Welcome to Sevier County

More than a place to visit SEVIER COUNTY FEELS LIKE HOME

Each year millions of visitors make their way into Sevier County to enjoy its mountain beauty and exciting tourist attractions, but those who work and live here know there is so much more to this beautiful place they call home.

It’s a feeling they get being here, knowing neighbors care about neighbors, harkening back to a simpler time when things moved slower and people knew the people next door well. Sevier County feels like home.

Nestled in the hills and valleys of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, Sevier County is stunning for its mountain beauty, rivers, streams and wildlife. The community wouldn’t be what it is today without the national park, which drew in approximately 14 million visitors last year, a figure that grows year after year as

others appreciate the beauty of the Smoky Mountains, whether that is the breathtaking view from Clingmans Dome, the park’s highest peak, or fishing in the Little Pigeon River.

Those millions of tourists bringing in their tourism dollars help make possible the many creature comforts and resources Sevier County and its municipalities have to offer, whether it’s bustling recreation departments with many programs and facilities, to quality public primary and secondary schools and two colleges.

The communities feature the latest attractions — from Dollywood’s newest roller coaster in Pigeon Forge to new dining in downtown Sevierville and mountaintop attractions like Anakeesta and the SkyLift Park in Gatlinburg — attractions that draw in plenty of tourists

but also make this a fun place for the locals, too.

Yet while there is plenty of action, a wholesome, small town feeling remains for those who choose to call this place home. Community events remind us of that, as people gather together to reconnect and celebrate — such as at the Christmas tree lighting celebration at the Sevier County Courthouse — or team up for a worthy cause, whether that is the Sevier County Relay for Life to support the American Cancer Society or Alzheimer’s Tennessee’s Smoky Mountain Walk.

What becomes quickly clear to those who come to stay in Sevier County, is this is a place of neighbors looking out for neighbors and seeking connections and community. We are glad you choose to come to Sevier County. Welcome home.

Trails Forever crew

WORKS TO REHABILITATE SMOKIES MOST ICONIC TRAILS

BY GREG WILKERSON | ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Sarah Jencson, with the National Park Service Trails Forever crew, cuts Black Locust logs into stairs on Ramsey Cascades Trail.

STORY BEGINS ON PAGE 6

NATIONAL PARK — For more than a decade, Trails Forever crew members and volunteers have worked to restore and rehabilitate several of Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s most iconic hiking experiences.

Friends of the Smokies started the Trails Forever endowment in 2008 with a $2 million grant from the Aslan Foundation. The $4 million goal for the endowment was realized in 2012 and has continued to grow, now having a value of more than $6 million. The interest from those funds pays the salaries of the Trails Forever’s permanent National Park Service employees.

“The Trails Forever program was born out of an idea to start a legacy project in honor of the park’s 75th anniversary. It was designed to look at one of the park’s greatest needs and determine how the Friends of the Smokies could raise support and leverage federal dollars to try to improve the visitor experience on the park’s most popular and heavily used trails,” said Dana Soehn, Friends of the Smokies president and CEO. “In 2008 they set up a goal of trying to raise an endowment of $4 million that then could fund a professional trail crew that would be permanent, that could work permanently and not rely on seasonal help.”

In growing the endowment

Friends of the Smokies has been able to add additional crew members and keep up with the cost of living and inflation that goes along with supporting personnel costs. To fund a permanent position, the park’s non-profit partners have to be able to ensure the funding will remain from year to year, and the endowment accomplishes that requirement.

The Trails Forever team has completed work on Forney Ridge Trail, Chimney Tops Trail, Alum Cave Trail, Rainbow Falls Trail, Trillium Gap Trail and

Abrams Falls Trail.

“They have now completely renovated six of the park’s most heavily used trails and Ramsey Cascades is the seventh they are working on,” Soehn said. “It’s been highly successful. Not only have they accomplished the work on those specific trails, but trail crew members from the annual funded trail crews in North Carolina and Tennessee are able to work alongside them and learn some new skills they then take back to those trail crews for the more routine trail work that’s happening throughout the park.”

The work on the Trails Forever projects has been completed by the National Park Service crew and other professional trail crews. Recently, a conservation crew from American Conservation Experience was working alongside the park service crew to accomplish the work at Ramsey Cascades Trail. There are also volunteer opportunities for anyone to come out and help work on the trail on select days.

“It’s a more specialized type of volunteer experience, and many of those volunteers will return week after week,” Soehn said.

“The work they have accomplished on those most heavily-used trails has stood the test of time and I believe the repairs they have made are sustainable and really reflect the craftsmanship the original CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) members were able to use during their construction period in the 1930s.”

