Great Smoky Mountains National Park:
Ephraim Bales was a farmer. He, his wife, Minerva, and their nine children lived crammed into this two room dog-trot cabin. This style of cabin got its name because a dog could trot through the open porch betweeb the rooms. "Eph" and "Nervie" owned 70 acres of rocks and cultivated 30 of them. The rest remained for timber for cooking, heating and construction use.
The larger side of the cabin was the living area; the smaller one, the kitchen. Additional beds stood in the once-closed-in-dog-trot. The only window is the small "granny hole," which looks out over the family pantry - the corn crib. The logs, though small, are skillfully worked. Puncheon (split log) floors were drafty and allowed an occasional snake to slide in, but did serve the purpose when there was no sawed lumber around.
The small corn crib, seen in this picture, stands beside the house. Also to be seen on the homestead is the family's walled up spring, pig pen, and very small barn, which housed a mule and a cow. The buildings of the homestead are only a few dozen feet from the constantly rushing waters of boulder studded Roaring Fork.
"Hardscrabble" is one name for a place like this. On a narrow, rutted, rocky road, it was a hard day's journey to Gatlinburg, now just a few minutes away. It's fascinating to explore it and contemplate the very different and difficult lifestyles of the pioneer Southern Highlanders, just a few generations ago.
The Home of Ephraim Bales is stop # 11 on the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
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