When we went to the Smoky Mountains for Thanksgiving, we took the children for a hike to see Baskins Creek Falls. We picked this trail because it is a less travelled one. I love being in the National Park...especially if we can be quasi-secluded. It makes me feel more mountainous (is that even a word?) if I am not hiking with 65 other people.
Along the way there was a sign for Baskins Creek Cemetery. In A-Ro fashion, I looked at J, shrugged my shoulders, and said, "Why not go check it out?" The trail to get to the cemetery was really beautiful, and the last 50 feet or so seemed to go straight up.
Along the way there was a sign for Baskins Creek Cemetery. In A-Ro fashion, I looked at J, shrugged my shoulders, and said, "Why not go check it out?" The trail to get to the cemetery was really beautiful, and the last 50 feet or so seemed to go straight up.
The cemetery was amazing. That may seem like a morbid thing to say, but it's true. It was quiet and partially shaded by the trees. The headstones were a variety of shapes. Names and dates had been carved into the stones, but each was so weathered and old that we couldn't fully read the names and dates.
There was one modern headstone. It was for a baby girl (Grace) who died in 1926. I wonder when and who placed it there for her. This is not a grave site that is easy to reach, so whoever took the time to have the stone placed in the cemetery obviously loved the child deeply. I also wonder why an old cemetery in the Smoky Mountains was chosen as the final resting place for baby Grace. I found a webpage that has family tree information for her and her parents. Her father died in 1992 and her mother in 1985.
We had packed our lunches for the day, and so we sat in the cemetery and ate. It may seem strange, but it was a peaceful meal. It was a beautiful location and intrigued the children. They are already begging to go back and hike some more. I think part of it was being able to experience this cemetery.
