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74-694: Greenbrier is situated along the Middle Fork of the Little Pigeon River , stretching from Porters Flat in the south to Emert's Cove in the north, at the present park boundary. The area also includes the Middle Fork's immediate watershed from the crest of Grapeyard Ridge to the west (opposite the Roaring Fork area) to Snag Mountain in the east. The area is sometimes called Big Greenbrier to distinguish it from Little Greenbrier , which

148-531: A Cherokee settlement. Around 1800, William Whaley (1788–1880) and his brother Middleton Whaley (1794–1855) became the first permanent Euro-American settlers in Greenbrier. The Whaleys hailed from Edgefield District, South Carolina , and crossed the Smokies at Dry Sluice Gap (near Charlies Bunion), which is just above Porters Flat. William Whaley settled at the confluence of Porters Creek and the Middle Fork of

222-708: A Confederate prison during the American Civil War gained Brownlow a greatly expanded audience across the northern United States who were eager to purchase both his books and admission tickets for his northern U.S. speaking tour during the later years of the American Civil War. The father of outlaw John Wesley Hardin , James "Gip" Hardin, was a Methodist preacher and circuit rider in the mid-1800s. Hardin's father traveled over much of central Texas on his preaching circuit until 1869 when he and his family settled in Sumpter, Trinity County, Texas , where he established

296-511: A bishop "appoints" (assigns) a pastor to a congregation or a group of congregations, and until late in the 20th century, neither pastor nor congregation had any say in the appointment. This meant that in the early days of the United States, as the population developed, Methodist clergy could be appointed to circuits wherever people were settling. Early leaders such as Francis Asbury and Richard Whatcoat exercised near total discretion on

370-599: A circuit rider due to death or retirement. Asbury also invited only circuit riders and other traveling preachers to the Methodist Annual Conference ; "local" preachers were not invited. As the United States prospered, there came to be more Methodists living in settled cities with enough population for a proper church building, and less need for the frontier-style camp revivals invoking the Holy Spirit and circuit riders. A split developed between

444-916: A circuit rider for the Methodist Episcopal Church on the Indiana frontier from 1825 to 1839, became a Bloomington, Indiana , farmer, newspaper editor, and businessman. He later served in the Indiana Senate (1843 to 1845) and as a self-appointed chaplain during the American Civil War . Joseph Tarkington, another circuit rider in Indiana, was the grandfather of novelist Booth Tarkington . William G. "Parson" Brownlow , Tennessee's radical newspaper publisher, noted book author, American Civil War - Reconstruction Era Tennessee governor, and U.S. Senator, began his career as

518-570: A circuit rider in the 1820s and 1830s. Brownlow gained wide notoriety for his wild clashes --- both in person and in print --- with rival Baptist and Presbyterian missionaries and Christian sectarian authors across the Southern Appalachian region of the United States. Brownlow's books detailing the Confederate States of America military occupation of his hometown of Knoxville, Tennessee , and his own time briefly spent in

592-405: A circuit rider's family anxiously waiting for the preacher's return; the final stanza reads Francis Asbury (1745–1816), the founding bishop of American Methodism, established the precedent for circuit riding. Together with his driver and partner " Black Harry " Hosier, he traveled 270,000 miles and preached 16,000 sermons as he made his way up and down early America supervising clergy. He brought

666-631: A fictionalized account of the priest's last days titled The Devil in the Desert (1952). The first-person accounts of pioneer circuit riders give insight to the culture of the early United States as well as the theology and sociology of religion (and especially Methodism) in the young nation. Quite a few circuit riders published memoirs. These are generally available in the collections of United Methodist seminary libraries. The United Library of Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary and Seabury-Western Theological Seminary ( Evanston, Illinois ) seems to have

740-679: A saw mill near Porters Flat and by 1916 had helped log some 738 acres (2.99 km) of the Porters Creek watershed. Around this time, the writings of authors such as Horace Kephart began to draw tourists to the Smokies. Greenbrier residents had always offered lodging to the various loggers, surveyors, and fur trappers who visited the valley, but no major hotel existed that could rival the likes of Andy Huff's Mountain View Hotel in Gatlinburg . In 1925 Kimsey and James West Whaley bought

