Walker Sisters Place

The main cabin was built in the 1840s and has two rooms, fireplaces and a front porch. Its tulip-poplar logs were insulated with mud and rock. Look beyond the cabin for the springhouse and corn crib: those outbuildings show how this was a working farm, not just a house in the woods. For a photo, step back far enough to include the cabin and one of its outbuildings; the cluster tells more of the story than a tight shot of logs.

John Walker’s farm covered 122 acres. The family grew more than 20 kinds of apples, along with peaches, cherries and plums, and kept livestock. The springhouse stood beside a flowing creek to cool dairy and store pickled root vegetables. John also made chairs, looms and tools, a reminder that the household produced much of what it used.

John Walker married Margaret Jane King in 1866 and gained the cove property through her family. After his death in 1921, his daughters inherited the farm. Six unmarried sisters had stayed with their father; five were still living at the homestead after Nancy died in 1931. They resisted leaving until 1940, when they sold the farm for $4,750 and received a lifetime lease to remain. The last sister, Louisa, died in 1964. Visitors came for more than the buildings: the sisters sold fried apple pies, crocheted doilies, handmade toys and Louisa’s poems.

Park at Metcalf Bottoms Picnic Area and cross the small bridge north of the picnic area to the trailhead. Restrooms are at the picnic area. Expect packed dirt and gravel, with some steeper sections and occasional roots and rocks. Pets aren't allowed on this hike. A seasonally open gravel road off Wears Cove Gap Road reaches Little Greenbrier School, where the trail continues uphill to the homesite; check its current opening before planning on that approach. Current interior access isn't confirmed, so plan to view the cabin from outside.