{"id":194,"date":"2014-05-22T22:33:17","date_gmt":"2014-05-23T03:33:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/?p=194"},"modified":"2014-05-22T22:33:17","modified_gmt":"2014-05-23T03:33:17","slug":"wonderland-hotel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/?p=194","title":{"rendered":"A once luxurious hotel hidden in the Smokies is now just a memory"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"epyt-video-wrapper\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\"  id=\"_ytid_46985\"  width=\"849\" height=\"478\"  data-origwidth=\"849\" data-origheight=\"478\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/zfaTpunhJRs?enablejsapi=1&#038;autoplay=0&#038;cc_load_policy=0&#038;cc_lang_pref=&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;loop=0&#038;modestbranding=0&#038;rel=1&#038;fs=1&#038;playsinline=0&#038;autohide=2&#038;theme=dark&#038;color=red&#038;controls=1&#038;\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__  epyt-is-override  no-lazyload\" title=\"YouTube player\"  allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen data-no-lazy=\"1\" data-skipgform_ajax_framebjll=\"\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/6843117181_081179b2ce_z.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-199\" src=\"http:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/6843117181_081179b2ce_z.jpg\" alt=\"6843117181_081179b2ce_z\" width=\"640\" height=\"404\" srcset=\"https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/6843117181_081179b2ce_z.jpg 640w, https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/6843117181_081179b2ce_z-300x189.jpg 300w, https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/6843117181_081179b2ce_z-600x378.jpg 600w, https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/6843117181_081179b2ce_z-262x165.jpg 262w, https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/6843117181_081179b2ce_z-524x330.jpg 524w, https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/6843117181_081179b2ce_z-574x362.jpg 574w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #252525;\">In 1912, a resort hotel, the\u00a0<\/span>Wonderland Park Hotel<span style=\"color: #252525;\">, was constructed on a hill overlooking Elkmont. A group of Knoxville businessmen purchased the Wonderland in 1919 and established the &#8220;Wonderland Club.&#8221; Over the next two decades, the Appalachian Club and Wonderland Club evolved into elite vacation areas where East Tennessee&#8217;s wealthy could gather and socialize.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-200\" src=\"http:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/download-3.jpeg\" alt=\"download (3)\" width=\"512\" height=\"512\" srcset=\"https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/download-3.jpeg 512w, https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/download-3-150x150.jpeg 150w, https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/download-3-300x300.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/download-3-262x262.jpeg 262w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/wonderland-steps.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-210\" src=\"http:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/wonderland-steps.jpg\" alt=\"wonderland-steps\" width=\"620\" height=\"487\" srcset=\"https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/wonderland-steps.jpg 620w, https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/wonderland-steps-300x235.jpg 300w, https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/wonderland-steps-600x471.jpg 600w, https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/wonderland-steps-262x205.jpg 262w, https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/wonderland-steps-524x411.jpg 524w, https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/wonderland-steps-574x450.jpg 574w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>In 1911, Townsend gave Charles Carter several acres of land on a hill overlooking Elkmont with the stipulation that Carter build on it within one year. In 1912, Carter made good on the promise when he opened the Wonderland Hotel. Billed as a resort lodge, the hotel contained 50 rooms with an extensive balcony looking out over the valley and Meigs Mountain.[22][23] As membership in the Appalachian Club proved remarkably difficult to obtain, several rejected Knoxvillians purchased the Wonderland Hotel site and formed the Wonderland Club in 1919. Along with the hotel, 10 or so cottages were erected on the hill.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/6238517182_62e55afd16_z.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-208\" src=\"http:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/6238517182_62e55afd16_z.jpg\" alt=\"6238517182_62e55afd16_z\" width=\"640\" height=\"438\" srcset=\"https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/6238517182_62e55afd16_z.jpg 640w, https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/6238517182_62e55afd16_z-300x205.jpg 300w, https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/6238517182_62e55afd16_z-600x410.jpg 600w, https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/6238517182_62e55afd16_z-262x179.jpg 262w, https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/6238517182_62e55afd16_z-524x358.jpg 524w, https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/6238517182_62e55afd16_z-574x392.jpg 574w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit;\">In 1934, Great Smoky Mountains National Park was formed \u2013 the first in the United States, and most of the cottage owners at Elkmont were given lifetime leases. When the last person in the structure would pass away, the lease would transfer to the federal government.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/6014WonderlandPlatform.