Family Photography At The Elkmont Ghost Town

When the Farrow family visited the Smoky Mountains in early October, they chose to have their family photography at the Elkmont Ghost Town inside the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

The History Of Elkmont

Elkmont has a very interesting history! The community, originally known as “Little River” was settled in the 1840s. In 1901, a railroad was built to transport timber from the area’s lumber company. That railroad also helped turn it into a booming tourist area as wealthy families from Knoxville would take the train to the area for weekend getaways.

How Did It Become A Ghost Town?

When the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was established in 1934, Elkmont’s residents were given the option to sell their property for the full value and move right away or to sell for a discounted price and have the option to live there for the rest of their lifetime. By the early 1990s, most of the leases had expired and there were 70 abandoned structures in the “ghost town”.

16 of the abandoned structures have been restored with 3 more currently under construction. The rest have been torn down.

Check out these family photos from the remains of the once-bustling community located only 7 miles from Downtown Gatlinburg.