Friends of the Smokies works with Great Smoky Mountains National Park to find the additional funds for the supplies needed to complete the trail projects. Each year on the Friends’

“Greatest Needs” list, there are opportunities for people to help fill the needs for materials and supplies to help support the crew.

Friends of the Smokies is currently in the process of setting up another endowment, Forever Places, to fund permanent positions to rehabilitate historic structures in the Smokies. Forever Places is modeled after Trails Forever, with a higher goal of $9 million.

“Right now we’re roughly at $4 million in that endowment. Our goal is to realize that over

Shari Jardina volunteers with Trails Forever.

Jim Rugh, left, and Cassie Snyder, clear brush as volunteers at Ramsey Cascades Trail.

the next three years,” Soehn said.

With the amount already in place, the Forever Places endowment has funded a few employees who are already working on projects. They recently completed a rehabilitation of the Walker sisters’ cabin in the Little Greenbrier area of the park.

“Both Forever Places and Trails Forever are great opportunities for people who want to be a part of these legacy projects that ensures the most popular trails and some of our greatest historic structures are protected forever through these efforts,” Soehn said.

At Ramsey Cascades Trail, The Trails Forever crew is in the second year of a three-year

project to rehabilitate the trail. The trail is currently closed through the week and open on weekends for park visitors.

Josh Shapiro, Trails Forever supervisor, said the main goals of the project is to make the trail safe for visitors and rescue crews and to protect the natural resources in the park.

“Before the endowment, the North Carolina and Tennessee trail crews had all they could do, just to keep up with cyclic maintenance, so the most iconic trails in the park weren’t receiving the attention they needed; there were just years and years of backlog deficiencies,” Shapiro said.

In addition to the Trails Forever crew that works on signature, multi-year projects, the

park service has a North Carolina crew and a Tennessee crew for regular trail maintenance, for things like tree removal, clearing drains, mowing or foot log replacement.

“Each crew has to cover over 400 miles of trail on the Tennessee and the North Carolina sides,” Shapiro said. “The most iconic trails in the park weren’t getting the attention they needed. The Trails Forever crew was set up to completely rehabilitate the most popular trails. We start from the parking lot and go all the way to the end, and just repair all the trail deficiencies we’ve identified.”

At Ramsey Cascades Trail, the path was suffering from years of erosion that created high steps in some areas. The

crew attempts to use digging to repair sections but when necessary will add trail structures like stairs or retaining walls, using materials brought in by pack animals or airlifted by helicopter. They also use existing rocks on the trail, always following the park’s cultural and resource management requirements.

Trails Forever crew leader Eric Wood said Ramsey Cascades Trail has been one of the more difficult trails they’ve worked on because the original trail layout is so close to the water and every time a big storm comes through the water raises and gets on the trail creating problems or washing out areas.

“I think it’s really important to be able to create access for

Black Locust logs are used to build trail structures like these steps in areas where erosion has created high steps along the trail.

Ramsey Cascades Trail is challenging because many sections run close to the adjacent water.

hikers to get into the woods, and to encourage people to get in the wilderness more,” Wood said. “I think now it’s more important than ever to get people into the woods and away from social media. If we can make it easier to access the forest, I think that’s better and more encouraging for people so it doesn’t look as treacherous. A lot of people are intimidated to go into the forest already as it is, so if we can create a trail that’s easier to walk on and safer for everybody, I think that will encourage more people to get in the woods.”

Jim Rugh has been a volunteer with Trails Forever since the beginning, and has spent time working on all but one of the signature trail projects.

“It’s been my opportunity to give back to the park. I already enjoyed hiking here, and this is a way for me to make a contribution to make the trails as safe and convenient as possible,” Rugh said. “Part of the privilege is seeing the work these guys are doing, not just what we volunteers can do, but watching. I say, ‘I was here when they built these steps and filled the rocks in,’ so it’s fun to be a part of that process like back in the day when the CCC built these trails.”

Cassie Snyder, another volunteer, makes a trip to the Smokies from her home in Ohio to volunteer. She has also had part-time seasonal work at Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

“It’s important to keep these trails maintained to keep it open for other generations to come in and get to see the park and find their place in nature,” Snyder said. “If we don’t maintain these trails, they’re not going to have access naturally, and that love for nature and protecting the planet is going to die out in future generations.”

Snyder also worked on the Abrams Falls Trail project in the summer of 2021.

“That was quite a project too,” she said. “I actually hiked it last summer, and I could just tell the work we had done was so impactful and it made me proud.”