814-662: A school – also named for John Wesley, the founder of Methodism. Thomas S. Hinde was a Methodist circuit rider in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and Missouri from the early 1800s until about 1825. He eventually settled in Mount Carmel, Illinois , the town he had earlier founded. Hinde was a notable minister, newspaper publisher, attorney, real estate entrepreneur and clerk for the Ohio House of Representatives . More than 47 volumes of his personal and business documents are among

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888-492: A series of jagged, steep cliffs, the most well-known of which spans the northern face of Charlies Bunion . Greenbrier Pinnacle , a 7-mile (11 km) ridge descending from the western flank of Old Black westward to the Middle Fork valley, nearly closes off Greenbrier Cove entirely. Over a dozen streams flow north from the crest of the Pinnacle, each of them cutting narrow hollows with traces of fertile bottomland. Greenbrier

962-617: A series of streams which flow together on the dividing ridge between the states of Tennessee and North Carolina , with most of the flow from inside the boundary of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park . The river has three main forks or prongs, East, Middle, and West. The East and Middle prongs are less notable divisions of the river, with the Middle Prong emerging from the Greenbrier area of

1036-521: A small orchard. Some of the wealthier families owned their own grist mill . As game was plentiful, many farmers supplemented their income by hunting and trapping. The residents of Greenbrier were largely pro- Union during the Civil War, although most tried to avoid the conflict altogether. A small force led by Confederate commander William Holland Thomas passed through Greenbrier while fleeing to North Carolina after being chased out of Gatlinburg. On

1110-548: A time, a form of church organization sometimes called a " preaching circuit ". In the rough frontier days of the early United States, the pattern of organization in the Methodist Episcopal denomination and its successors worked especially well in the service of rural villages and unorganized settlements. In the Methodist denominations, congregations do not "call" (or employ) a pastor of their own choice. Instead,

1184-582: A traction engine). The wrecked engine Archived 2011-02-22 at the Wayback Machine rests in the bed of Injun Creek. The Ramsey Cascades Trail follows Ramsey Prong four miles (6 km) up the slope of Mount Guyot to Ramsey Cascades, a 65-foot (20 m) waterfall nestled between Guyot Spur and Greenbrier Pinnacle. For decades, hikers have used Ramsey Prong to bushwhack to the Appalachian Trail , just below Guyot's summit. A side trail at

1258-522: A year, the "Quarterly Conference". Riding on horseback between distant churches, these preachers were popularly called "circuit riders" or "saddlebag preachers" although their official role was "traveling clergy". Carrying only what could fit in their saddlebags , they traveled through wilderness and villages, preaching every day at any place available (peoples' cabins, courthouses, fields, meeting houses, even basements and street corners). Unlike clergy in urban areas, Methodist circuit riders were always on

1332-544: Is a landmark structure from the 1800s that crosses the East Fork. The West Fork is far better known because it drains the major tourist towns of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge . The Old Mill of Pigeon Forge , a working grist mill constructed in 1830 by Isaac Love on a milldam impoundment of the West Fork in downtown Pigeon Forge , is one of the best examples of 19th century hydropower technology, as well as being one of

1406-481: Is also a character in the Newbery Award –winning novel for children, Caddie Woodlawn , set in western Wisconsin in the 1860s. During the 1970s, prior to its sign-off message, Richmond, Virginia , television station WWBT broadcast "Justice and The Circuit Rider", a rural preacher appearing on his mount, Justice, and presenting a brief parable using props from his saddlebag . These spots also appeared on

1480-672: Is located between Wears Valley and Elkmont several miles to the west. The ridges surrounding Greenbrier are among the highest in the Appalachian range . To the east is the Guyot massif , which rises to over 6,000 feet (1,829 m) for long stretches. To the west is the Le ;Conte massif, which culminates in a 6,593-foot (2,009 m) summit. The ridge immediately to the south connecting the two massifs, known as "the Sawteeth," consists of

1554-657: Is underlain by a Precambrian metamorphic rock formation of the Ocoee Supergroup known as Roaring Fork Sandstone. This rock type, created from ancient ocean sediments 750 million years ago, dominates the mid-level elevations in the north-central Smokies. As the elevation increases to the south, a thrust fault known as the Greenbrier Fault separates the Roaring Fork sandstone from Thunderhead sandstone and Anakeesta Formation, both of which are common along

