Marshall McClung
During the past few years, Hoot Gibbs and I – along with Randy Collins – have been taking Graham County 4-H members and some parents on hikes.
During that time, we have visited waterfalls, grassy balds and other local points of interest.
Recently, this group visited Whig Meadows – at the edge of Tennessee – a short distance from the Cherohala Skyway, via a wooded road from the Mud Gap Trailhead.
The name “Whig” is thought to have come from a family by that name who built a cabin there before 1895. It is unclear if there was already a natural meadow there, but the Whig family cleared a few acres there near the cabin.
Gen. Hooper – who was my grandmother McClung’s father – moved there in 1900. He hired Jep Hooper and Jack Roberts to clear several more acres, dig the stumps out, sow in grass and build a fence around the area. Gen. Hooper last lived there in 1920.
Claude Hyde – another relative of mine – said that in 1924, a mowing machine pulled by a yoke of oxen was brought from Hooper Bald to Whig Meadows to cut the grass for hay.
In later years, the Whig cabin was used by hunters who would camp in it.
Whig Meadows is part of the Cherokee National Forest and is administered by the U.S. Forest Service. The meadows cover several acres and offers a panoramic view of the mountains on a clear day.
Marshall McClung is the historical columnist for The Graham Star. He can be reached via email, mcclungs@email.com.