Mountains at a price ranging from
$1.25 to $15.00 per acre, with $3.50 as the average price
for land and the timber, without water or mineral reserva­tions
or strings of any kind attached ....
"During 1901 and 1902, there was opposition in certain
quarters to the establishment of a forest reserve or national
park in the Appalachian mountains and most of this op­position
came from the large lumbering interests. In the
meantime, civic bodies, national associations, medical so­cieties;
in fact, both national and state associations of all
kinds were endorsing the movement and by May 16, 1902,
a resolution favoring the proposed national forest reserva­tion
in the hardiwood region of the Southern Appalachian
Mountains was adopted by the National Hardwood Lum­ber
Association at its meeting in St. Louis. When this
resolution was passed by the hardwood lumber association,
most of the opposition to the bill sub?ided; and, whereas
previously the lumbering interests had opposed the measure,
now it was shown that it was not a proposition to stop lum­bering
operations but to simply cut the lumber on a scien­tific
basis and the opposition of the lumbering interests
ceased. . . . "21
21. Ibid., pp. 24-26.
26
"Due to the activity of the Appalachian National Forest
Reserve Association in Asheville, sentiment all over the
country was constantly growing. Representatives of the as­sociation
made frequent trips to Washington and appeared
before the Committee on Agriculture, interviewed the
President and many Congressmen, presented all kinds of
argument and attempted to smooth out all apposition. One
of the most memorable meetings in Washington was held in
the halls of the Agriculture Committee in May, 1902. Be­fore
this, the question had been raised by the chief of the
Weather Bureau as to whether or not the denudation of
covered mountain slopes had anything to do with the regu­lation
of the water supply to the agricultural lands lying
at the foot of the mountain.
"Our association had from the very first claimed that
it h~s everything to do with it but our opposition pooh­poohed
the idea and laughed at us. At the meeting in May
I just referred to, the Appalachian National Forest Reserve
Association had! built and prepared two miniature moun­tains
which they carried into the Agriculture Committee's
rooms. These model mountains were about six feet high
and were built on a slope of thirty degrees, being construc­ted
on frames. The one miniature mountain was left bare,
the gulleys and depressions in the sides of the mountain
being faithfully reproduced. The other mountain was cov­ered
with a layer of sponge about four inches thick and over
this was spread moss; in this moss were put small twigs
of evergreens. The Committee on Agriculture admitted that
we had two very good illustrations of mountains.
"Rain was caused to fall on these mountains by a mem­ber
of the Association climbing a step ladder with a sprink­ling
can, endeavoring to demonstrate what occurred when
27
it rained on the forest covered mountain and bare moun­tain.
The results were that the demonstration showed con­clusively
that the water which fell on the bare mountain ran
off with a gush, forcing rivers in the lowland$ out of their
banks and causing devastating floods; while the rain which
fell on the forest covered mountain was held in the humus
and given us slowly in the form of springs, this regulating
the water supply in the lowlands.
"This same year, there occurred along the Catawba
River the most destructive flood that the section had ever
known, it being estimated. that something like $18,000,000
damage was done to the agricultural lands adjacent to the
mountains. This flood, together with the demonstration
made before the Committee on Agriculture, was one of the
most convincing things to a waken Congress to the neces­sity
of taking some action.
"And, still the bill was not allowed to pass; although
everybody agreed that it should be passed. Lands could'
be bought at that time for a very nominal sum. A million
acres could not have cost five million dollars.
"While the great strides were made by the Appalachian
National Forest Reserve Association in arousing interest
throughout the country and while the bill had repeatedly
been put through one of the houses of Congress, it became
the opinion of the officers of the Association by 1902 that
the prospects were not good for receiving favorable consid""
eration at the hands of Congress and several reasons justi­fied
us in assuming this position.
"1st: The measure was a Southern proposition.
"2nd: Congress was in the hands of the Republican
party and the bills presented by Democrats from the South
did not receive the consideration which they should have
received.
28
"In November, 1902, the secretary, C. P. Ambler, called
the ~ttention of the Appalachian National Forest Reserve
Association to the fact that in his opinion the only way by
which a bill could be passed would be to secure the direct
cooperation of influential parties in the North .... The
Association appointed Prof. J. A. Holmes and the secretary,
C. P. Ambler, to see if such interest could be secured. . ..
The committee made several trips north and, among others,
interviewed Dr. Henry 0. Marcy of Boston, Hon. Chauncey
M. Depew, and Mr. Harvey of Philadelphia . . . .
. From this time on the matter ceased to be a Southern propo­sition
and everybody in the Senate and House began to sit
up and take notice. . . .
