The Maples History Center, located on the third floor of King Family Library in Sevierville, Tennessee, contains a wealth of information and resources on Sevier County history. Staffed by two lifelong Sevier County residents and trained genealogists, this resource is a gem of the community. Many non-Sevier County residents also flock to the History Center to conduct genealogy research, explore the Great Smoky Mountains National Park history, and to learn about East Tennessee. The History Center has been collecting histories and primary source material of our county for many years. You may find some of our collections below …
Family Bibles
Bible records consists primarily of photocopies of the original family registers in the Bibles. There are also transcriptions and compilations of some Bible records. The collection includes records the Boyer, Brabson, Brock, Brown, Burns, Emmett, Housley, Johnson, Lanning, Loveday, Messer, Newman, Ragan, Reneau, Sims, Underwood, Waters, and Webb families. Also includes a listing of family websites.
Dr. Joe Sharp Collection
Appointed Sevier County historian in 1958, Dr. J.A. “Joe” Sharp spear-headed an effort in the 1960s to preserve and retain the current iconic Sevier County Courthouse structure. Many of Dr. Sharp’s papers and research are presented here in digital form.
Ms. Beulah Linn Collection
Ms. Beulah Linn (1911-2003) succeeded Dr. Joseph Sharp as the Sevier County historian in 1971. This collection includes a few of her works.
Sevier County Churches
This collection is a listing of some of the churches in Sevier County and their histories.
The White Caps of Sevier County
Also known as the “Dark Days of Sevier County,” the era of the White Caps is recounted here in complete histories of the White Caps vigilante group that dominated Sevier County in the 1890s.
Pittman Community Center
The Pittman Community Center was the dream of John Sevier Burnett, a Methodist minister from North Carolina. He dreamed of establishing a Christian community in the hills of East Tennessee.
Pleasant View School
Pleasant View School, a Rosenwald School, was the African American Elementary School located in the Walnut Grove community of Sevier County.
Flora Carr Gibson
Flora Carr Gibson (1904-1986) was born and spent her childhood in the Sugarlands area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. In an unpublished manuscript, she recalls her childhood and the people of the Sugarlands before there was a national park.
Emma Jane Emert Graduation Journal
Emma Jane Emert (1904-1958) was among the first graduating classes of Sevier County High School. She graduated in 1925. The high school did not yet have yearbooks, so she kept a graduation journal, complete with classmate notes and news clippings.
Sevier County Poor Farm
The Sevier County Poor Farm operated from the late 1800s to 1953. Managed by an in-residence superintendent family, the farm housed the poor, sick, and intellectually disabled.
Hannah Beaman Duggan Household Notebook
Hannah Beaman Duggan (1854-1937) kept a notebook of family vital records, housekeeping notes and recipes, and favorite poems. She was married to Tennessee State Senator Wilson L. Duggan Jr. (1848-1936). They had nine children, eight of whom survived to adulthood.
Annie Catlett McMahan Scrapbook
Annie Catlett McMahan was born January 6, 1881 in Sevier County to James Preston Catlett (1820-1894) and Nancy Matilda Mullendore (1844-1923). She married Stanley McMahan (1883-1954), the owner and operator of the Stanley McMahan Milling Company, located on Bruce Street across from the courthouse in downtown Sevierville. Mrs. McMahan kept a scrapbook which covered many local, national, and international news stories from the 1920s-1950s.