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-211\" src=\"http:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/6014WonderlandPlatform.jpg\" alt=\"6014WonderlandPlatform\" width=\"620\" height=\"324\" srcset=\"https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/6014WonderlandPlatform.jpg 620w, https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/6014WonderlandPlatform-300x156.jpg 300w, https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/6014WonderlandPlatform-600x313.jpg 600w, https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/6014WonderlandPlatform-262x136.jpg 262w, https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/6014WonderlandPlatform-524x273.jpg 524w, https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/6014WonderlandPlatform-574x299.jpg 574w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 620px) 100vw, 620px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit;\"> In 1952, the leases were converted into 20-year terms, renewed in 1972. But in 1992, the National Park Service refused to renew the lease, and under the park\u2019s General Management Plan, the cottages and hotel would be demolished.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/wonderland_abandoned.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-213\" src=\"http:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/wonderland_abandoned.jpg\" alt=\"wonderland_abandoned\" width=\"1024\" height=\"811\" srcset=\"https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/wonderland_abandoned.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/wonderland_abandoned-300x237.jpg 300w, https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/wonderland_abandoned-600x475.jpg 600w, https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/wonderland_abandoned-850x673.jpg 850w, https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/wonderland_abandoned-679x537.jpg 679w, https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/wonderland_abandoned-262x207.jpg 262w, https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/wonderland_abandoned-524x415.jpg 524w, https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/wonderland_abandoned-574x454.jpg 574w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14px; line-height: inherit;\">In 2005, the Wonderland Hotel collapsed from a structural failure. Parts of the hotel deemed to have historical value were removed and the rest cleared, leaving only the annex and a chimney fall. In its 2009 Final Environmental Impact Statement for Elkmont, the National Park Service announced plans to restore the Appalachian Clubhouse and eighteen cabins in the Appalachian Club section. The remaining structures will be carefully documented and removed<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_204\" style=\"width: 1034px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/DSC4388_3.jpg\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-204\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-204 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/DSC4388_3.jpg\" alt=\"_DSC4388_3\" width=\"1024\" height=\"680\" srcset=\"https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/DSC4388_3.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/DSC4388_3-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/DSC4388_3-600x398.jpg 600w, https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/DSC4388_3-850x564.jpg 850w, https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/DSC4388_3-679x450.jpg 679w, https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/DSC4388_3-262x173.jpg 262w, https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/DSC4388_3-524x347.jpg 524w, https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/DSC4388_3-574x381.jpg 574w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-204\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">All that remains from the once luxurious Wonderland Hotel today<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Here is an\u00a0audio clip of a man, the last &#8220;life-right&#8221; (life lease to live in the National Park) resident of the Smoky Mountains who lived in the Elkmont region all his life, born in 1889. \u00a0The interview was recorded\u00a0in 1980 when he was 94 years old.<\/p>\n<!--[if lt IE 9]><script>document.createElement('audio');<\/script><![endif]-->\n<audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-194-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"http:\/\/rs16.loc.gov\/service\/afc\/afc1986022\/sr41a03.mp3?_=1\" \/><a href=\"http:\/\/rs16.loc.gov\/service\/afc\/afc1986022\/sr41a03.mp3\">http:\/\/rs16.loc.gov\/service\/afc\/afc1986022\/sr41a03.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In 1912, a resort hotel, the\u00a0Wonderland Park Hotel, was constructed on a hill overlooking Elkmont. A group of Knoxville businessmen purchased the Wonderland in 1919 and established the &#8220;Wonderland Club.&#8221; Over the next two decades, the Appalachian Club and Wonderland Club evolved into elite vacation areas where East Tennessee&#8217;s wealthy could gather and socialize. In [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":205,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[7],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/194"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=194"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/194\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":214,"href":"https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/194\/revisions\/214"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/205"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=194"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=194"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/offbeattenn.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=194"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}