"The interest secured by Dr. Marcy, of Boston, Senator
Depew, and Mr. Harvey, and the efforts of Dr. (Joseph
Hyde) Pratt eventually resulted in the Weeks Bill which
passed both Houses of Congress in 1911 and brought about
the establishment of a forest reserve in the Southern Appa­lachian
Mountains. For it was only by working through
their friends in the New England states, with the senators
and representatives of the Southeastern States, and urging
them to ask for the same thing in the New England states
that we were asking in the Southern states, that the present
forest reserves were established in the Southern Appala­chian
mountains.
"The American Forestry Association was taking an in­terest
in the efforts to establish the forest reserve and had
pledged themselves to do everything in their power. On
January 6, 1905, a meeting of the Forestry Congress was
held in Washington at the call of the American Forestry
Association" ... and passed a favorable resolution.
''Following this action by the American Forestry Asso-
29
ciation, a meeting of the Appalachian National Forest Re­serve
Association was held in Asheville and after a free and
thorough discussion, it was the belief of the directors of the
A. N. F. R. A. that the actual work of pushing the matter
should be at that time turned over to the American Forestry
Association. Accordingly, on December 2, 1905, the Ap­palachian
National Forest Reserve Association sent to the
American Forestry Association" a resolution "to the effect
that the movement had now become so great and the country
was so vitally interested, the matter was so important, the
American Forestry Association was so much larger than our
Appalachian National Forest Reserve Association, its
standing was so well established throughout the country
that they could bring more weight to bear; and, that as we
had exhausted our resources in time, energy and money and
as many of our members were becoming pessimistic as to
our ultimate success and the bulk of the work was devolving
upon three or four men, our association offered to the
American Forestry Association to turn over to them our
membership and let them assume the burden of carrying
the matter. This the American Forestry Association gladly
accepted and the Appalachian National Forest Reserve As­sociation
was dissolved. "22
In commenting on the initial park movement, Dr. Am­bler
said:
"It was the loyal and staunch spirit and endeavor of
Asheville men and their friends that called the attention
of the country to this proposition, finally got favorable
hearing in Congress and paved the way to the point and
extent that only recently it now appears that we will have
not only our present large forest reserves in the Southern
22. Ibid., pp. 28-34.
30
Appalachian Mountains, but through the recent assistance
of the Rockefeller Foundation, we will have a national park
which in years to come will compare favorably with any in
the country. "23
Although the first park movement, organized in Ashe­ville
in 1899, did not attain its primary objective, the es­tablishment
of a national park in the Southern Appala­chian
Mountains, it did render great service and assistance
in the establishment of forest reserves or national forests
and dlid spade work in stimulating sentiment that, in later
years, brought about the establishment of a national park.
23. Ibid., p. 35.
31
CHAPTER II
Stephen T. Mather, director of the National Park Serv­ice,
Washington, D. C., in the seventh annual report of his
office in 1923, said:
"I should like to see additional national parks estab­lished
east of the Mississippi, but just how this can be ac­complished
is not clear. There should be a typical section
of the Appalachian Range established as a national park
with its native flora and fauna conserved and made acces­sible
for public use and its development undertaken by fed­eral
funds. As areas in public ownership in tin! East are
at present limited to a number of forest reserves acquired
under the provisions of the \Veeks Act authorizing the pur­chase
of lands for the protection of forests and the head·­waters
of streams, it appears that the only practicable way
national park areas can be acquired would be by donation
of lands from funds privately donated, as in the case of the
Lafayette National Park. "1
The second movement for the establishment of a na­tional
park in the Southern Appalachians had its begin­nings
in a local effort in Knoxville, Tennessee, where a
group proposed the Great Smoky Mountains for a national
park. In 1923 Mrs. Willis P. Davis, of Knoxville, visu­alized
such a national park for East Tennessee while she
was admiring the scenery of the Yellowstone National Park.