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1628-481: The Ice Ages , the cold weather caused fracturing of the high mountain slopes, creating boulder fields. Over the centuries, erosional forces carried these boulders to lower elevations. Greenbrier's residents used these rocks for fencing in lieu of barbed wire, creating the long rock walls that criss-cross the area today. The name "greenbrier" refers to the thorny vines of the genus Smilax that are common throughout

1702-675: The Lyman Draper collection at the Wisconsin Historical Society , since they were donated after his death by his son-in-law, Charles H. Constable . Father Pierre Yves Kéralum was a Catholic priest who ministered to ranchers in the Lower Rio Grande Valley from 1853 to 1872. He was one of about thirty Catholic priests known as the Cavalry of Christ because they traveled on horseback. Kéralum

1776-560: The Methodist Episcopal Church and related denominations, although similar itinerant preachers could be found in other faiths as well, particularly among minority faith groups. They were most prominent during the early years of the United States, from 1784–1830, and were part of the Second Great Awakening revival movement. In sparsely populated areas of the United States it always has been common for clergy in many denominations to serve more than one congregation at

1850-903: The National Register of Historic Places , and the Smoky Mountain Hiking Club Cabin has been deemed eligible for the National Register by the Tennessee Historical Commission. Plemmons Cemetery, located near the junction of Middle Fork and Porters Creek, is one of the largest cemeteries found within park boundaries. Located along the Porters Creek Trail, the John Messer Barn was constructed in 1875 by Pinkney Whaley. The only remaining structure of

1924-599: The 1980s. In 1933, the Civilian Conservation Corps established Camp David Chapman at near the confluence of Rhododendron Creek and the Middle Fork. This camp, which constructed most of the roads and trails in the Greenbrier area, provided valuable employment to locals during the Great Depression . Greenbrier is now home to a ranger station and a general recreation area within the national park. A partially paved road connects U.S. Route 321 to

1998-606: The Conference); the Conference may not station someone beyond this period without an invitation from the Circuit Meeting for that minister to remain in the circuit, but it is unusual for a minister to stay for longer than seven or eight years in one circuit. In the contemporary United Methodist Church , a minister serving more than one church is referred to as having a "(number of churches) point charge". Possibly

2072-659: The Great Smoky Mountains National Park and paralleled for most of its remaining length by State Route 416 up to its confluence with the East Fork near U.S. Route 411 . The East Fork is the only division in which the main stem does not emerge from the national park, formed by a series of small streams in the foothills of English Mountain draining large portions of the Camp Hollow, Pearl Valley, Ball Hollow, and Jones Cove valleys and running along State Road 339 . The Harrisburg Covered Bridge

2146-716: The Great Smoky Mountains. A national forest was established by the Weeks Act of 1911, and in 1926 the Great Smoky Mountains Park Commission began buying up land for a national park. While the residents of Greenbrier were displaced, many simply moved to the other side of the park boundary to Emert's Cove and the Webb Mountain area. Two former Greenbrier residents, Conley Huskey and Glenn Cardwell, would eventually serve as

2220-516: The Little Pigeon River. Middleton settled further down the valley, near Emert's Cove. In 1818, the family of John Ownby (1781–1859), a veteran of the War of 1812 , settled downstream from the Whaleys. The Whaley and Ownby families spread quickly throughout the valley. In the early 20th century, a map of Greenbrier showed the location of 26 homes—11 were Whaleys and 10 were Ownbys. The upper watershed of

2294-552: The Methodist Episcopal General Conference decreed that no pastor was to serve the same appointment for more than two consecutive years.) Once a pastor was assigned a circuit, it was his responsibility to conduct worship and visit members of each church in his charge on a regular basis in addition to possibly establishing new churches. He was supervised by a Presiding Elder (now called a District Superintendent) who would visit each charge four times

