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 …

A family record page from the Richard Lanning Family Bible.

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. Joseph Sharp (1903-1971) was the Sevier County Historian from 1958-1971.

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 served as Sevier County historian from 1971 until her death in 2003.

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.

First Methodist Church of Sevierville, undated photograph

Sevier County Churches

This collection is a listing of some of the churches in Sevier County and their histories.

An armed group of Blue Bills, another vigilante group in opposition to the White Caps, are seen here with Dr. Henderson at Henderson Springs Resort.

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.

This picture shows part of a parade that opened the Pittman Center Fair in the early 20th century. The man leading the parade on horseback is unidentified.

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.

An artistic representation of Pleasant View School.

Pleasant View School

Pleasant View School, a Rosenwald School, was the African American Elementary School located in the Walnut Grove community of Sevier County.

Joel Kear barn (circa 1937) near the Park Headquarters in the Sugarlands. Kear (1850-1926) was Flora Carr Gibson’s grandfather. He is buried in the Forks of the River Cemetery in the Sugarlands area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

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.

Sevier County High School circa 1930.

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.

Beulah Massey Pack Scrapbook

Beulah Massey Pack was born February 28, 1889 in Sevier County to Dr. Zachary David Massey (1864-1923) and Sally Josephine Mullendore (1855-1940). She married Charles Edgar Pack (1880-1960) on October 31, 1910 in Sevierville. They had three children: Charles Pack Jr. (1911-1960), Eleanor Rogers Pack (1915-1980), and David Massey Pack (1921-1996). In this scrapbook, Mrs. Pack records news clippings related to her family.

Mrs. Hannah Rhodelia Beaman Duggan (1854-1937)

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. 

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