National Park Service worker Jay Townes works on renovation of the Spence Cabin one of the Elkmont buildings being stabilized and renovated as part of the Park Service’s plan to make a museum community. Spence Cabin will be available this summer for day use.By Morgan Simmons
GATLINBURG, Tenn. – As the historic preservation crew foreman for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Gary Zbel oversees the construction and upkeep of 97 historic structures scattered throughout the Smokies.
Over the years Zbel and his crew have worked on everything from grist mills to log cabins, but nothing, he says, has been as challenging as rehabilitating the Appalachian Clubhouse.
Built in 1934, the 5,000-square-foot building in the park’s Elkmont district served as headquarters for social gatherings among the community’s summer residents. The building’s siding was Douglas fir, and the tongue-and-groove flooring in the ballroom was oak and maple. The backside and corners of the lodge were damaged by water rot, but workers salvaged 80 percent of the building’s original flooring.
Because the clubhouse had settled as much as 6 inches over the decades, the crew’s first job last summer was to jack up the building and rebuild the rock foundation.