The History of Wears Valley
Early Settlement
Wears Valley is named after Samuel Wear, a Revolutionary War veteran who erected a fort near the entrance to the valley in what is now Pigeon Forge.
The original name of the valley was Crowson Cove, after its first settler Aaron Crowson. No one is sure why the valley's name changed, but by 1900, Wears Valley was the commonly used name for this beautiful area. Crowson arrived in the area in 1792. along with Crowson were other early settlers, whose names are still well known; William Headrick and John Ogle. Headrick was also a Revolutionary War veteran and John Ogle was a veteran of the War of 1812 and the son of Gatlinburg's first settlers.
After the Civil War, Alfred Line established a farm at the base of Roundtop Mountain, near the southern half of the valley. Line Spring, a clear mountain stream which flows down from the slopes of Roundtop, gave its name to a small recreational area that developed in this part of the cove. In the 1880's and 1890's, mineral rich mountain springs were thought to have health-restoring qualities, and provided an early form of tourism for Wears Valley.
The national park was established in 1934 and changed the valley forever.