She voiced the thought to her husband, who became enthu­siastic
and, upon their return to Knoxville, mentioned it to
a number of citizens and later called a meeting in the law
offices of D. C. \¥ebb. At this meeting, in 1923, Mr. Davis,
Mr. Webb, Cowan Rodgers, Col. David C. Chapman, \Viley
1. Quoted on p. 1 of the "Final Report of the Southern Appalacb~an r\a­tiona1
Park Commission to the Secretary of the Interior, June 30, 1931." Gov­ernment
Printing Office, Washington: 1931.
32
"
Brownlee, Judge H. B. Lindsey, and J . B. Wright or­ganized
the Great Smoky Mountains Conservation Asso­ciation.
Mr. Davis was elected president and Colonel
Chapman became chairman of the board of directors. The
specific purpose of the association was to interest the gov­ernment
in establishing a national park in the Great Smoky
Mountains.
Mr. Davis and other members of the association held
conferences with Director Mather, of the National Park
Service, and other officials of the Department of the In­terior.
Early in the year 1924 Director Mather conferred with
Dr. Hubert Work, Secretary of the Interior, in regard to
the recommendation in his report. Dr. Work enthusiasti­cally
endorsed his project and took steps to have an investi­gation
made of the Southern Appalachian mountain region
with a view to determining whether there were areas suitable
for national parks. The Secretary decided that this inves-tigation
could best be accomplished by a special committee.
On this committee he appointed, in the early part of
1924, Henry W. Temple, member of Congress from Penn­,
sylvania, chairman; Col. Glenn S. Smith, division engi­neer
of the U. S. Geological Survey, who was elected secre­tary
and treasurer; Major W. A. Welch, general manager
and chief engineer of the Palisades Interstate Park Com­mission
of New York; Harlan P. Kelsey, of Salem, Massa­chusetts,
a former president of the Appala'Chian Mountain
Club, and William C. Gregg, of the National Arts Club,
New York.2
At the special session in 1924, the North Carolina Gen­eral
Assembly, in order to cooperate with the Secretary of
2. Ibid. p. 1.
JJ
the Interior and his special committee, appointed the fol­lowing
to constitute a state park commission: Eugene C.
Brooks, of Raleigh; Dave M. Buck, of Bald Mountain;
H. W. Chase, of Chapel Hill ; John G. Dawson, of Kin­ston;
J. H. Dillard, of Murphy; Plato D. Ebbs, of Ashe­ville;
A. M. Kistler, of Morganton; Frank A. Linney, of
Boone; Harry Nettles, of Asheville; E. S. Parker, Jr., of
G-reensboro, and Mark Squires, of Lenoir. This commis­sion
held its first meeting on October 8, 1924, and elected
Mark Squires as its chairman and E. C. Brooks as its secre­tary.
After receiving requests from a number of localities for
inspection of their areas, the federal committee decided to
make a trip throughout the Southern Appalachian region.
Accompanied by Secretary Work, the committee left Wash­ington
on July 2 5, 19 2 4, going first to Gainesville, Georgia.
After inspecting the North Georgia area, the group went to
Highlands, N. C., where the committee left Dr. Work, who
was slightly indisposed. The Secretary returned to Wash­ington
the next day.
;
A North Carolina delegation from Asheville met the
committee at Highlands. The next day the committee
visited Whiteside Mountain and Brevard and Asheville
where it was met by a Tennessee committee head'ed by
W. P. Davis. The Tennesseeans presented their claim for
location of a national park in the Great Smoky Mountains
area. The next day the committee visited Mount Mitchell
and Blowing Rock. Subsequently it inspected Grandfather
Mountain, Linville Gorge, and Roan Mountain. Early in
August, Mr. Kelsey and Mr. Gregg visited the Great
Smokies. In September the mountains of Virginia were
visited. Other sections in the Appalachians were also in­spected.
34 .
At a meeting held on December 12, 1924, the committee
adopted a report to Secretary Work covering investigations
made during the eight months of its existence.
"The committee laid down a few simple requirements
for its guidance in seeking an area which could be favor­ably
reported to you for the possible consideration of Con­gress:
"1. Mountain scenery with inspiring perspectives and
delightful details.
"2. Areas sufficiently extensive and ad\aptable so that
annually millions of visitors might enjoy the benefits of
outdoor life and communion with nature, without the con­fusion
of overcrowding.
"3. A substantial part to contain forests, shrubs, and
flowers, and mountain streams, with picturesque cascades
and waterfalls overhung with foliag~, all untouched by the
hand of man.
"4. Abundant springs and streams available for
camps and fishing.