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2368-444: The Middle Fork of the Little Pigeon River consists of a series of streams, some flowing down from Grapeyard Ridge to the west and a dozen or so flowing down from Greenbrier Pinnacle to the east. Each of these streams has cut a deep hollow, isolating the bottomlands of each amidst low ridges. Thus, rather than being one large community, Greenbrier consisted of several individual communities located along these streams. Most communities took

2442-627: The Middle Fork sometime before the Civil War . The Grapeyard Ridge Trail now winds through the former homesteads of many of Rayfield's children and grandchildren. David Proffitt (1847–1909), also a veteran of the war, settled further upstream, just below the Whaley lands, sometime around 1870. Around the same time, James Redwine, a circuit rider , settled along the creek that now bears his name. Benjamin Christenberry Parton (1832–1916),

2516-703: The NPS purchased their farm in Greenbrier, then again when the Tennessee Valley Authority purchased their land for the construction of Norris Dam , and a third time when their land was purchased in Oak Ridge for the Manhattan Project . Many former residents of Greenbrier went on to become pastors, reflecting Greenbrier residents' deeply held religious beliefs. Members of Greenbrier's Primitive Baptist community continued to meet as late as

2590-568: The Porters Creek and Ramsey Prong areas. Several hiking trails originate in the Greenbrier area: The Grapeyard Ridge Trail follows Rhododendron Creek over the south slope of Brushy Mountain to the Jim Bales Place at Roaring Fork. The trail passes the remains of the CCC Camp David Chapman, several Rayfield homesites, and the 1920s-era remains of a wrecked Nichols and Shepard self-propelled, steam-powered engine (known as

2664-591: The Richmond ABC affiliate WXEX, now operating as WRIC-TV just after the end of "Shock Theater". In these short films, the host was identified only as the Circuit Rider from Cobbs Creek, Virginia , at the end of the three-minute segment. The preacher was William B. Livermon Sr., who served several Virginia churches during his lifetime before passing away in 1992. Inspired by the story of Catholic circuit rider Pierre Yves Kéralum, author Paul Horgan wrote

2738-537: The Smokies crests. To the north, as the land flattens out (near the park boundary), another thrust fault, the Gatlinburg Fault, separates the Roaring Fork formation from a layer of siltstone, which underlies the foothills around Emert's Cove. Like the Sugarlands and Roaring Fork to the west, Greenbrier's bottomlands and streambeds are coated with sandstone, phyllite, and slate rocks of all sizes. During

2812-551: The University of Buffalo visited Greenbrier in the 1920s, and later wrote about his visit in his university's newspaper: We were slowly penetrating the great range within a few miles of the North Carolina border, passing cornfields so steep that we wondered how they could be cultivated, bouncing past old-time log cabins built of hand-hewn timber, and waving to unbelievably large numbers of silent children who watched amid

2886-431: The barking of their dogs as strangers went by. We stopped by a cabin and inquired of an aged woman who sat leaning back in a homemade hickory chair with her feet on the rail, how far it was to Greenbriar, which had been designated to us as the end of the trail that could be traversed by four wheels. Like the Sugarlands to the west, Greenbrier was a largely isolated community until the early 20th century. The valley's economy

2960-510: The cabin has no windows. An 8-foot (2.4 m) by 18-foot (5.5 m) lean-to kitchen was once attached to the west wall but has been removed. The cabin's chimney is made of stone and mud. 35°43′19″N 83°23′31″W  /  35.722°N 83.392°W  / 35.722; -83.392 Little Pigeon River (Tennessee) The Little Pigeon River is a river located entirely within Sevier County , Tennessee . It rises from

3034-494: The chicken house are all that remain. In the 1950s, the chicken house was moved to the Mountain Farm Museum at Oconaluftee . The cabin is a single-pen cabin built of chestnut logs, and measures 16 feet (4.9 m) by 18 feet (5.5 m). The interior included a puncheon-log floor and a loft, and a "tater hole" (a kind of small root cellar ) near the fireplace. The front and back walls both have doors, although

Greenbrier (Great Smoky Mountains) - Misplaced Pages Continue

3108-486: The concept of the circuit from English Methodism, where it still exists: British Methodist churches are grouped in circuits, which typically include a dozen or more churches, and ministers are appointed ("stationed") to the circuit, not to the local church. A typical English circuit has two or three times as many churches as ministers, the balance of the services being led by lay Methodist local preachers or retired ("supernumerary") ministers. The title circuit rider, however,