To learn more about Trails Forever, Forever Places and how to donate to Friends of the

Smokies, visit friendsofthesmokies.org.

“Part of the Friends’ mission is to support the park in being able to improve the visitor experience so people can enjoy and be inspired in this generation as well as future generations,” Soehn said. “Being able to hike some of these iconic trails of the Smokies, like Alum Cave Trail, Abrams Falls Trail, Chimney Tops Trail and Ramsey Cascades Trail, those are milestone moments for people when they come here and allows them to really connect with the park and leads them to care about it and want to be lifelong stewards. We want everyone who comes and experiences one of those trails to have an incredible visitor experience.”

WSCC ’ s surgical tech

PROGRAM TEACHES HEALTH SAFETY

BY CINDY SIMPSON | EDITOR

Walters State Community College offers a variety of health programs, from nursing to

respiratory care or health information management. One of those programs is surgical technology, a pro -

gram that takes four semesters or two years to complete and can be started straight out of high school. That

doesn’t mean it isn’t somewhat competitive, however.

“I only take 16 a year,” said Stephanie Austin,

TOP: Stephanie Austin, Director of Surgical Technology, Assistant Professor, stands in the surgical technology classroom.

director of surgical technology and assistant professor.

She encourages students who may not have the best GPA but still could be skilled in the operating room with their hands to apply.

From the beginning, students are involved with experiential learning, with hands-on practice of real-life activities to assist during surgeries, sterilize equipment and more needed during an operation.

“My favorite part of teaching is those aha moments when my students get it,” Austin said.

“They think they’ll never get it, never learn it and keep working and working. You see the light bulb come on and see it on their faces.”

The program’s first

semester involves an introduction to surgical technology, understanding the names of the tools used during surgery and other basics.

The second semester is spent learning how to prep and position patients.

There final semesters are spent mostly in clinicals.

“They have a final lab practical they have to complete prior to clinical,” Austin said.

Clinicals can be done at a variety of sites, and many times those employers hire students after completion of the program. They have agreements with hospitals from Crossville to Bristol.

surgeon has their way of running an operating room.

While doing clinicals they will be assigned to a preceptor who will guide the student and be with them the whole time. Austin said how quickly students are given responsibility depends on them and the preceptor as well.

“A lot of them will let them do everything from the beginning and there are some they have to prove themselves before they are turned loose,” Austin said.

her hand on the operating table

“I woke up from surgery and told my mom in the recovery room ‘Mom, I know what I want to be when I grow up,’” Austin said. “She said ‘what,’ and I said ‘I have no idea what it is.’”

She tracked down the classmate’s mom and found out exactly what that was, and she was the last student enrolled in her class of surgical technology at Tennessee College of Applied Technology at Crossville.

Austin said it’s important for the students to be flexible, because they’ll learn the basics well, but each

Austin is passionate about the field, because of her own experience as a patient who was comforted by a former high school classmate who turned out to be a surgical tech. That classmate said he heard she was scared and didn’t want her to be, taking

“I think it is one of the most rewarding healthcare professions because you can see instant results. You can see when you bring them in and send them out (of the operating room),” Austin said. C

b u s i n e s s e s i n E a s t Te n n e s s e e fo r o v e r 5 d e c a d e s. To d a y, w e c o n t i n u e t o s e r v e o u r c o m m u n i t i e s w i t h t h e l a t e s t t e c h n o l o g y fo r c o nv e n i e n t o n l i n e a n d m o b i l e b a n k i n g, a s w e l l a s b r a n c h o f f i c e s fo r p e r s o n a l i z e d , i n - p e r s o n s e r v i c e.

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History Center captures

SEVIER COUNTY’S PAST AND FUTURE

BY CINDY SIMPSON | EDITOR

Awealth of Sevier County history and even some state and regional history awaits visitors who come to the Rel and Wilma Maples History Center.

Nestled on the third floor of the King Family Library, at 408 High St., Sevierville, the history center offers information and resources on county history for those doing genealogy research, exploring Great Smoky Mountains National Park history and learning about the area.

“We have almost 700 microfilm reels. Most are newspapers, but we have land grants, deeds and more. Most of these are for Sevier County. Probably this is the thing people use the most, because microfilm is still the gold standard for documentation,” said Lisa Christian, genealogist and director of the History Center. “If you are applying for the Daughters of the American Revolution or something of that nature, they may ask for microfilm as you are going through that process.”

“It is more durable. Archivists, genealogists, it is the best way to access old material.”

Some of the items that can be found in either microfilm or microform include census records, military records, court records, deeds and more.

