Tyson McCarter Place

Tyson McCarter Place is a historic farmstead on Old Settlers Trail in the park’s Webb Creek area. It is not a roadside cabin stop: from Maddron Bald Trailhead, hike about 1.2 miles to the junction, then go about 3.2 miles west along Old Settlers Trail. That is roughly 4.4 miles one way, and the strenuous route has creek crossings, some without bridges. This is a worthwhile stop if a long hike to old farm buildings sounds like your kind of day; it is not a quick detour.

The house is gone, but the clearing holds a drive-through log barn with an attached corn crib, plus a smokehouse and springhouse. Two fieldstone chimneys about 30 feet apart mark the house ruins, and low stone walls survive around the farmstead. Step back to see the barn and crib together, then look around the edge of the clearing for the wall remains.

The farm had an unusual layout: the house and outbuildings formed a ring around an open yard, likely to keep livestock safer from wild animals. The barn and corn crib were joined, rather than built separately. A spring-fed stone trough in the springhouse kept perishables cool, while the smokehouse was used to cure meat. Those details help you picture a working farm, not just a collection of old buildings.

The farmstead was listed on the National Register in 1976 for its agricultural and architectural significance. Its barn, corn crib, smokehouse and springhouse preserve a small piece of the farming community that once occupied this part of the Smokies.