The second-largest church in Cades Cove was the Methodist church, which was organized sometime around 1824. In 1840, the Methodist church built its first meeting house, which was a log structure.  The church used this building for more than 60 years.

The seats were made of split puncheons set on round wooden legs, and they had no backs. Puncheons were split and hewed slabs of wood.

George Eskin, a circuit-riding preacher, was one of the early ministers who served the church.  Like the members of the Cades Cove Primitive Baptist Church, the members of the Methodist church met in homes in the early days.

In 1902, the present structure was built by Rev. John McCampbell in 115 days for $115.  Anyone who has served on a church building committee would appreciate this information.

Apparently, the church had a lot of trust in the property owner because the owner of the land did not deed the land to the church trustees until some eight years after the present building was constructed.

The Methodist church was on friendly terms with the Primitive Baptist church, and the two sometimes held joint revival services.  The Methodist church was also closed from 1862 to 1865 because of rebel raids during the Civil War.

Around 1838, thirteen members of the Primitive Baptist Church were excluded. It was said that this action was mainly due to disagreements over missions.  The excluded group started the Missionary Baptist Church.

As previously stated, in the early years, the members met in either homes or one of the other church buildings. In 1894, they built their first building, which was used until the present building was constructed in 1915.  This church was also closed during the Civil War.  Probably the best way to describe the relationship between this church and the Primitive Baptist Church is to use the word “restrained”.  The Missionary Baptist closed in 1944.

The churches in Cades Cove played important roles in the community.  Not only did the churches minister to people’s spiritual needs, but they also aided in helping citizens with their physical needs and providing a source of social interactions with other members of the valley.

Tom Harrington is a regular hiker who reports on his hikes and mountain stories from the Smokies.

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