In addition to microfilm, the history center has a rich collection of items in its vault or on

display, from newspapers and family Bibles to a quilt sewn by women of Alder Branch Baptist Church.

Bibles from as far back as the 1770s to as recent as the 1990s are among the items collected at the history center.

A large collection of scrapbooks and other items capturing family histories and life in the area are also among the history center’s collections. For example, Hannah Beaman Duggan (1854-1937) kept a notebook of family vital records, housekeeping notes and recipes, and favorite poems.

“It has all her children’s birthdays, the exact time of day they were born. She copied her favorite hymns and poems so it was a snapshot of her personality,” Christian said.

One of the reasons Christian enjoys that aspect of the history center so much is because it often tells the stories of women in a way that otherwise doesn’t get documented.

“I feel it is the best way to capture Sevier County women at a certain period of time. They did have pictures and scrapbooks. They didn’t appear in legal documents as much, but here their personality shows. So I try and do more of that for women in Sevier County, because you’re not going to see them in other places,” Christian said.

Genealogist Lisa Christian showcases a quilt created by ladies of Alder Branch Baptist Church. Christian is over the King Family Library’s Rel and

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Ladies of Alder Branch Baptist Church stitched their names into the squares they made of a quilt at the King Family Library’s history center.

A number of old books are stored at the Rel and Wilma Maples History Center, including this book published in 1807 with the laws of the state. The oldest book in the history center’s collection is a French book from 1532 that genealogist Lisa Christian is working on transcribing.

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Capturing those stories and helping people find a bit of history is rewarding to Christian.

“I’m happy to help with genealogy, but my most favorite thing is when people come in here looking for a document for a personal reason,” Christian said.

the items available to be borrowed from the King Family Library as part of a fairly new program at the library.

are

check out

KING FAMILY LIBRARY OFFERS NONTRADITIONAL LIBRARY

BY CINDY SIMPSON EDITOR

The patrons of King Family Library in Sevierville can do more than check out books, music and more.

They can also check out an air fryer, record player, baking pans and even tools thanks to a new program at the library called Nifty Thrifty.

“It is a new tradition in libraries,” said Lisa Christian, genealogist for the library.

In order to partipate, library card holders must be in good standing for three months. Only one item can be checked out at a time as well.

Holiday themed cooking pans are a hit among participants, as well as knitting kits and an icecream maker. Othe popular items include a deep fryer, ice cream maker and more.

For more information and to see items that can be checked out for a week, visit the second floor of the library.

Christian helped a woman find a picture of her grandmother in one of the history center’s books.

Another visitor needed help finding a death notice for a grandfather, and she helped him eventually find newspaper records indicating he died in a car accident in 1948.

For those who love historical books, the history center has a collection of books that have been donated over the years including a book in various French dialects made in 1532. That book, made of pages of animal skin or vellum, inventories French estates.

More information about what is available, including digitized items that can be found online, can be found at https://scplshistory.org/.

Many items have been digitized, and Christian was working on one such project recently, digitizing a diary from a nurse from 1948.

“Eventually a lot of this stuff will be available online. We just have so many articles, documents and sometimes it isn’t possible to have everything online,” Christian said.

The history center is currently collecting World War II items, digitizing them and returning them if the owners so wish.

Many people come to the King Family Library to work on their genealogy, and the history center has a number of resources to help people do just that, including histories on Sevier and other counties in Tennessee as well as books on other states as well in their collection.

“We want to create a digital collection to show how Sevier County was during World War II,” Christian said.

One resident, AD Whaley, was a pilot who died

during World War II.

“He wrote his wife almost every day. You can see the affection there,” Christian said. “His family donated his letters to us.”

air fryer, baking pans and a backpack for hiking

among

Music fans can even

a record player.

The history center also has a number of old newspapers.

Master Gardener program

A GREAT WAY TO CONNECT AND VOLUNTEER

BY GREG WILKERSON | ASSOCIATE EDITOR

SEVIERVILLE — Consumer horticulture enthusiasts who want to help others improve their gardening skills can get involved with the University of Tennessee Agriculture Extension Office’s Master Gardener program.

Those who become a Master Gardener complete 40 hours of horticultural classes and provide 40 hours of volunteer community service through the Extension Office.

“The Master Gardener program is a volunteer-based program,” said Sevier County Extension Agent Matthew Anderson.

The program is a high-level horticulture training program that creates a group of Master Gardeners who then go out and share what they’ve learned with the community by teaching a gardening class or getting involved in other ways.

“We have a demonstration garden at the Extension Office that demonstrates different aspects of gardening, so people can come in and see,” Anderson said.