"5. Opportunities for protecting and developing the
wild life of the area, and the whole to be a natural museum,
preserving outstanding features of the Southern Appala­chians
as they appeared in the early pioneer days.
"6. Accessibility by rail and road.
"We have found many areas which could well be
chosen, but the coi?IDittee was charged with the responsi­bility
of selecting the best, all things considered. Of these
several possible sites the Great Smoky Mountains easily
stand first because of the height of the mountains, depth
of valleys, ruggedness of the area, and the unexampled
variety of trees, shrubs, and plants. The region includes
Mount Guyot, Mount LeConte, Clingman's Dome, and
Gregory Bald, and may be extended in several directions
to include other splendid n1ountain regions adjacent
thereto. . . . "3
"The Blue Ridge of Virginia ... , while secondary
to the Great Smokies in altitude and some other features,
constitutes in our judgment the outstanding and logical
place for the creation of the first national park in the
Southern Appalachians. We hope it will be made into a
national park and that its success will encourage the Con­gress
to create a second park in the Great Smoky moun­tains."
4
Secretary Work, following a suggestion made in the
committee's report, recommended to Congress that a com­mission
be authorized to investigate areas in the Southern
Appalachian Mountain region with a view to selecting a
national park and that sufficient funds be appropriated to
carry on this work.
On December 17, 1924, Zebulon Weaver, of Asheville,
representative in Congress from North Carolina, intro­duced
in the House of Representatives and Kenneth Mc­Kellar,
U. S. senator from Tennessee, introduced in the
Senate a bill to provide for a national park in the Great
Smoky Mountains. Certain provisions of this bill were
incorporated in a more comprehensive measure. The lat­ter,
on January 27, 1925, was introduced in the House by
Representative Temple and in the Senate by Senator Swan­son.
It provided for securing lands in the Southern Appa­lachian
mountains and the Mammoth Cave region of Ken­tucky
for perpetual preservation as national parks. This
bill passed the Senate on February 12, the House on Febru-
3. Ibid., p. 7.
4. Ibid., p. 8.
36
I
I
I
I
I
l
ary 16, and was approved; by the President on February
21, 1925.5
After the passage of this bill, Secretary Work appointed
the commission, designating the old committee as its mem­bers.
After further consideration, the commission mern­bers,
in April, 1926, reported to the Secretary of the In­terior
that they had "found additional evidence of the emi­nent
worthiness" of the Shenandoah area and the Great
Smoky Mountains area "for acquisition as national parks."
It also favored! the Mammoth Cave region of Kentucky.
"The associations and organizations in the states in
which these national park areas are located were informed
that the lands within the areas must be presented to the
United States government in fee simple before such areas
could become national parks. On May 27, 1925, identical
letters were addressed by the commissi!Jn to the leading
groups in these states, suggesting that they definitely or­ganize
to carry out the requirements of the commission andl
stating further that 'to facilitate this work the commission
considers it necessary that an organization state-wide in
scope be incorporated to act for the citizens and organiza­tions
of such state for the purpose of centralizing their
efforts; ... and in order that it may be custodian of
moneys, lands, and options for the purchase of lands within
the proposed park are.as to be held in trust for park pur­poses.'
In compliance with the suggestions of the commis­sion
the following organizations were incorporated: In
Virginia, the Shenan<Wah National Park Association
(Inc.); in Tennessee, the Great Smoky Mountains Con­servation
Association; in North Carolina, the Great Smoky
Mountains (Inc.); and in Kentucky, the Mammoth Cave
National Park Association. . . .
5. Ibid., p. 9.
"The Shenandoah National Park Association (Inc.)
reported April 3, 1926, that the total amount raised in
donations is $1,249,154, and a minimum net sum of $1,-
200,000 for the purchase of the proposed Shenandoah N a­tional
Park. The Great Smoky Mountains Conservation
Association and the Great Smoky Mountains (Inc.) re­ported
April 1, 1926, that Tennessee and North Carolina
have raised jointly the total sum of $1,066,693.91. (North
Carolina's contribution to this was $463,000.) The Mam-
. moth Cave National Park Association reported April 1,
1926, two donations of property aggregating 3,629.13
acres ....
