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Now With Less Catholic: The Walker Sisters
Hidden in the mist-shrouded valleys of Tennessee's Little Greenbrier cove, six remarkable women defied the march of progress for nearly half a century. The Walker Sisters—Margaret, Martha, Mary Polly, Nancy, Louisa, and Hedy—lived entirely self-sufficiently on their family homestead while the world around them transformed through two World Wars and the dawn of modern America.
When the U.S. government began purchasing land in the 1920s to create Great Smoky Mountains National Park, these six unmarried sisters stood their ground against progress. Unlike the hundreds of families who sold their properties and relocated, the Walkers refused to abandon the only home they'd ever known. Their 122-acre farm, where they grew food, raised livestock, spun wool, and made medicine from mountain herbs, represented a way of life already vanishing from American memory.
After years of resistance, they finally compromised in 1941, selling their land but securing lifetime rights to remain in their tulip poplar log cabin. National fame arrived unexpectedly in 1946 when the Saturday Evening Post published "Time Stood Still in the Smokies," transforming these mountain women into reluctant celebrities. Visitors flocked to see their spinning wheels, handwoven cloth, and apple orchards—living relics from another century who ground corn in hand-cranked mills and heated their home with wood they chopped themselves.
One by one, time claimed the sisters—Hedy in 1947, Martha in 1951, Margaret in 1962, and finally Louisa in 1964. Today, their preserved homestead stands as a testament to independence, self-sufficiency, and the power of sisterhood. Hike the mile-long trail to their cabin and discover a story of extraordinary women who lived by their father's simple philosophy: "If God gave you two hands and a good spring house, you don't need anything else."
National Park Service – Great Smoky Mountains National Park: The Walker Sistersnps.govnps.gov
National Park Service – Historic Structure Report on the Walker Sisters Home (1969)nps.govnps.gov
Walker Sisters Place (Wikipedia)en.wikipedia.orgen.wikipedia.org
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This website contains affiliate links. This means that if you click on a link and purchase a product, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. This helps support the running of this website and allows me to continue providing valuable content. Please note that I only recommend products and services that I believe in and have personally used or researched.
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By Bradley and KateHidden in the mist-shrouded valleys of Tennessee's Little Greenbrier cove, six remarkable women defied the march of progress for nearly half a century. The Walker Sisters—Margaret, Martha, Mary Polly, Nancy, Louisa, and Hedy—lived entirely self-sufficiently on their family homestead while the world around them transformed through two World Wars and the dawn of modern America.
When the U.S. government began purchasing land in the 1920s to create Great Smoky Mountains National Park, these six unmarried sisters stood their ground against progress. Unlike the hundreds of families who sold their properties and relocated, the Walkers refused to abandon the only home they'd ever known. Their 122-acre farm, where they grew food, raised livestock, spun wool, and made medicine from mountain herbs, represented a way of life already vanishing from American memory.
After years of resistance, they finally compromised in 1941, selling their land but securing lifetime rights to remain in their tulip poplar log cabin. National fame arrived unexpectedly in 1946 when the Saturday Evening Post published "Time Stood Still in the Smokies," transforming these mountain women into reluctant celebrities. Visitors flocked to see their spinning wheels, handwoven cloth, and apple orchards—living relics from another century who ground corn in hand-cranked mills and heated their home with wood they chopped themselves.
One by one, time claimed the sisters—Hedy in 1947, Martha in 1951, Margaret in 1962, and finally Louisa in 1964. Today, their preserved homestead stands as a testament to independence, self-sufficiency, and the power of sisterhood. Hike the mile-long trail to their cabin and discover a story of extraordinary women who lived by their father's simple philosophy: "If God gave you two hands and a good spring house, you don't need anything else."
National Park Service – Great Smoky Mountains National Park: The Walker Sistersnps.govnps.gov
National Park Service – Historic Structure Report on the Walker Sisters Home (1969)nps.govnps.gov
Walker Sisters Place (Wikipedia)en.wikipedia.orgen.wikipedia.org
Send us a text
Support the show
This website contains affiliate links. This means that if you click on a link and purchase a product, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. This helps support the running of this website and allows me to continue providing valuable content. Please note that I only recommend products and services that I believe in and have personally used or researched.