There are about 30-40 active Master Gardeners in the community. Classes are conducted annually in the spring.

“Our volunteers provide a service to the community through their volunteer opportunities,” Anderson said.

For those who are interested in learning more about gardening without the commitment of the full Master Gardener class, the Extension Office is set to start a new program this fall.

“We have a program that’s starting up across the state called ‘Welcome Home.’ It’s an abbreviated version of the Master Gardener program that doesn’t have the volunteering aspect of it,” Anderson said.

TOP: The Master Gardeners class in Spring 2022, chooses plants to move from the greenhouse to the garden. file photos/The Mountain Press

“Master Gardener training is on a college level, not that you have had to have gone to college, but it’s a lot of information and a lot if it is very thick, whereas Welcome Home is more of an early high school

level; yes we go into details, but it’s not as intense as the Master Gardener program. It’s four weeks instead of 16 weeks. For those who want to learn more about gardening — they may be new to Tennessee or

never learned about gardening before — this Welcome Home program is to reach those people who in the past were interested in the Master Gardener program for the knowledge, not necessarily the volunteering.”

The first Welcome Home class starts in October. For more information contact the Sevier County Extension Office. For more information on the Master Gardener class or other activities through the extension office visit, sevier. tennessee.edu.

“It’s a great community of people, like-minded people in gardening,” Anderson said. As an example, you have people who are anti-pesticides and you have people who are for pesticides in a sense, you have people who are all about organic and you have some people and they don’t want to mess with organic, you have a hodgepodge of different people, but we’re all like-minded in that we love gardening and we love sharing our knowledge to our community and being a service to our community.”

File photos/The Mountain Press

Andrea Ludwig, from UT, and Master Gardener Renee Thrap lay out plants before putting them in the ground in 2021.

Mountain Hope Good Shepherd Clinic SERVES THE UNINSURED

BY CINDY SIMPSON | EDITOR

For nearly 25 years Mountain Hope Good Shepherd Clinic has been providing accessible, affordable quality healthcare. Patients have access to primary care, dental and behavioral care while served by Mountain Hope Good Shepherd Clinic.

“Our main focus is the uninsured who live and work in Sevier County. These are people who have no safety net. They don’t have health insurance,” said Sarah Grayson, marketing and development director for the clinic.

The clinic opened in 1999, co-founded by the late Dr. Alyene Reese, a retired pediatrician, and her best friend, the late Sue Ellen Riddle, a retired social worker. Together the pair borrowed five rooms from a local church youth building and assembled an all-volunteer staff and started Mountain Hope Good Shepherd Clinic.

After 24 years of serving Sevier County, the clinic has served more than 31,000

patients and has a modern facility in Sevierville built by an anonymous benefactor.

They couldn’t do what they do without help from grants and the always generous community of donors.

“We really have to give a lot of thanks to our donors,” Grayson said.

The clinic is operated by a group of staff and volunteers. The primary care team consists of nurse practitioners, physician assistants, registered nurses, certified medical assistants and a medical interpreter.

Medical Director Dr. Richard Dew has been a volunteer since 2003.

The clinic also includes licensed clinical social workers and a psychiatric nurse practitioner.

The clinic’s dental team consists of Dr. Jeff Collart, a dental assistant and dental hygienist.

Several provider volunteers have served clinic patients for many years, including Dr. Robert Valosik.

Medical and nursing

students from different universities rotate through the clinic. These students come from East Tennessee State University, University of Tennessee, Carson-Newman University, Walter State Community College, and Lincoln Memorial University. The partnership with East Tennessee State University gives medical, nursing, social work, and public health students educational opportunities in rural community environments.

ETSU Quillen College of Medicine residents rotations throughout the year have given students an opportunity to learn about the rural outpatient experience.

“We always welcome people who want to come and volunteer,” Grayson said.

The clinic takes care of all ages.

“It is a family practice, so we are seeing families from birth to grandparents,” said Julia Pearce, director of community services and quality.

The Board of Directors are a dedicated group of

volunteers providing governance and vision to Mountain Hope Good Shepherd Clinic. Many businesses, local governments, civic groups, churches, and individuals take ownership by contributing funds, supplies, sponsoring fundraising events and spreading the word about the work the clinic does.

Another vitally important service provided by Mountain Hope Good Shepherd Clinic is the medication assistance program, providing access to affordable medications for chronic diseases. Patients are charged based on a sliding fee using the Federal Poverty Level for services provided and no one is refused care if unable to pay.

One of their newest programs focuses on working with the patients to overcome obstacles in their lives. Community health partners walk with the patient through the issues they are dealing with, whether that is health or other concerns that may impact health.

