Walling Cemetery – Pikeville, TN
On a drive to one of Tennessee’s most beautiful State Parks (Fall Creek Falls), I made a detour to Walling Cemetery. This time of year on the upper elevations of the Cumberland Plateau, the winds carry a chill but the skies are brilliant blue.
Walling Cemetery is one of those cemeteries I imagine is a gathering place for residents in nearby communities. With sheltered eating areas, outhouses, and a small church, I envision countless generations have spent Sunday afternoons congregating on the outer edges of the cemetery grounds. Men speak of football and business dealings while their wives compare hats and Sunday dresses slightly annoyed at their children running and playing amongst the wide open cemetery.
This is a private family cemetary owned by the Walling family who are the former owners of Fall Creek Falls. The only people who congregate here are the family of those buried here.