Yes, I'm really getting interested in postal history from the area in and around Smoky Mountain National Park. I've got alot of extended family up there in Hartford, Cosby and Del Rio in Cocke County, TN. That's mom's side. Dad's side closer to Kingsport.
For those who have never been there, The Cades Cove area (Chestnut Flats), is essentially an outdoor museum with homes, churches etc. left completely intact and identical to the way they were left in the late 1800s. WOULD LOVE to see some postal history from that area if anyone has any.
Just from a cursory search I'm surprised I can't find at least one piece of postal history from these towns:
Took my grandson to Cades Cove a while back - he was fascinated. I went through Del Rio not too long ago. A guy I do some consulting work for had to go to Lenoir, NC on business, and I went along, more for company than anything else. We were coming back when we heard on the radio that I40 was closed - bad wreck in the tunnel - and would be closed for hours. The radio report was saying to go north past Johnson City (almost to Kingsport) and then pick up I81. I told him that was ridiculous - just go north out of Asheville and pink up US25. Now realize he had never driven in mountains before and was driving a humongous Ford Excursion. The first few miles were OK - four lanes. Then it went to two lanes. Then two narrow lanes. Then we started down the mountain. I'd always heard about a 'white knuckled' experience, and I finally saw one. He had a death grip on the steering wheel, and his knuckles really were white. By the time we got to Del Rio, he was breathing normally, and his heart rate was back to normal.
Back to stamps. From my earlier collecting years, I acquired a full set of imperf blocks of four from the National Parks issue. I no longer collect US, but I've thought about doing something with those - some sort of National Parks album/display/montage - whatever. This may light a fire under me and get something going.
it's been about three years now (too long!) but I took my wife and two of my kids up there for spring break. We were coming through Maggie Valley on I-40 just as the sun started to come up. It had snowed HARD the night before and it was the first time that my youngest had seen snow. I think he was 13 at the time. We stopped on the side of the road and had a snow ball fight. To see him get down on his knees and let the snow fall through his fingers was priceless. We had left Jacksonville after dinner the day before and were wearing shorts. My son and I rented bicycles and did the 11 mile loop around Cades Cove and had to stop a couple of time to let the deer go past.
You're getting me psyched to put something nice together based on the area around the park. That's a very special place to me.
This is a stamp based on the view from Clingmans Dome, the highest point in Tennessee.
Here are two photographs from the top of the dome.
This seems to be a comprehensive listing of all of the National Parks, Preserves, Monuments and Battlefields. There are 412 different places listed. There are MANY U.S. stamps depicting these sights outright and many more depicted indirectly. Many of these places are depicted on foreign stamps as well. This would be a fun project to put together all of the stamps that represent these places.
APS missed one! Sandy Hook Lighthouse at Gateway National Park in New Jersey. The original military base Fort Hancock is on the tip of the hook and part of the park.
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