Secret Cemetery

More than 10 million people visit the town formerly known as White Oak Flats every year, but only a few know about a historic cemetery located just 100' from one of the town's most popular mountain shopping malls. Standing in the cemetery, you can see the top of the shops that line the Gatlinburg strip.

The cemetery is home to some of the original mountain settlers and many of their ancestors. Names like Oakley, Ogle, and Reagan can be found scattered throughout the graveyard and throughout the town, as many of the families still work and live in the area.

In the video we take a quick walk through The Village - a downtown shopping mall, and then into the hillside cemetery. There are new headstones as well as headstones from the early 1800's and even unmarked graves in the oldest section.

If you guys come to Gatlinburg, this is a really cool place to see and it is very easy to get to.

I hope you enjoy the video and thread. I'll do my best to answer any questions you have.

White Oak Flats Cemetery Info

a reply to: esteay812

Im guessing if its in sight of town shops' rooftops, has that much sunshine as in the vid...and is photographed...and grass cut as shown...that its not that secret.

a reply to: esteay812
Love seeing local history. S&F! I am really enjoying your threads!

Thank you so much. I have ancestors in the Cardwell family and it my be worth a trip to the mountains to wonder around the cemetery.

One of my favorite resources when researching cemeteries.
Findagrave for above cemetery

Looks like 84% of the graves have been photographed and indexed on the site, along with one 'famous' internment.

The Roamin Man of the Mountains

Oakley, Wiley Manson b. September 12, 1885 d. November 18, 1954 Author, mountain guide and naturalist. Also known as "The Roamin' Man of the Mountains", he spent his life promoting the Smoky Mountains. He was an early guide to those surveying the area that would become the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, as well as being a guide to hunters and hikers before and after the establishment of the park. He toured radio shows across the county telling stories about Galinburg and the mountains, helping to make it the most visited National Park in America...[Read More] (Bio by: kimshockey (reb)) White Oak Flats Cemetery, Gatlinburg, Sevier County, Tennessee [quote]

a reply to: mysterioustranger

Hi mysterioustranger. Good guess. The fact that people are buried there means that it's not really a secret to everyone, but it is secret. Maybe you'd prefer to call it "Hidden" or maybe you thought I meant it's abandoned, but around here we call it secret.

a reply to: Nickn3

There are a lot of Cardwells in the area. I don't recall seeing any headstones for them, but the link at the bottom of the OP lists most of the grave-sites. It would probably be worth the trip, there are several really historic cemeteries in the area. I focused on this one because it's right in the middle of town and is considered a historic site, but hardly anyone knows about it or goes there, considering there are more than 10 million visitors a year.

a reply to: youdidntseeme

The cemetery isn't very big, despite how long it's been there. I'd guess it's around 3.5 - 4 acres. I'm surprised more of the graves haven't been catalogued. Maybe the other 16% are unmarked graves or headstones that can't be read?

a reply to: esteay812

Very cool!
Thanks again for sharing your interesting and beautiful home.
Do you find it odd that the cemetery hasn't been relocated for 'progress' yet?
I think it would be a shame but, you know that stuff has happened throughout history.

I hope you have as much fun making the videos as I do watching them.


BTW, have you heard of the Wheat Community (I'm sure you have) in Oak Ridge?
Interesting cemetery there as well...lots of history.

a reply to: TNMockingbird

I'm not really surprised that it hasn't been moved. I'm more surprised that someone hasn't tried to move it. I think if anyone - or the city filed some sort of motion to have it moved that there are enough of the original families that still run the town to have it blocked. I'm not sure, but they may have it on the town's historic places list.

There are a lot of outside developers that have come to town to cash-in on the tourist industry here. The land is expensive and there isn't a lot of it, I'd say someone will set their sights on it sooner, rather than later. A buddy of mine has a bar on the strip and pays $10,000 a month rent, so there is a lot of money in developing the land for new businesses.

Actually, I haven't heard of the Wheat community until now. Oak Ridge, "Secret City" (that's a really awesome story), is a really cool place with a lot of history too. I'll check that out. It might be fun to see that place when I'm out that way one day.

I definitely have a good time going to these places and making the videos, then coming here to talk about it with you guys. It's been a great hobby so far.

a reply to: esteay812

One like it has been located at the site of the old Eloise Sanitarium in Westland, MIchigan It had been forgotten for nearly 100 years. Volunteers have been trying to clear the grave-stone...numbers only. No names. Estimates are in the 1,000's.

Site was a sanitarium and poor farm way before the turn of the last century in early 1800's.

a reply to: mysterioustranger

That's creepy, numbers only. Makes me imagine that they could have died in some really bad ways and no one would be held responsible.

a reply to: esteay812

Loved the first vid! Lovely place and cool old gravestones. The sanitarium one was so sad and disturbing, but loved the Metallica song at least. LOL


Great thread!

a reply to: Night Star

Thanks Night Star.

That sanitarium is sad, can't believe people were stuck in there their whole lives and then pretty much thrown away when they died.

nice place. but i dont wish to visit there.

originally posted by: esteay812
a reply to: Night Star

Thanks Night Star.

That sanitarium is sad, can't believe people were stuck in there their whole lives and then pretty much thrown away when they died.

I know! I have seen different vids like that and it is heart wrenching! There must be some really bad vibes from that place and I would imagine hauntings as well.