3182-497: The early 20th century, Greenbrier had a population of approximately 500. Scattered about the valley were three general stores, two churches, a school, a hotel, three blacksmith shops, and five grist mills. Roads were collectively maintained by males 21 and over, working six days every year. The two main religious denominations were the Primitive Baptists and Missionary Baptists . In the late 19th century, innovations in

3256-589: The end of Ramsey Prong Road leads to the summit of Greenbrier Pinnacle. The Porters Creek Trail follows Porters Creek to Porters Flat, where it passes the Messer Barn site before ascending to a backcountry campsite. The Old Settlers Trail, one of the longest trails in the park, connects Greenbrier to the Cosby area. The trail was envisioned as a lower-elevation alternative to the Appalachian Trail and

3330-579: The few non-NPS structures built within the park's boundaries during the 1930s. In 1933, the club's members (among them park promoters David Chapman, Harvey Broome, and Carlos Campbell) met with NPS director Arno Cammerer at the Andrew Johnson Hotel in Knoxville and convinced him to grant them a special-use permit to build the cabin. Club member and prominent Knoxville architect Charles I. Barber , whose firm Barber & McMurry designed

3404-457: The idea that Jesus ministered to the poor. He selected preachers willing to experience a similar life. He said "We must suffer with if we labor for the poor," and insisted that the trappings of respectable middle-class life be set aside. This included financial security; the annual salary of $ 80 for circuit riders was rarely paid in full. The result was that circuit riders were largely zealous young men, with few lasting longer than 12 years as

3478-582: The junction of the Old Settlers Trail and the Maddron Bald Trail , was built by Willis Baxter and his son, William, in 1889. The cabin was originally a wedding gift to William and was passed on to Willis' second son, Alex, when William's wife inherited property in Cosby. Chandler Jenkins was a later owner. The farm originally included two cabins, a barn, corn crib, smokehouse, hog pen, chicken house, and blacksmith shop, but this cabin and

3552-774: The largest collection of these writings, including over 70 items. Through his role as chairman of the United Methodist editorial committee in Shreveport, Louisiana , in the latter 1970s, the historian Walter M. Lowrey spearheaded a project, A History of Louisiana Methodism , which includes material on the church's extensive network of circuit riders. With the advent of Google Books , several memoirs became available on-line. Some circuit rider memoirs available through Google Books include: In addition, St. George's Methodist Church in Philadelphia recently digitized

3626-420: The late 19th century, Greenbrier farmers could haul excess crops to Knoxville . These crops were typically corn or potatoes. Others dug ginseng , which was plentiful in the Smokies at the time, while others used their excess corn to make moonshine . Bill Cardwell, who lived in the northern part of Greenbrier in the early 20th century, was said to have regularly sold moonshine to the sheriff of Sevier County. In

3700-569: The logging industry, specifically the band saw , led to a rapid deforestation of the woodland along the Ohio Valley and Mississippi Delta . As demand for timber increased, lumber companies turned to the dense, mature forests of Appalachia . Saw mills began to spring up around the Smokies, with major logging operations taking place above Elkmont and the Oconaluftee watershed. Greenbrier residents David Proffitt and Pinkney Whaley erected

3774-556: The mayor of Pittman Center , just two miles (3 km) north of Greenbrier. Many members of the Parton family relocated to Locust Ridge, a hilly area between Pittman Center and Richardson Cove. The family's most famous member, entertainer Dolly Parton , is the great-great-granddaughter of Benjamin Christenberry Parton. Descendants of other Greenbrier residents now operate a number of varying businesses along U.S. Route 321 between Gatlinburg and Cosby . One Whaley family would eventually be displaced three times by eminent domain —once when

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3848-438: The most famous circuit rider was Peter Cartwright , who wrote two autobiographies. John B. Matthias was an early circuit rider from New York state who is credited with having written a gospel hymn, " Palms of Victory ." Wilbur Fisk , who became an educator, served as a circuit rider for three years. It was not uncommon for clergy to serve on circuits for a few years and then go to other work. Kentucky native Eli P. Farmer ,

