John Oliver Place

Visitors trek to the John Oliver Place in Cades Cove.

The cabin visitors to Cades Cove see today at the location known as John Oliver Place is actually the “honeymoon house” John Oliver constructed for his son. When John and Lucretia Oliver arrived as the first white settlers in Cades Cove in 1818, they spent their first winter in an abandoned Cherokee hut.

In 1822, they constructed a dwelling of their own, located approximately 50 yards in front of their first “home” in Cades Cove. Even the shingles on the roof were made from trees. The Olivers purchased their own land in 1826, and the cabin site remained in the family until the establishment of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. The site can be accessed today via a 10-minute uphill stroll from the loop road.

Next Stop:  Primitive Baptist Church