"As the Great Smoky Mountains Conservation Asso­ciation
(Tennessee) and the Great Smoky Mountains
(Inc.) (North Carolina), jointly, and the Shenandoah N a­tional
Park Association (Inc.), have complied with there­quirements
submitted to them by your commission, we
therefore recommend that the two areas designated . '. .
be made national parks and administered as such when
250,000 acres in each of them have been transferred in fee
simple to the U nitedJ States. "6
On April 14, 1926, Representative Temple introduced
in the House a bill "to provide for the establishment of the
Shenandoah National park in the State of Virginia and the
Great Smoky Mountains National park in the States of
North Carolina and Tennessee." It was also introduced
in the Senate by Senator Swanson of Virginia. The Senate
and House passed the bill and it was approved by the
President on April 22, 1926.
On February 25, 1927, the General Assembly of North
Carolina passed a bill "to provide for the acquisition of
6. Ibid., pp. 18-19.
38 . ,
I
I I
parks and recreational facilities in the Great Smoky Moun­tains
of North Carolina" and authorized the issuance of
bonds in the amount of $2,000,000 for use in acquiring
land for park purposes. A similar act by the Tennessee
Legislature authorized the issuance of bonds in the amount
of $1,500,000 for the purchase of lands and donated tracts
valued at $500,000. This measure became a law on April
27, 1927.
The boundary for the park was tentatively established,
giving Tennessee 228,500 acres and North Carolina 225,-
500 acres.
Each state appointed a park commission. Col. David
C. Chapman, of Knoxville, was named chairman of the
Tennessee park commission.
The North Carolina General Assembly, in creating a
new park commission in 1927, gave it definite powers.
However, the commission was not authorized to proceed
with the purchase of lands and to deed them to the federal
government until the whole amount of money needed to
acquire the minimum area was provided.
Mark Squires, of Lenoir, an attorney and state sena­tor,
was elected chairman of the new North Carolina. Park
Commission, serving from 19 2 7 to 19 3 3. The other mem­bers
of this commission were: Dr. E. C. Brooks, of Raleigh,
secretary; Plato D. Ebbs, of Asheville, treasurer; Dave M.
Buck, of Bald Mountain; John G. Dawson, of Kinston;
Frank A. Linney, of Boone; E. S. Parker, Jr., of Greens­boro;
R. T. Fountain, of Rocky Mount; Harry L. Nettles,
of Asheville; James A. Hardison, of Wadesboro, and
J. Elmer Long, of Durham.
In 1928, Stuart W. Cramer, Jr., of Cramerton, was ap­pointed
to the commission, succeeding Frank A. Linney, of
39
Boone. In 1930, Frank L. Dunlap, of Wadesboro, was
appointed to succeed James A. Hardison, of Wadesboro,
and, in 1931, Dr. Fred M. Hanes, of \Vins.ton-Salem, was
appointed to succeed E. S. Parker, Jr., of Greensboro.
The money that had been raised by private subscrip­tion
and appropriated by the States of North Carolina and
Tennessee was found to be insufficient to purchase all the
lands needed for the national park and it was decided to
seek funds elsewhere.
"At the insistence of the official representatives of the
States of North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia, the
Secretary of the Interior permitted Mr. Amo B. Cammerer,
associate director of the National Park Service, to under­take
the collection of funds outside of these three States in
his personal capacity, not as an official of the United! States.
As a result of the personal interest of Mr. John D. Rocke­feller,
Jr., the Laura S1>elman Rockefeller Memorial as a
memorial to Laura Spelman Rockefe1ler contributed up to
$5,000,000 toward the Great Smoky Mountains National
park, matching dollar for dollar such funds as had been
made available by the citizens of the States and the States
themselves, with certain conditions as to the memorial
feature, which were agreed to by the States. This money
was especially designated for the Great Smoky Mountains
National Park because of Mr. Rockefeller's keen desire to
save the wonderful forests from being lumbered. As soon
as this money was in hand" (March 30, 1928) "both States
took immediate steps to enjoin all lumber cutting within the
park area. "7 Disbursement of the Rockefeller fund was
placed under the control of three trustees chosen by the me­morial
foundation. The three were Arno B. Cammerer and
7. Ibid., p. 30.
40
the chairmen of the park commissions of North Carolina
and Tennessee.
On February 6, 1930, delegations from North Carolina
and Tennessee, headed by their governors, called on Ray
Lyman Wilbur, Secretary of the Interior, at his office in
Washington and officially presented to him the lands ac­quired
as a nucleus for the Great Smoky Mountains N a ...
tional Park. Governor 0. Max Gardner, of North Caro­lina,
and Governor Henry H. Horton, of Tennessee, made
speeches of presentation to which Secretary Wilbur re­sponded.