3922-431: The most photographed mills in America. The confluence of the West and East forks is at Sevierville at Forks of the River . From there the stream continues to flow northward, paralleled by State Route 66 , until its confluence with the French Broad River just downstream from Douglas Dam . Despite its name, it is not a tributary of the nearby Pigeon River , which flows into the French Broad well above Douglas Dam and

3996-526: The mountain country would bow to the relentless inroads of civilization, had constructed out of rough-sawed boards a two-story building with several rooms in which we found he had accommodated an occasional surveyor and such hardy individuals as would penetrate the mountains. The hotel made a convenient jumping point for excursions to nearby Mount Le Conte and Mount Guyot. Its foundation remains today, just off Ramsey Prong Road. Tourism and heavy logging led to increased demands from conservationists to protect

4070-414: The move, needing five to six weeks to cover the longest routes. Their ministerial activity boosted Methodism into the largest Protestant denomination at the time, with 14,986 members and 83 traveling preachers in 1784 and by 1839, 749,216 members served by 3,557 traveling preachers and 5,856 local preachers. The early frontier ministry was often lonely and dangerous. Samuel Wakefield's hymn describes

4144-422: The name of the stream upon which they were situated. Along with Greenbrier Cove, the most prominent of these small communities included Copeland, Soak Ash, Webb Creek, Ramsey Creek, Noisy Creek, Redwine Creek, and Little Bird Branch, all at the base of Greenbrier Pinnacle, and Laurel Creek (now Rhododendron Creek), located on Grapeyard Ridge. Charles Rayfield (1825–1891) settled near the junction of Laurel Creek and

4218-406: The old Greenbrier schoolhouse (which had burned) and remodeled it as a lodge. Hotel LeConte, as it was known, was opened that same year. Located near the junction of Porters Creek and the Middle Fork, the hotel operated until 1935, with rates of $ 1.75/day. Robert Parke recalled Hotel LeConte as: ... the largest building we had seen in the mountains. Some enterprising mountaineer, foreseeing the time

4292-524: The older frontier style, in general Methodism moved beyond circuit riders as their main tool for evangelism. As well as being constantly on the move between the churches in their charge, Methodist ministers were regularly moved between charges, a principal known as itinerancy . Although most charges in the United States now consist of a single church, the tradition of itinerancy is still relevant in contemporary American Methodism and in most Methodist Churches worldwide. Although not moving as frequently as in

4366-479: The park service until 1981. The Tyson McCarter Place , located near where the Old Settlers Trail crosses Webb Creek just off U.S. Route 321, consists of a barn, corn crib, smokehouse, and springhouse constructed around 1876. Jacob Tyson McCarter purchased the farm around 1900, and in subsequent decades he became a prominent member of the Webb Creek community. The area was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. The Baxter/Jenkins Cabin, located near

4440-402: The park's headquarters and several notable buildings on the Arrowmont campus in Gatlinburg, designed the cabin and oversaw its construction using the labor of club members. The club used the logs from dismantled Whaley structures including the home cabin and barn of James A. & Phoebe Irene Whaley Whaley, and constructed the cabin around an existing chimney fall. The club leased the cabin from

4514-402: The past, the average U.S. United Methodist Church pastor will stay at a local church for 2–5 years before being appointed to another charge at the Annual Conference (although technically, every pastor is assigned to a charge every year, it is just usually the same one). In British Methodism, ministers are normally appointed to a circuit for five years (again, they are stationed there annually by

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4588-403: The pre-park community of Greenbrier Cove, it was added to the National Register in 1976. The Messer Barn is a type of double-cantilever barn unique to East Tennessee and rarely found outside its immediate vicinity. The Smoky Mountains Hiking Club Cabin, located next to the Messer Barn on the Porters Creek Trail, is a dog-trot cabin constructed by members of the SMHC between 1934 and 1936, one of

4662-491: The resultant reservoir . This Sevier County, Tennessee geography–related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article related to a river in Tennessee is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Circuit rider (religious) Circuit riders , also known as horse preachers , were clergy assigned to travel around specific geographic territories to minister to settlers and organize congregations. Circuit riders were clergy in