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Sevier County

FOCUSES ON EDUCATION

BY CINDY SIMPSON | EDITOR

In Sevier County, education is a priority, from the learning that goes on from Pre-K to grade 12 to the county’s unique higher education opportunities.

The Sevier County School System serves approximately 14,000 students in its system. Students have opportunities to excel at all grade levels, from elementary through high school.

Each of Sevier County’s schools take great pride in helping students succeed, with many schools working toward or already obtaining state STEM school designation.

Three Sevier County schools have done just that — Catlettsburg Elementary and Northview Primary and Northview Intermediate schools.

Those schools went through a rigorous process to show their focus on STEM (Science, technology, engineering and math) education and how they would continue to work with community stakeholders like parents and businesses to continue to provide STEM opportunities to their students.

At the high school level,

students are prepared to succeed, whether that means they continue to college or a trade school or enter the workforce after graduation.

“Students in all of our high schools have access to Career and Technical Education (CTE) coursework in their buildings as well as through transportation provided to other sites within our district for hands-on

classes, and we are looking to expand offering through a new program of community partnerships that will seek to expose students to careers in the trades,” said Tony Ogle, assistant superintendent of student services.

“We have added or expanded coursework in health sciences, criminal justice, and fire science management based on demand communicated to us from medical professionals and police and fire chiefs. Students are also able to participate in construction, cosmetology, and culinary arts classes in programs based at Sevier County High School and Northview Academy.”

Sevier County’s dedication to education doesn’t just stop at high school graduation. Sevier County residents have the

opportunity to continue their education for free at Walters State Community College and the county’s ETSU campus.

Sevier County Partners in Progress provides scholarships to students to take dual enrollment courses at Walters State Community College while attending one of the Sevier County high schools and, upon graduation and completing at least 60 hours at Walters State, the program provides up to $2,000 a semester for four consecutive semesters to students working to obtain a four-year degree from ETSU in Sevierville.

For many, that means little to no tuition debt to earn a degree. For more information, visit https://seviercountypip.com/

Walters State Community College offers both academic credit classes and non-credit classes/training at the Sevierville campus at 1720 Old Newport Highway.

A variety of programs are offered at the campus, with a special emphasis on culinary arts, hospitality management and professional entertainment courses to address the county’s unique education needs.

The Rel Maples Institute for Culinary Arts includes a 2,100 square-foot kitchen, bake shop, demonstration kitchen and dining rooms where students test their skills at catered events each semester. The Maples Institute was the first culinary institution in Tennessee to receive accreditation with the American Culinary Federation Education Founda-

tion Accrediting Commission. More information about Walters State can be gained at https://www.ws.edu/campuses/sevier/.

The ETSU campus, 2025 Red Bank Road, offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs in Sevierville.

Undergraduate degrees include a bachelor’s degree in business management and marketing management, early care and education, early childhood education, elementary education, special education, psychology, human services, social work, radiologic science, accelerated BSN, RN-BSN or LPN-BSN and a bachelor of applied science.

For more information about ETSU at Sevierville, visit https://www.etsu.edu/provost/ seviercenter/.

