Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2013 - 18

C Cades Secrets Revealed

Country
Roads

Cades Cove Museum in the historic
Thompson-Brown House in Maryville,
Tenn. is preserving the heritage of this
once-thriving Smoky Mountain
community.

Cades Cove, in the Great Smoky
Mountains, boasts a history as fertile
as the farmland that sustained the
pioneering families who settled there
in the early 1800s. That history has
been preserved in several structures
online

along the Cove’s 11-mile, self-guided
loop road.
Millions have traveled that road
and toured the buildings, but few
have seen Adeline Shields’ dress with
the “snuff” handkerchief pinned to

the bodice, the ornate wood-burning
stove that once heated the Missionary
Baptist Church, the tattered quilts
that kept icy mountain winters at bay,
or other treasures – furniture, household items, tools, toys – that turned
the houses into homes.
These artifacts and many others,
on-loan or donated by former Cades
Cove residents and descendants, have
found a home at the Cades Cove
Museum, approximately 20 miles
from the Cove in Maryville, Tenn.
A visit to the museum, in the historic Thompson-Brown House, one of
the oldest, two-story, dog-trot log
buildings in East Tennessee, will
enhance any Cades Cove experience
or simply provide a glimpse into the
community’s fascinating mountain
culture.
For more: CadesCovePreservation.
com
–Jo Harris

The Abingdon Anniversaries

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18 | BlueRidgeCountry.com

As this magazine turns 25, two entities in
Abingdon, Va., are turning a lot older than
that:
• The Barter Theatre, opened in 1933 to
help starving actors, is, at 80, one of the
longest running professional theaters in the
nation. Founder Robert Porterfield’s idea to
have patrons pay with produce has grown
into a year-round operation, with wellknown alumni like Gregory Peck, Patricia
Neal, Ernest Borgnine and Kevin Spacey.
Shows this season include “Little Women,”
“Les Miserables,” “Southern Fried Funeral”
and many others. For more information:
bartertheatre.com; 276-628-3991.
• The Virginia Highlands Festival, this
year running August 2-11, celebrates its
65th year with an antiques market, award-

winning juried arts and crafts show, live
music, historical re-enactments, fine art
and photography competitions, home and
garden tours, guided nature hikes and
numerous activities for kids.
For more information:
vahighlandsfestival.org; 276-623-5266.

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Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2013