The total presented then was 158,799.21 acres,
North Carolina's contribution being 58,622.58. acres. The
minimum required was 4 2 7,000 acres.
The eleven-member state park commission, which was
formed in 1927, was abolished by the North Carolina Gen­eral
Assembly in 1933 and a five-member conunission sub­stituted
for it. Governor J. C. B. Ehringhaus appointed
the following as members of the new commission: Will W.
Neal, of Marion, chairman; Thomas W. Raoul, of Bilt­more
Forest, treasurer; C. A. Cannon, of Kannapolis; John
Aiken, of Hickory, and Col. Foster Hankins, of Lexington.
In 1937, Charles A. Webb, of Asheville, was appointed
to the commission, succeeding John Aiken, of Hickory, and
became vice-chairman. Mr. Webb's activities in behalf of
a national park spanned both movements. He aided in the
organization of the Appalachian National Park Associa­tion
in Asheville in 1899 and has continued his work to the
present.
As acquisition of lands proceeded, it was found that,
even with the Rockefeller money, the fun<h5 available were
insufficient to round out the park boundaries. The federal
government, by allotment of President Roosevelt in 1933,
41
contributed $1,560,000 and Congress in 1938 appropriated
$743,000, making the grand total of park land purchase
funds $12,369,693.91.
In 1931, the federal government, through the National
Park Service, began administration of the park area, J.
Ross Eakin becoming superintendent. The headquarters
building is near Gatlinburg, Tennessee.
The North Carolina· Park Commission completed its
land acquisition work in 1938. The land acquired on the
North Carolina side and deeded to the federal government
totals 229,469.01 acres. The cost was: Direct purchase
price, $5,140,353.62; mineral interests acquired, $3,518.7 3;
timber rights acquired, $8,500.00; land options and
registration fees, $2,579.40; total, $5,154,951.75.
Members of the commission when the work was com­pleted
and at present ( 1940) are: Will W. Neal, of Marion,
chairman; Charles A. Webb, of Asheville, vice-chairman;
Thomas W. Raoul, of Biltmore Forest, treasurer; C. A.
Cannon, of Kannapolis, and Foster Hankins, of Lexington.
A comparatively small amount of land remains to be
acquired on the Tennessee side of the park area.s
In acquiring the land, decision was reached not to dis­possess
owners of mountain farms of the continued use of
their properties. In some instances, where administrative
and public improvements made it necessary, some owners
were required to move. In most cases the owners are per­mitted
to dwell on the land during their life times under
nominal lease in accordance with certain regulations.
Those who moved out went to other farms or towns.
8. The purpose of this article is to give an account of North Carolina's
participation in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park movement. Ten­nessee's
role in the movement bas been important and vital, but it was not
considered to be within the scope of this article to give ~~: detailed account of
it here.
42 ·t -
In 1939 the Rockefeller Memorial was built at New­found
Gap on the North Carolina-Tennessee State line and
almost in the center of the Great Smoky Mountains N a­tiona!
Park, the funds for its erection being provided by the
legislatures of North Carolina and Tennessee.
A bronze plaque, in the wall of the second terrace of the
Memorial, bears this inscription:
"For the permanent enjoyment of the
people, this park was given one-half by the
peoples and states of North Carolina and
Tennessee and by the United States of
America; one-half in memory of Laura
Spelman Rockefeller by the Laura Spelman
Rockefeller Memorial founded by her hus­band
John D. Rockefeller."
In that one sentence, recognition is given the founders
of the park. Credit for its establishment belongs to no one
man nor group of men. Many persons worked for and
aided in its establishment, giving of their time and money
and talent in unselfish devotion to a great undertaking.
The movement for the est~blishment of the park
reached its climax in dedicatory exercises held at New­found
Gap on the afternoon of Labor Day, Monday,
September 2, 1940. Harold L. Ickes, Secretary of the
Interior, presided and brief addresses were made by Clyde
R. Hoey, Governor of North Carolina, and Prentice
Cooper, Governor of Tennessee. The principal address
was delivered by Franklin D. Roosevelt, President of the
United States, who dedicated the national park "to the
free people of America.''
Asheville, North Carolina,
September 10, 1940.
,