The Story of White Oak Flats Cemetery

Before there was a town, before a road ever reached this valley, there was this hill.

Framed by white oaks and the rising arms of the Smoky Mountains, it became the final resting place for the earliest families to settle what would one day become Gatlinburg. These were the men and women who cleared the fields, built the cabins, raised generations — and buried their loved ones in the earth they called home.

This place became known as White Oak Flats Cemetery, officially established in 1830. But long before the name was written on signs or entered into records, the families of this valley already knew what it was. They came here with sorrow in their arms and left with reverence in their steps. Some even referred to it quietly as “Graveyard Hill” — a name that faded as the town grew and generations passed.

The hill holds generations of memory. Family names still fill the hillside — some carved into stone, some nearly faded, some unmarked but known by heart. Every grave represents a thread in the fabric of Gatlinburg’s past. What may look like quiet grass is sacred ground, carefully preserved by the descendants of those who came before.

People come from across the country — sometimes from across the world — to find a name, a connection, a memory. They walk the hill with notebooks, photographs, or just a question. They come to stand where their kin once stood. To kneel beside the founders of this mountain town. They don’t come for a spectacle. They come to touch the truth.

This cemetery was never built to impress.
It wasn’t meant to be a tourist site.
It was built to remember.

And it still serves that purpose today.

White Oak Flats Cemetery remains active, though all plots were claimed long ago. There are no plots for sale, and burial is restricted to direct descendants of Gatlinburg’s founding families. Every visible space — even those that seem empty — is already accounted for.

The cemetery is open daily from daylight to dusk — no posted hours, no closing bell. The sun keeps the time here, just like it always has.

Visitors are welcome — quietly, respectfully. What they find here is not a ghost story or a thrill. It’s the soul of a mountain town, preserved in stone and soil. A living record of who we were — and how we got here.

Many important people are buried here.
To read their stories, visit the families page of our website.

This isn’t just where Gatlinburg’s founders were buried.
It’s where Gatlinburg was born.