2 votes

Lost Cove Ghost Town

Erwin, Tennessee USA

Free

Free to Visit

Independent

“A long dead logging town in the middle of nowhere..”

This place is on private property. Listing for informational purposes only. Please do not visit without express permission from the land owner. Lost cove is a 700 acre area along Tennesee's Nolichucky River that was once home to a thriving community of mountain folk from the 1860's to the 1950's. There are no roads into the area (there never were, which was a primary reason for the Cove's isolation). There are several remaining buildings from this community still standing, an orchard (slowly being taken over by nature, as it has been un-cared for for 5 decades), stone fences, 2 cemeteries, even the concrete steps to what had been the church. This location was particularly good to 1900's era moonshiners who wanted to brew their alcohol undisturbed. When one moonshiner was caught, the judge threw out the case, stating that it was "out of his jurisdiction", which only further encouraged moonshiners to take up residence in the hidden mountain town. When the area's lumber began to run out, the town slowly died off. Despite plans to build a proper road into the town, the last family left Lost Cove in 1957. The road was never built, and now the town lies empty and decaying. This area is supposedly private property, but hiking into it is acceptable. If you choose to go, bring along an empty trash bag, and take out some of the tremendous amount of old cans and bottles left by years of abuse by previous visitors. Surely that's a wonderful form of payment that any property owner will accept!

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Reviewed by
tom.deaderick

1 Review
4 Helpful

January 09, 2014

I recently published a science-fiction novel ("Flightsuit") that is based on Lost Cove and Bumpas Cove. I've hiked to the Lost Cove many times, and I'm sure we all enjoy and appreciate many of the same elements of this experience. I hope the book is especially enjoyable for those who have actually been to these places and I welcome local feedback and reviews. It's available at Amazon (only $2.99). http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00H1TC8C6

4 people found this review helpful

Reviewed by
rareartifact

1 Review
1 Helpful

April 19, 2017

The trail is now marked, but only one structure remains standing - and it's covered with graffiti. The hike down was easy, going back up was exhausting. You're basically starting at the top of the mountain and going all the way down, then back up. Trail is rated most difficult.

1 person found this review helpful

Reviewed by
jessie.s.patterson

1 Review
0 Helpful

July 06, 2014

It's suppose to be reopening soon

1 person found this review helpful

Reviewed by
tomdeaderick

2 Reviews
0 Helpful

July 31, 2019

Read Tom Deaderick's series about THE LOST COVE, featured in Erwin Record, July 31, 2019, and available on Amazon.

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Reviewed by
tomdeaderick

2 Reviews
0 Helpful

July 15, 2019

I have written a science fiction series, THE LOST COVE SERIES, with four novels set in the Lost Cove, Bumpas Cove and the mountains around Erwin, Tennessee. The books are available on Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074BLTK71/?ie=UTF8&redirect=true&ref_=series_rw_dp_labf).

The most recent, FLIGHTSPAWN, features many familiar locations. A complete GPS list is provided on my web site, https://TomDeaderick.com.

I love finding an interesting place and writing a fictional event into it. It’s like a geocached gift that you leave behind for others. I hope you like the books, please check them out and leave me a review on Amazon.

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Reviewed by
Meghan

30 Reviews
6 Helpful

June 01, 2017

We stayed in a campground as close as you can get to Lost Cove (still a couple hour hike). Sadly, the locals let us know that there isn't much left there - apparently, mostly everything has been burned down or vandalized.

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