Sevier County Schools

PRESCHOOL

Trula Lawson Early Childhood Center

550 East Gate Road

Sevierville, TN 37862

865-428-5793

HEAD START

Boyds Creek Head Start

2536 Boyds Creek Hwy.

Sevierville, TN 37876

865-908-0627

Douglas Dam Head Start

139 Douglas Dam Road

Sevierville, TN 37862

865-428-5010

Harrisburg Head Start

1814 Old Harrisburg Road

Sevierville, TN 37876

865-429-5602

Ridgewood Head Start

944 Jamesena Drive

Pigeon Forge, TN 37863

865-908-6280

Wearwood Head Start

3150 Wearwood Drive

Sevierville, TN 37862

865-429-5039

PRIMARY/ELEMENTARY/ MIDDLE SCHOOLS

Boyds Creek Elementary

1729 Indian Warpath Road

Sevierville, TN 37876

865-774-8285

Catlettsburg Elementary

1409 Catlettsburg Road

Sevierville, TN 37876

865-428-2171

Caton’s Chapel Elementary

3135 Catons Chapel Road

Sevierville, TN 37876

865-453-2132

Gatlinburg-Pittman

Junior High

150 Proffitt Road

Gatlinburg, TN 37738

865-436-5637

Jones Cove Elementary School

4554 Jones Cove Road

Cosby, TN 37722

865-453-9325

New Center Elementary

2701 Old Newport Highway

Sevierville, TN 37876

865-453-2123

Northview Intermediate

3295 Douglas Dam Road

Kodak, TN 37764

865-933-7985

Northview Junior Academy

2719 Northview Academy Lane

Kodak, TN 37764

865-933-5880

Northview Primary

3293 Douglas Dam Road

Kodak, TN 37764

865-933-2415

Pi Beta Phi Elementary

125 Cherokee Orchard Road

Gatlinburg, TN 37738

865-436-5076

Pigeon Forge Intermediate

3003 Jess Wilson Road

Pigeon Forge, TN 37863

865-366-9100

Pigeon Forge Junior High

300 Wears Valley Road

Pigeon Forge, TN 37863

865-453-2401

Pigeon Forge Primary

1766 Waldens Creek Road

Sevierville, TN 37862

865-428-3016

Pittman Center Elementary

2455 East Parkway

Gatlinburg, TN 37738

865-436-4515

Sevierville Elementary

416 High Street

Sevierville, TN 37862

865-428-0953

Sevier County Junior High

1180 Dolly Parton Parkway

Sevierville, TN 37862

865-453-3150

Sevierville Intermediate

520 High Street

Sevierville, TN 37862

865-453-8925

Sevierville Primary

1146 Blanton Drive

Sevierville, TN 37862

865-453-2824

Seymour Intermediate

737 Boyds Creek Highway

Seymour, TN 37865

865-609-0030

Seymour Junior High

306 North Pitner Road

Seymour, TN 37865

865-573-9320

Seymour Primary School

717 Boyds Creek Highway,

Seymour, TN 37865

865-577-5970

Wearwood Elementary

3150 Wearwood Drive

Sevierville, TN 37862

865-453-2252

HIGH SCHOOLS

Gatlinburg-Pittman High School

150 Proffitt Road

Gatlinburg, TN 37738

865-436-5637

Northview Senior Academy

2719 Northview Academy Lane

Kodak, TN 37764

865-933-5880

Pigeon Forge High School

414 Tiger Drive

Pigeon Forge, TN 37863

865-774-5790

Sevier County High School

1200 Dolly Parton Parkway

Sevierville, TN 37862

865-453-5525

Seymour Senior High School

732 Boyds Creek Highway

Seymour, TN 37865

865-577-7040

OTHER

The King’s Academy

(pre-K through 12th grades)

202 Smothers Road

Seymour, TN 37865

865-573-8321

Christian Academy of the Smokies (K-4 through 12th grade)

1625 Old Newport Highway

Sevierville, TN 37862

865-774-0012

Seymour Community Christian School (infant through 12th grade)

