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The Walker Sisters: Spirited Women of the Smokies
The Walker Spirited Women of the Smokies describes the lives of five unmarried women who remained in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park after their neighbors moved away when the Park was created. Their existence was much like that of their great-grandparents. They grew all their own food, made all their clothes, and continued the traditions of a mountain family. Many Park visitors came to their home to see how they lived when an article about them appeared in the Saturday Evening Post. The author speaks from the unique perspective of one who remembers living in the Park and moving with her family when their land was condemned. The book provides details of thier primitive yet gratifying lifestyle.
- GenresHistory
120 pages, Paperback
First published August 28, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
July 27, 2021
I waited out a summer afternoon thunderstorm on the porch of the Walker Sisters cabin in the Great Smokies recently so had some time to contemplate what their life might have been like. This short book filled in lots of details.
John Walker came home from the Union Army in 1865, married, and built the Walker log cabin, using parts of an older cabin to do so. There were 7 daughters (only one of whom married) and several sons; the 6 single daughters stayed on in the cabin until their deaths, even though their neighbors sold their land in the 1930s and moved outside the park territory. The sisters refused to sell until finally persuaded (and were allowed to stay on, with full use of the land, until their deaths).
The author was born in the Park but left with her family as a small child; she relied heavily on the memories of her mother, who grew up near the Walker Sisters, for stories about them and interviewed nieces & nephews, etc. It seems the oldest sister, Margaret, may have persuaded/bullied the other sisters to remain single and at home, at least partially because of the amount of work it took to maintain their independent, self-sufficiency. They made their own clothes (spinning, weaving, sewing) and shoes -- grew almost all their own food, etc.
Especially interesting to me was what the interior of the cabin looked like when the family lived there, how crowded it was with both people and things (things hanging on every bit of wall space).
Occasionally, the author throws in some rather unrelated stories of her own family, possibly to make the book a bit longer. Definitely of interest if you are visiting the Park area & a tribute to the mountain families' way of life, now long gone.
John Walker came home from the Union Army in 1865, married, and built the Walker log cabin, using parts of an older cabin to do so. There were 7 daughters (only one of whom married) and several sons; the 6 single daughters stayed on in the cabin until their deaths, even though their neighbors sold their land in the 1930s and moved outside the park territory. The sisters refused to sell until finally persuaded (and were allowed to stay on, with full use of the land, until their deaths).
The author was born in the Park but left with her family as a small child; she relied heavily on the memories of her mother, who grew up near the Walker Sisters, for stories about them and interviewed nieces & nephews, etc. It seems the oldest sister, Margaret, may have persuaded/bullied the other sisters to remain single and at home, at least partially because of the amount of work it took to maintain their independent, self-sufficiency. They made their own clothes (spinning, weaving, sewing) and shoes -- grew almost all their own food, etc.
Especially interesting to me was what the interior of the cabin looked like when the family lived there, how crowded it was with both people and things (things hanging on every bit of wall space).
Occasionally, the author throws in some rather unrelated stories of her own family, possibly to make the book a bit longer. Definitely of interest if you are visiting the Park area & a tribute to the mountain families' way of life, now long gone.
February 15, 2021
Very interesting book about the mountain way of life. The Walker sisters chose to remain in their log home in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park instead of moving to modern housing outside the Park. Having grown up near The Smokies this book was a very interesting read for me. The author and her family also lived in this area and knew the Walker sisters.
March 2, 2016
I love American History and especially Georgia or Great Smoky Mountains. These women were sturdy crop and very interesting - I have toured their property and now I know the rest of the story
August 11, 2020
I'll never pine over life in the late 1800's in Appalachia again! Hard times!!
July 14, 2024
If you ever get to hike out to the Walker Sister’s homestead in the Smoky Mountains, you’ll likely want to read this book! It was very informative and super interesting. Amazing to imagine the difference in how we live now and makes me appreciative for much of my life YET also think how lucky they were to live such simple and beautiful lives.
July 10, 2023
Very interesting book about life before and during the development of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The Walker Sisters were a courageous group of women who held on to their 122.8 acre farm when other folks sold out.
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December 8, 2020Wonderful history of the West Virginia Mountains.
August 9, 2022
what a wonderful book. lots of insight to life in the late 1800's.
January 4, 2026
Interesting read on multiple aspects of how life was for the Walker sisters.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews