Earth and water have collaborated for many, many years to form the landscape we experience here now. During early mountain-building events, fault movement weakened the bedrock, which then weathered away to carve out the physical gap in the Cumberland Mountains — a geological phenomena that has carved out the Cumberland Gap’s place in history. This geological-good-fortune drew folks to the gap for passage and countless travelers (human and non-human) have drank from the fresh waters that emerge from Gap Cave. Having gone by “King Solomon’s Cave,” “Soldiers Cave,” and simply yet most famously, “Cudjo’s Cave,” Gap Cave is composed of at least thirty miles and three levels of passages, corridors, and caverns. Its interior, adorned with calcite crystals, includes one of the world’s largest known stalagmites, a 65 feet high giant called “the Pillar of Hercules” that is thought to be eighty-five million years old. Subterranean streams found in the first two levels of Gap Cave have provided the town of Cumberland Gap with water for generations.

A newcomer to the gap describes the draw of peaceful waters, followed by a park ranger's perspective on geology, caves, and water.

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This sculpture represents water and geology, with metal mimicking moving water and mountain ridges. The creek beside you, Gap Creek, originates from within the mountain, runs through town, and eventually empties into the Powell River. It is a continuing chapter in the gap’s long story of geological history. Read more about this theme below, look through related images, and listen to the audio to hear local stories.


Geology & Water: Gap Creek

Still: Cumberland Gap is a monument-memory tour that moves through the historic town of Cumberland Gap, TN. Exploring six themes, the tour is punctuated with sculptures created by local artist Caroline Hatfield and virtually enhanced with Clio entries that include historical images and audio narratives. Participants will travel through time and space as they experience art, multi generational storytelling, and the natural beauty of the original Gateway to the West. This project has been generously supported by South Arts Organization, The National Endowment for the Arts, and Guardians of the Gap. The project team would like to acknowledge, with respect to the Cherokee, Shawnee, and Yuchi, the indigenous people who have ancestral ties to this land. This project, intended to honor and include less recognized histories, is ongoing and welcoming of additional perspectives or feedback to further that purpose.

Within this lush and immersive landscape, a unique ecosystem operates. One can find a variety of life, past and present, from the fossil remains of ancient seas to the returning Black bear. The diverse, thriving ecology can be experienced first hand in and around Cumberland Gap.Through persistent effort of the local community, the Cumberland Gap National Historical was established in 1940. The park has initiated many restoration projects and acquired land on several occasions over the years, including the purchase of 1800 acres from the American Association, a late 19th century enterprise that targeted the region for investment. The town of Cumberland Gap is now surrounded by a healthy wilderness home to 970 vascular plant species, 140 species of birds, 40 species of mammals (including endangered bats dependent on the cave systems), 27 fish species, and 36 species of reptiles and amphibians. From the town, one can access several park trails. Just a minute’s walk down Tiprell Road brings you to the trailhead for Whitt’s Ridge Trail on the left, which leads to LMU and offers an overlook view of Cumberland Gap. Additionally, there are park trailheads in the east and west corners of town that access multiple trails to vantage points, caves, and historical sites. A walk on the Daniel Boone Greenway traverses through the town’s iconic covered bridges and an old railroad tunnel in route to LMU and Harrogate. The paved greenway hosts a certified Tennessee Arboretum with 60 native tree species identified along the four mile stretch. A majority of the plants in the gardens along this tour were provided by Knoxville's Native Plant Rescue Squad, whose mission is to reclaim and redistribute native plants.

This memory-monument represents ecology and environment. Metal forms a fluid topography mimicking the environment of the Cumberland Gap region. The stone and metal intersect and undulate, like a foggy day in the Cumberland Mountains, when mountains and tree lines merge with mist and clouds. The sculpture reflects how life and land are interdependent. Read more about this theme below and look through related images.


Environment & Ecology: The Cumberland Gap Greenway

For centuries, the passage was utilized by both Cherokee and Shawnee hunters and warriors, with clashes between the tribes occurring frequently. The path was known as Athowominee to the Shawnee — the warrior’s path. During the years of Daniel Boone’s passage through Cumberland Gap, the conflict between natives and settlers did not stop the mountain pass’s development into a road for pioneers. Boone’s legacy as a trailblazer is complex — reaching beyond simply cutting down trees. The success of his campaign came at the expense of the indigenous people who relied on the region for hunting and travel. In the following years, the geographical advantage presented by the gap set it up to remain a point of conflict during the Civil War. While only minor skirmishes were fought in the gap, both forces occupied the area at different points during the war, under difficult circumstances of bad weather, dwindling supplies, and extensive periods of little to no activity. The latter being immortalized in the folk ballad Cumberland Gap’s line “lay down boys and take a little nap.” The occupation flipped back and forth between Union and Confederate forces several times. As a preventative tactic, departing troops destroyed ammunition, timber, and other resources in the hopes of rendering the post unusable. The destruction resulted in much of the town having to be rebuilt once the war ended. The remains of this lot, known as the Morrison Property, are the only surviving pre-civil war structures of the town. The home that once stood here housed General Morgan at one point, while the property later served as a stable. “The greatest distress that came under my observation during the war was in the fall of 1862, according to my recollection. It was in October. The leaves were still green on the trees. The weather turned very cold, and there was a snowfall to the depth of 3 inches that covered the ground. It was a strange sight to see the leaves so green and the ground so white...At this time General Bragg retreated with his army out of Kentucky. He was in command of a very large force. They were several days passing by. We lived on the main road leading from Cumberland Gap to Knoxville. Most of his army passed by on this road. Many of them told me that they had traveled on double quick time, and hadn’t had a morsel to eat in three days. This was a distressing scene indeed. A great many of the men were overcome with fatigue and fell by the wayside, while others took shelter in the churches or the waste houses or with families wherever they could get shelter.” - Hansard, Mary A. Old Time Tazewell. Kingsport, TN: Kingsport Press, Inc., 1979, p. 38.

This memory-monument represents the conflict and war that has occurred on this land in past times. The stone and metal intersect and clash, just as the paths of many different folks have converged in Cumberland Gap, sometimes resulting in friction, but often settling into resolution. Continue reading below to learn more about this theme and look through related images.


Conflict & War: The Morrison Property Remains

Though the years may have brought many changes to Cumberland Gap’s economy and way of life, folks here know they reside in a special place. The old and the new work together to continually evolve the town. Buildings have hosted different businesses and served many purposes. As one purpose retires, a new purpose takes up residence —- such as the town hall operating in what was once the school or the artist’s co-op occupying the former Fuson Drug Store building. This is, of course, in compliment to new additions, like Festival Park, which (in 1976) celebrated the 200 year anniversary of the town. Festival Park hosts many community events throughout the year, like The Mountain Fiesta, an annual festival celebrating Appalachian and Latin culture.As always, the town maintains a close relationship to the rest of the tri-state region, especially Lincoln Memorial University. Since opening its doors in 1897, fulfilling Abraham Lincoln’s wish he expressed to General Howard to “do something for those mountain people,” the university and the town have been intertwined, becoming a destination for education and opportunity. From LMU once owning and operating the Gap Cave to today’s students residing in Cumberland Gap, the communities have long supported one another.Formerly Cumberland Gap Public School, the building dates to 1925. It now serves as the city hall and houses an impressive collection of historic pieces relevant to the town's history.

This memory-monument stands as a symbol of the enduring community present in Cumberland Gap. The sculpture is circular, the curving metal turns in an eternal cycle. Likewise, the community here is intertwined with the landscape, the past, and present. The undulating metal lines are like the ebb and flow of Gap Creek, which has flowed through town for generations of lives lived here. Read below to learn more about this theme and listen to the narration to hear about the lived experience of it.

Enduring Community: Cumberland Gap City Hall

Decades after the Civil War, Cumberland Gap was caught up in the plans of the “American Association”, a group of English capitalists led by Alexander Arthur, to make the region both an industrial center and an elite vacation destination. The group purchased thousands of acres and opened the Four Seasons Hotel, a 20 million dollar investment, in 1892. Accompanying infrastructure in Middlesboro was developed for obtaining and distributing the area’s timber and iron ore. From 1886-1892, almost all of the buildings in Cumberland Gap were replaced. Notably, the American Association’s headquarters still stands on Colwyn Street today. Falling into financial difficulties, the American Association’s venture did not survive the turn of the century. This failure resulted in stunted growth for Cumberland Gap until the 1920s brought interest in the region’s coal deposits.The nature of the area’s opportunities have changed. In years past, opportunity took the form of extracting stone and iron ore, mining coal, logging, or utilizing hydropower. One can still find many relics of past industry within or near the town, like the iron furnace that sits behind Berkau Park or the Old Mill's water wheel. Today, the natural wonder and rich history of the region is perhaps the most important resource, as outdoor recreation beckons tourists and locals to Cumberland Gap. Dedicated to Russell Berkau, the Russell Berkau Memorial Park was established in June of 1991 by the town of Cumberland Gap. The park is located at the former site of The Pinnacle Wagon Manufacturing Company.

Berkau Park's memory-monument represents the continuing story of resources and industry in the Cumberland Gap region. Constructed from metal and stone, it utilizes two of many materials that have driven the region’s industry and economy. The resources of the surrounding landscape have shaped Cumberland Gap as we know it today, often by contradictory forces of preservation and exploitation. From the glamorous hopes of the Four Season’s Resort to the destructive process of logging, the region’s natural resources have often been treated as either pristine beauty or raw material. Read more about this theme below, look through related images, and listen to the audio to hear about a local experience of it. 

Resources & Industry: Russel Berkau Memorial Park

Beginning with Native American hunters and migrating buffalo, to the settlers heading west on the Wilderness Road, to the “moonshine running” of the prohibition era, and today’s trains passing through Cumberland Gap, the mountain pass is a significant point of travel and transit. Of course, the way folks move through the gap has changed significantly over the years. The historic route westward known as the Wilderness Road was eventually replaced by Highway 25E —- a paved, winding highway that offered perilous transit between the three states of Tennessee, Kentucky, and Virginia. The local nickname of “Massacre Mountain” was, unfortunately, well-deserved and, thankfully, brought to an end with the opening of the Cumberland Gap tunnel. The tunnel now allows for safe passage between the tri-state area, while providing the Cumberland Gap National Historical Park the opportunity to remove the highway and restore the Wilderness Road. The restoration was a wonderful achievement in the preservation of American history, given that an estimated 47 million people in the United States are descendent of Wilderness Road travelers. As the backdrop of this site, one can see the foundation remains of Cumberland Gap’s train depot — a building that, itself, has moved! You may find it just down the road hosting Gertie’s Commissary. Several of the included historical photographs show the train depot during its functioning years, receiving and departing trains carrying guests and goods.

This memory-monument references migration and movement. The metal trails and traces like the paths of many who have traveled through Cumberland Gap. In a natural phenomenon of fate, the physical gap in the Cumberland Mountains beckons movement and passage. Read more about this theme below and look through related images.



Still: Cumberland Gap

Geology & Water: Gap Creek

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources

Additional Information