4736-404: The selection, training, ordaining, and stationing of circuit riders. A "circuit" (nowadays referred to as a "charge") was a geographic area that encompassed two or more local churches . Pastors met each year at "Annual Conference" where their bishops would appoint them either to a new circuit or to remain at the same one. Most often they were moved to another appointment every year. (In 1804,

4810-427: The slopes of Greenbrier Pinnacle. The Greenbrier area contains one of the park's largest concentrations of chimney falls and rock walls, which mark the sites of former homesteads. While most structures were removed in the 1930s, a few are preserved by the park service as representative of pioneer life in Appalachia. The John Messer Barn in Greenbrier Cove and the Tyson McCarter Place along Webb Creek are listed on

4884-460: The son of a migrant farm worker, and his wife Margaret arrived in Greenbrier sometime in the 1850s. Parton, who survived a gunshot wound to the head during the Civil War, settled in the narrow flats just above the confluence of Little Bird Branch and the Middle Fork, at the western base of Greenbrier Pinnacle. Parton and many of his descendants are buried in a cemetery on a hill where his cabin once stood, overlooking Little Bird Branch. Robert Parke of

4958-512: The southern Appalachians. Although it is unknown when the upper Middle Fork valley obtained this name, it was being called "Greenbrier" as early as the 1830s. The name is not uncommon elsewhere in the region. The Cherokee were the first inhabitants of the Greenbrier area and may have had a seasonal settlement at Porters Flat, near Greenbrier's southern tip. As late as the early 20th century, residents of Greenbrier often referred to Porters Flat as "Indian Nation," which may hearken back to its days as

5032-551: The two styles, with more Methodists in congregations with formal attire, church choirs, seminary-educated ministers, and so on. Many Methodists ministers wanted to marry, have children, and settle down with a family, rather than the poor itinerant style favored by Asbury with its high turnover. Nathan Bangs , a former circuit rider himself in Upper Canada and Quebec, became an influential advocate within Methodism for mature style that eschewed rowdy camp meetings and had educated and middle-class clergy. While some groups sought to restore

5106-417: The way, they inflicted minor damage to the farms of known Union supporters. Shortly after the war, Greenbrier resident Perry Shults claimed to have discovered gold and silver at the headwaters of Porters Creek. In 1867, Shults received a charter from the Sevier County Silver, Copper, Lead, and Zinc Company for his find, and Shults began a low-key mining operation in the area. It was later discovered that Shults

5180-485: Was also an architect who designed and helped build churches such as the Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Brownsville, Texas , as well as chapels, rectories, and other buildings in the region. In retrospect, the circuit rider became a romantic figure and was featured in a number of novels in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Two of these novels are Edward Eggleston 's The Circuit Rider and Ernest Thompson Seton 's Preacher of Cedar Mountain. A circuit rider

5254-415: Was an American coinage born of American necessities. Although John Wesley , the founder of Methodism , covered enormous distances on horseback during his career, and early British Methodist preachers also rode around their circuits, in general they had far less formidable traveling commitments than their American counterparts. Asbury came from humble beginnings (his father was a gardener) and took seriously

5328-416: Was based on subsistence farming , with most farms ranging in size from 50 to 100 acres (0.40 km), part of which was woodland. Most families lived in one-room log cabins surrounded by grassless yards and a paling fence, although modern-looking frame houses began to replace log structures when saw mills arrived in the area around 1900. Most farms included a barn, corn crib , smokehouse , springhouse , and

5402-484: Was built by connecting the old roads in the various communities that existed between Greenbrier and Maddron Bald. The trail passes dozens of rock walls and chimney falls, as well as the Tyson McCarter Place. Spur trails connect with several cemeteries, including Parton Cemetery and Lindsey Cemetery. Timber rattlesnakes are not an uncommon sight on the trail, as large numbers have long been known to live on

5476-471: Was producing counterfeit silver coins, and Shults fled west when the Secret Service opened an investigation. The location of Shults' mine (or if it existed at all) is unknown. Most small communities in the Greenbrier area had at least one general store. Greenbrier residents would typically trade chickens, eggs, and animal furs for clothing, salt, pepper, coal oil , and medicine. As roads improved in

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