Today I'm doing a bunch of short hikes to cemeteries in the GSMNP. Some of these are now showing up on Google Maps. My first stop is the Enloe cemetery. It is located right across the road from bus parking area at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center. Oconaluftee is derived from the Cherokee village, Egwanulti meaning "by the river", documented by John Bartram during his 1775 travels.
The cemetery is up a short but quite steep hill. I've read that the Enloes and Mingus' were the first white settlers in this area.
Next stop is an unnamed cemetery I first learned about from a 2013 blog by Jenny Bennett. She blogged about this cemetery and the "secret footbridge" leading to it. It is not along a trail. To find this place, you can park at either Collins Creek Picnic area or milepost 24.61 parking area. Then walk along the road or along Oconaluftee River. Using navigation, try to find where Shellbark and Will Branches are entering the river on the opposite side. At the midpoint between these two tributaries, you'll find the secret footbridge. After crossing, follow a manway to the right for a couple hundred yards.
Tucked away in the wilderness is the cemetery with just a few stones.
Retracing your steps, head back over the footbridge. If you look closely in the above photo, you can see a car traveling along Rt 441.
Next up is the cemetery where those enslaved by the Enloes are buried. I read that it is a West African tradition to place items on a grave as a tribute to the deceased. I've heard a military tribute to those who have served is to place coins on a grave. Somehow, these traditions have merged to pay respects to enslaved people by placing coins on a grave.
The slave cemetery is beside the parking area for Mingus Mill.
Last up is the Carver cemetery, located along a manway off Bradley Fork Trail near Smokemont campground.
It too has a secret footbridge. I'm sure Jenny knew about this one as well.
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