Elkmont cabin preservation underway; demolition bids open in February

The evolution of historic Elkmont soon should be taking another step forward.

The historic former logging/resort community in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park has been in an evolving state since 2009 when the National Park Service announced a plan to preserve part of the community after conducting an environmental impact study from 1992 through 2008.

The plan has been to preserve 19 structures at Elkmont while razing 55.

Two of those structures – the Appalachian Clubhouse and Spence Cabin – have already been renovated and preserved.

The park has now received funding to preserve four more structures and tear down 29.

Elkmont has been among the park’s most visited attractions.

Located off Fighting Creek Gap Road, it began as a logging community in the late 1800s before evolving into a vacation resort. The park allowed owners to keep their cabins there until the early 1990s. It had fallen into disrepair.

Work began the first of the year on preserving the four structures – Creekmore residence, Mayo residence, Mayor servants’ quarters and the Levi Trentham log cabin – all in the Daisy Town area of Elkmont.

Park spokeswoman Dana Soehn said this work is being done by the National Park Service itself using its National Historic Preservation crew. Money for that job, $383,241, was received through NPS’s rehab repair fund.

She pointed out that preservation of the structures does not mean renovation, explaining they will be preserved much like the structures in Cades Cove that are stabilized and made safe for visitors to tour.

The demolition work on the 29 structures will be contracted out.

“We will open up bidding in early February, then there will be a 30-day open period to receive bids before the contract is awarded,” Soehn said, adding that awarding the contract likely will happen in mid-March. “The specifics about the schedule (for completion) are open to negotiation and still to be decided.”

Soehn said money for that project was obtained through the NPS demolition line-item construction fund.

“We estimate an amount that we think it is going to cost and that is what we were given approval for,” Soehn said, adding that NPS chooses not to disclose that amount because it would influence the bidding process.

“It is expensive to remove these structures because they have (lead) paint and asbestos,” she said. “We also have to tread lightly on the land during removal.”

A timetable for completion of the entire Elkmont project is not set. Soehn said NPS funding comes in cycles and there are a “variety of streams” for the money. The park applies for funding each cycle.

Workers also have been saving components from the 29 structures to be razed.

“These are items like the hardware, hinges, window frames that are characteristic of that time period,” she said.

To date, four of the 55 structures slated for demolition have been torn down.

Soehn said that in deciding which structures to preserve the Park Service looked at which would “best represent the entire Elkmont district.”

Elkmont is divided into three sections: Millionaire’s Row, Society Hill and Daisy Town. One structure each will be preserved from Millionaire’s Row and Society Hill, Soehn said, because these areas are more spread out. The majority will be in Daisy Town.

“The Daisy Town area is a boardwalk with small structures together in a row. It was felt that to reflect the spirit of that community we would need to have more than one structure to tell that story.”

When demolition work begins, the Little River and Jake’s Creek trails will be closed for an as-yet-undetermined time. Soehn said work will be halted so various events at Elkmont can be held, including the popular synchronous fireflies viewing in spring.