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Tuesday, June 12, 2012

A Sacred Place For Me


Cades Cove, Tennessee
 Deep in the Smoky Mountains Cades Cove is part of the National Parks System.
 It is also one of our families favorite places to visit. I find it to be a sacred place filled as it is with empty churches and grave yards. Families descended from the folks the land was purchased from can still bury their dead in the cemeteries. I am often sad when we visit because I know the people who sold their land to the parks service were desperate for money during a bad economy. Yet the land is now preserved for the entire country to enjoy as it was in the past. It is always bittersweet for me. Ya''ll know my mama is from Appalachia and I get emotional about the land and the people who lived there. 
Today I will will show you the Primitive Baptist Church.











I find God in the simple beauty of the wood of this building and in the fields, mountains, and streams of Cades Cove.

The Cove is an eleven mile driving loop. 
If you go in early you can ride the course on your bike which is very popular. 
The loop opens to cars at 10:00 AM.
We saw a bear, wild turkeys, deer and got ticks on us too. 

Tomorrow I will show images of wild flowers, streams, fences, and more at Cades Coves. 
Please come back.

Linking with Wow Us Wednesday's

joy and peace
Olive


25 comments:

  1. Oh Olive, you are right... it is a beautiful and sacred place... I love the history behind it, as bittersweet as it may be... your photos are just stunning... I sense a calm just looking at them... thank you for sharing a most precious place to you... xoxo Julie Marie

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  2. Hi darling, what a beautiful post. Thanks for sharing the history it truly touched my heart. You mentioned putting a rubber band around the candle, the candle isn't actually crooked it just appeared that way in the photos..I appreciate the advise and will keep it in my mind for future mishaps we know they occur. Always great to learn new things. hugs ~lynne~

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  3. I am glad the National Park system is preserving Cades Cove although it is sad that the people had to sell their land. Your photos are beautiful. My favorite is looking out at the tombstones from inside the church. Looking forward to more photos from Cades Cove.

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  4. oh my lady,

    your pictures of this wonderful place are amazing....
    it is one of our favorite places since it reminds me of our honeymoon...it was the first time we drove the loop around this beautiful place... Appalachia holds such a special place in my heart....I am a mountain woman in my heart...
    looking forward to more of your pictures....
    love,
    Mona

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  5. Your love shows in every one of these fanatastic shots, Olive! Wonderful!

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  6. How beautiful, Olive...I can feel the sacred peace in this place. Thank you for sharing!

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  7. Beautifully sacred old place. We love to visit old cemeteries. My hubby's grandma is from Appalachia and our family has a wonderful old language of her mountain sayings. Ugly as a mud fence and such.

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  8. That is so beautiful. My great grand-daddy was a Baptist preacher in TN - in a church that looked much like that.

    We love that area but have never been to Cade's Cove - going to put it on the list next time we get to vacation down that way. (Maybe not during tick season tho - ugh!!!)

    Can't wait to see more pics.
    Jan

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  9. I love visiting Cade's Cove. Such a pretty drive. Great pictures. I need to go back.

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  10. Gorgeous - the kind of place I would love to visit. The photo of all the Bibles on the bench is particularly moving to me.

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  11. I am sure it is beautiful. My family is from not too far away in Jonesborough, the oldest town in TN. We left in 1800 but when I go there it is like going home.

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  12. I love these photos Olive -- what a wonderful place to visit. There is an old church like this near Lincoln, NE that simply calls to me each time we pass by it. Sadly, it sits and private property and isn't maintained at all -- someday it will simply fall down.

    Blessings!
    Gail

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  13. I'll look forward to the rest of the photos, Olive.
    -Karen

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  14. Beautiful and so serene. I'd love to just sit in that church for a few hours and think about life and such.

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  15. Thanks for this post Olive. It was nice to see people care about old graves. Makes me sad to see old cemeteries broken and damaged. Smiles to you,xo, Susie

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  16. I love beautiful Tennessee. My family settled there for awhile before moving on to the Ozarks. I think about the people who lived where our lake is, quite often. Many stories there.

    Thanks so much for this wonderful post!

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  17. Olive,
    Wow. Amazing pictures. Amazing foundation for the building!
    Beautiful, except for the ticks. My family is all from WV, some of it the backroads of Appalachia.

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  18. Olive, if you are not a professional photographer in addition to your RN job, you SHOULD BE! Your photos are incredible!!!!! They convey all that you write and much more. Seriously!

    Cades Cove IS a beautiful place! It's been a long time since we've been but somehow I am not remembering the church?!?! Seeing your photos how could I not remember that. Yikes, old age is hitting hard today LOL

    BTW - Mr. Clovis, you were not a very good boy were you? Are you hurt? Romeo and I are most concerned for you. Please let us know how you are doing when you have a moment please.

    Hugs and purrs,

    "Her" and Romeo

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  19. So tranquil. I need to escape there! Looks like one could find peace there!

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  20. A beautiful post, you can feel the peacefulness. Love the shot of the stone foundation. Thanks for stopping by, Laura

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  21. Stunning photos Olive. I could sort of feel the peace just looking at them. I'll for sure be back tomorrow for the wild flowers. I moved to WordPress and am slowly figuring things out. Come visit me if you have time.I don't think I'm updating in readers or on blog rolls so I'm hoping my friends will find me. You may have to delete then re-enter me. Sorry for the trouble and thank you...Ann

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  22. Olive, your pictures brought tears to my eyes. We spent many summers up in NC and TN and Cades Cove was just a magical and peaceful place for our family to explore. Just beautiful. I had no idea about the story of people having to sell off that land during difficult times. I hope they drew some comfort knowing that the beauty of the area has been enjoyed by millions of people from several generations. Ann

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  23. Olive, It's been years since I have visted Cades Cove but I remember this sweet church. The last time we were there a black bear came right up to our car.

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  24. So beautiful! I haven't heard of Cades Cove, but it looks like a wonderful and beautiful place to visit.

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  25. Olive~ What amazing photos! I was filled with peace & tranquility looking at them until I read about ticks...*shudder* :)

    You elevated simple wooden church pews to art!

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I adore your comments. They are like finding unexpected chocolates. olive