Walker sisters sold Tennessee farm for $4,750 and kept a lifetime lease

In the heart of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, a quiet log cabin sits as the residence of the Walker sisters. These six unmarried women, who chose to remain in their mountain home despite the changing world around them, have become a testament to resilience, independence, and a deep connection to the land they call home, according to the National Park Service (NPS).

The story of the Walker sisters began after the Civil War, when John N. Walker, a Union veteran imprisoned by the Confederacy, returned home in 1866 and married Margaret Jane King. Through Margaret's family, John obtained a house and property in Little Greenbrier Cove, expanding his land by purchasing out her brothers and sisters.

The Walker family lived in a log cabin built from tulip-poplars, insulated with mud and rock, and other buildings such as a barn, corncrib, smokehouse, pig pen, apple barn, and blacksmith shop. A springhouse on a nearby creek stored dairy products and provided storage for pickled root vegetables. John Walker crafted various items including ladderback chairs, looms, tools, and a small cotton gin, while also growing over 20 kinds of apples, peaches, cherries, and plums, and raising livestock on the farm.

The sisters, who began their life on the farm after their father's death in 1921, harvested their own food, maintained their own clothing through spinning and weaving, and kept a herbal garden for medicinal purposes. When Great Smoky Mountains National Park was created in 1940, the sisters received $4,750 for their land and a lifetime lease to stay in their home.

The sisters welcomed visitors to their homestead, selling handmade items and sharing their mountain lifestyle with the public. The final years of the sisters were marked by the passing of Polly, Hettie, and Martha, leaving Margaret and Louisa to write a letter to the park superintendent asking for the removal of visitor information as they were getting too old to continue working at the farm and greeting visitors.

Margaret died in 1962 at age 92, Louisa lived until July 13, 1964, and the last sister, Caroline, died in 1966. Today, the Walker sisters' legacy endures through their homestead, the objects they created, and the memories of those who interacted with them during their lifetime at their beloved home.