994 South Old Sevierville Pike

Seymour, TN 37865

865-577-5500

COLLEGES

East Tennessee State University

Sevierville Center

2025 Red Bank Road

Sevierville, TN 37876

865-429-7733

Walters State Community College

1720 Old Newport Highway

Sevierville, TN 37876

865-774-5800

ws.edu

Sevier County officials

Sevier County Mayor Larry Waters

865-453-6136

mayor@seviercountytn.gov

Sevier County Commissioners, Warren N. Hurst

1st District, 1730 Dixon Branch Road, Sevierville 865-453-8513

Tommy Watts 1st District

2924 Maples Branch Road, Sevierville

865-654-7160

Brandon Headrick

2nd District

3305 Wearwood Drive, Sevierville

865-680-2345

Don McGill

2nd District

2126 Little Valley Road, Sevierville

865-755-1300

Dale Hill

3rd District

3980 Thomas Cross Road, Sevierville 865-680-4224

Mike Chambers 3rd District

2090 Walnut Grove Road, Sevierville

865-742-6176

Jack Parton 4th District

1304 Robert Ridge Road, Sevierville 865-640-8277

Ronnie Whaley

4th District

2713 Hilltop Drive, Pigeon Forge 865-604-4203

Carroll Rauhuff 4th District

768 Cain Hollow Road, Pigeon Forge 865-453-2755

Michael Maddron 5th District

356 Riverdale Drive, Sevierville 865-654-4638

Frank Parton 5th District

216 River Garden Court, Sevierville 865-428-4919

Fred A. Atchley 5th District

1130 South Fork Drive, Sevierville 865-712-3326

Chad Ogle 6th District

810 Trinity View Circle, Seymour 865-654-6429

Harold Pitner 6th District

340 Winding Ridge Trail, Seymour 865-453-7748

Scott Catlett

7th District

2651Douglas Dam Road, Sevierville 865-924-5930

Ronnie W. Allen

7th District

1451 Twin Oaks Road, Sevierville

865-654-5590

Aaron Foster

8th District

412 Northview Drive, Kodak

865-712-9615

Kent Wood

8th District

151 Kyker Ferry Road, Kodak 865-932-1101

Mike Hillard

8th District

3783 Bent Road, Kodak 865-388-4030

East Tennessee’s1st Name in Fencing 865-254-3844

Stanleyfence.com

ORNAMENTAL ALUMINUM •VINYL /WOOD CHAINLINK •PRIVACY ESTATE/SECURITY GATES

Greg Haggard

9th District

735 Chilhowee Circle, Seymour 865-573-4859

Chuck Godfrey

9th District

803 Gavin Lane, Seymour 865-579-9581

Todd Humble

10th District

1704 War Paint Trail, Seymour 865-577-8546

Bryan Delius

10th District

124 Court Avenue, Sevierville 865-428-8780 We have

Gary Cole

11th District

314 Bowtie Lane, Gatlinburg

865-436-5074

Ray I. Ogle

11th District

P. O. Box 662, 1159 Kates Road, Gatlinburg

865-436-5227

Circuit Court Clerk Karen Atchley

Sevier County Courthouse

125 Court Ave., Suite 204E, Sevierville, TN 37862

Hours of Operation: 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Mon.– Fri.

Civil - 865-453-5536 ext. 1

Criminal - 865-774-3731

Child Support – 865-429-5270

Clerk and Master Carolyn P. McMahan

Sevier County Courthouse

125 Court Ave., Suite 108 W, Sevierville

Phone: 865-453.4654

Fax: 865-453.8763

Hours of Operation: 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Sevier County Clerk Adra Rowland

Sevier County Courthouse (all services provided)

125 Court Ave., Suite 202 E, Sevierville

865-453-5502

8 a.m. – arrive by 4 p.m. Monday – Friday

Gatlinburg (marriage license, vehicle renewal, title and registration)

405 Reagan Drive, Gatlinburg

865-430-3404

8 a.m. – arrive by 4 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Friday

Pigeon Forge (marriage license, vehicle renewal)

186 Old Mill Ave., Pigeon Forge

865-908-6613

9 a.m. – 1 p.m. Saturday ONLY

Drive Thru (vehicle renewal, placards/ disability hangtags)

106 W Bruce St., Sevierville

7:30 a.m. – 3:45 p.m. Monday - Friday

Seymour Kiosk (vehicle renewal)

Seymour Public Library

137 W Macon Lane, Seymour

General Sessions Clerk Penny Johnson

Sevier County Courthouse

Criminal Division

125 Court Ave., Suite 107E, Sevierville

Phone: 865-453-6116

Fax: 865-774-3842

General Sessions Clerk, Civil Division

125 Court Ave., Suite 104E, Sevierville

Phone: 865-429-5671

Fax: 865-774-3639

General Sessions Clerk, Juvenile Division

125 Court Ave., 308W, Sevierville

Phone: 865-428-5284

Fax: 865-774-3822

Road Superintendent Jonas A. Smelcer

139 County Garage Road

Sevierville, TN 37876

865-453-8093

Property Assessor Thomas King

Sevier County Courthouse

125 Court Ave.

Suite 210 West

Sevierville, TN 37862

865-453-3242

Fax: 865-774-3957

Register of Deeds Cyndi Pickel

Sevier County Courthouse

125 Court Ave.

# 209W, Sevierville, TN 37862

Trustee Faye Loveday

Sevier County Courthouse

125 Court Ave. Suite 212W, Sevierville

865-453-2767

C A R D I AC S E RV I C E S

Cardiac catheterization

Cardiac stress test

Echocardiography (adults only)

Transesophageal echocardiography

C

Medically supervised exercise

Education for risk factor modification

C

3D mammography

Breast MRI

Breast ultrasound

Bone densitometry

Multidisciplinary tumor conference

Stereotactic breast biopsy

Ultrasound-guided breast biopsy

Paint the Mountains Pink program

DOLLY PARTON BIRTHING UNIT

Private labor, delivery, recovery and postpartum suites

Safe Sleep hospital

Interpreter services

E M E RG E N C Y S E RV I C E S

Open 24/7

Advanced Primary Stroke Center

Helicopter accessibility

Named a 2021 Top Rural Hospital by The Leapfrog Group

I M AG I N G S E RV I C E S

Diagnostic X-ray

CT scan

Lung cancer screening

Wide bore Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

Nuclear medicine

Pulmonary Function Test (PFT)

Ultrasound

Family waiting area

Safety alarms to prevent falls

L

Comprehensive outpatient