Will Sparks built the Shields cabin around 1880. Little did Mr. Sparks know that the cabin he built would still be standing over 150 years later and would be considered one of the most photographed structures inside of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
The cabin is a one-room structure with a fireplace and a staircase leading to the cabin’s loft.
Over the years many expansions were added to the cabin to accommodate the growing families that lived inside of the cabin. A barn and other building were also added onto the homestead including a chicken coop, cellar and garden.
George W. “Carter” Shields was one of the many owners that called this cabin home. Carter fought in the Union Army during the Civil War and was later injured. His injury impacted the rest of his life on Earth, but he overcame it and shortly after the war he married his wife Lina Gregory and moved from the Cove to Kansas.
They returned in 1910 to the property and remained inside of the Cove until the National Park Service acquired the property.
Gracie Latrelle 
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