Wear Cove

Crowson arrived in Wear Cove from North Carolina in 1792 along with his friend, Peter Percefield.

The log home he built shortly after his arrival still stands in Smith Hollow (between Wears Valley and Townsend) and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

[3] Earlier in the war, a Union army passed through the valley en route to dislodge the troops of Will Thomas who were entrenched in Gatlinburg.

[4] Sometime after the war, Alfred Line established a farm at the base of Roundtop Mountain, near the southern half of Wear Cove.

A large oak tree provided shelter for funeral-goers, although cold weather and rain often made apparent the need for a building in which to conduct indoor services.

In 1902, according to local lore, the oak tree was destroyed by lightning, and in response, the residents erected Headrick Chapel on the cemetery's grounds.

The chapel's bell would ring once for every year of the deceased's life, a tradition still observed by the inhabitants of Wears Valley.

Cabin rentals and outdoor supply stores are among the more common tourism-oriented venues in the valley today.

In 2005, a group of developers led by Ron Ogle and Jerry Miller sought to build 400 houses on the slopes of Cove Mountain.

In 2007, Friends of Wears Valley – a group opposed to the development – unsuccessfully petitioned the Sevier County Regional Planning Commission to block the housing expansion on Cove Mountain.