+ 9moreHistoric placesTipton Place, Elijah Oliver Cabin, and more

When you’re nearing the end of the 11-mile loop road in Cades Cove, you’ll see a small, rustic structure. In order to survive in Cades Cove in the 1800s, families needed to raise their own food and be self-sufficient.The parking area for the historical Elijah Oliver Place and homestead, is on the left side of Cades Cove Loop Road just past Cooper Road Trail (approximately 4.6 miles from the beginning of the loop). Elijah Oliver, the son of John and Lucretia Oliver, was born in Cades Cove in 1824.

There’s the main cabin, a chicken coop, a smokehouse, a corn crib and a springhouse.

Plan to spend no more than 45 minutes for the hike and to see Oliver’s cabin and out buildings. This hike offers visitors a rare glimpse of what life was like on an Applachian pioneer homestead.The most authoritative source for restaurants, attractions, & cabin rentals in the Smoky Mountains.

Elijah Oliver Place. The Gregg family lived in the home and ran a small store out of the first floor before it was purchased by Rebecca Cable and Dan Cable. It sits .50 miles from the main road in an area popular for black bears and deer. The homestead literally provided the Oliver family with everything they needed to survive.

Learn more about the Carter Shields Cabin in Cades Cove below!You can go inside the small historic cabin when you visit Cades Cove and take a look around! George Washington “Carter” Shields was a veteran of the Civil War. Elijah Oliver Place is a pioneer complex that includes several buildings. This is the Carter Shields Cabin! About the Elijah Oliver Place in Cades Cove The son of John Oliver, Elijah Oliver was born in the Cove in 1824.

The cabin you see today was the honeymoon cabin that the family built for their son to use whenever he married. The spring house is one of the most interesting features and is the only one in the cove still intact on-site and accessible to the public. After 8 years, the two closed the store and opened a boarding house. The property also had a corn crib and a smokehouse on site.The Tipton Place homestead was settled by William “Billy” Tipton, a veteran of the Revolutionary War. It also has a modern chimney made out of bricks. Shields chose to retire in Cades Cove, and he lived in the Carter Shields Cabin from 1910 – 1921.We all know that Cades Cove is rich in history, and part of the reason it’s such a popular area is that visitors love exploring some of that history in the old cabins and homesteads that still stand today. The parking area is on the left side of the road, but the gravel trail starts on the opposite side (right) of the road.The one-mile roundtrip hike makes this the most remote historical building on Cades Cove Loop. This historical homesite features Elijah's home, springhouse, smokehouse, corncrib and barn. The Elijah Oliver Place in Great Smoky Mountains National Park is located at the end of a .5-mile long trail (1 mile, round trip) that begins halfway around the Cades Cove Loop Road. The trail is a gravel path with only a few minor hills. Elijah Oliver was born in Cades Cove in 1824 and was the son of John Oliver, the first white settler in the cove. Today you can visit the old Elijah Oliver Place via a short, easy 1.0 mile roundtrip walk from the Cades Cove Loop Road. The Carter Shields Cabin isn’t the only popular stop visitors make along the Cades Cove Loop. Like the other buildings in the area, the Carter Shields Cabin is open to the public.Although the cabin dates back to the 1830’s, Carter Shields didn’t call the cabin home until 1910. During the springtime, this cabin paints the perfect picture, with dogwood trees in full bloom, a split rail fence and frequent wildlife. The main cabin was constructed out of hewn logs stacked on top of a stone foundation. The Elijah Oliver Cabin is the most remote cabin in Cades Cove. This room, which was called a Stranger’s Room, was a special room meant to provide shelter to travelers in need at no charge. Here are other historic cabins in Cades Cove you should explore:Elijah Oliver was the son of John Oliver.

By the time of his death, the cabin included a large porch and an additional second story. Rebecca was known as a capable and resilient woman. Visitors love seeing the cantilever barn, however, the one standing in the cove today is a replica of the original. The Elijah Oliver Place, which is a pioneer complex complete with several buildings, is a brief one mile (roundtrip) walk from Cades Cove Loop Road.

The homestead had everything the family needed to survive!The Becky Cable House was originally built in 1879 and was constructed by Leason Gregg out of lumber that was milled at the Cable Grist Mill. When you book a Oliver cabin rental with Expedia, you can: Select a cabin that is close to Oliver's main street or one offers more privacy.