The History of Wears Valley Road
Our guests often ask us about Elvira's Cafe location. While our restaurant is nestled in the heart of a beautiful scenic drive connecting Townsend and Pigeon Forge, TN, not many are familiar with the history of Wears Valley Road and Wears Valley. In fact, many consider our secluded location as a "secret" or even a hidden gem.
Wears Valley Road takes you through the Great Smoky Mountains and is named after Samuel Wear, a soldier of the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812 who settled here before 1783. Samuel Wear built Fort Wear located nearby the Pigeon Forge Community Center and public library. It was one of a dozen forts built in the 1780s in Sevier County. Constructed from sturdy logs, the fort was a blockhouse with loopholes for muskets. It was established to protect settlers from Indian attacks and served as a refuge when Sevier County was raided by Indians in 1786-87.
The location of the fort was special because it was a part of the Great Indian War Path, also known as a trading route from Virginia to Cherokee settlements along the Little Tennessee River. It was also the road that Chief Dragging Canoe of Chickamauga used to attack Sevierville in 1793. Surrounded by the abundance of buffalo and wild game, this area was considered to be the wilderness of North Carolina, one of the thirteen original colonies.
Before Tennessee was even established, some North Carolina settlers received land grants to establish their homes here. Starting in about 1795, families began to settle along Wear's Creek and at its confluence with Little Pigeon River. The US Government and The Cherokee people considered this area to be Indian hunting grounds. However, pioneers believed that this right should be relinquished since native tribes were known to take the British side during the war. This led to many fights between the pioneers and the Native American tribes.
Samuel Wear was a patriot fighting for the American side during the Revolutionary War. Together with Colonel John Sevier, he fought at the Battle of Kings Mountain in 1780 and was commissioned a Colonel before going to the War of 1812. He was later killed by Native Americans who were said to have tortured him, according to local legend.
In 1796, Tennessee was finally admitted to the Union, and treaties were made. The Cherokee ceded the Wear's Valley region to the state in 1806. The Native Americans continued to reside here until they were forced out by President Jackson's Indian Removal Act of 1830.
Sevierville, TN, is home to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park which includes over 800 miles of trails for hiking and picturesque waterfalls along creeks and rivers. Today, millions of visitors come to the National Park to admire its beauty and enjoy the tranquility of Appalachia. There are about 20,000 people living in Wears Valley today but there have been over 120,000 who called it home since the 18th century.
We invite you to visit Wears Valley and tell us about your experience.
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