page_title: Walland, Tennessee
section_title: The Progressive Era, 1890–1931
hierarchical_section_title: Walland, Tennessee / History / The Progressive Era, 1890–1931
caption_attribution_description: The James Martin House in Walland, Tennessee, located in the Southeastern United States. The Martin family owned one of the first mills in Miller Cove, and played a prominent role in the cove's industrial development. James Martin's house was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.
context_page_description: Walland is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Blount County, Tennessee, in the Southeastern United States. Its population was 259 as of the 2010 census. Walland is the site of a post office and is the place name associated with zip code 37886, which covers an area beyond the Walland community.
context_section_description: In 1893, the Walton and England Leather Co. of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania sent John W. Fisher to East Tennessee to look for suitable sites to build a tannery.  Fisher selected Newport and Miller's Cove, both being accessible via railroad or river, and having access to seemingly endless rows of trees, the bark of which was used in the tanning process.  Fisher's son, A.J., managed Walton and England's Miller's Cove tannery, and a small company town developed in the tannery's vicinity.  The town was named Walland, which was a fusion of "Walton" and "England."  Fisher's house still stands on Old Walland Highway, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
  In 1901, using the railroad Walton and England had constructed between Walland and Maryville, the Schlosser Leather Company initiated an even more ambitious tanning project in Miller's Cove.  Using the thick bark from trees harvested in the heavily forested Little River valley, the Schlosser tannery was processing 300 hides per day by 1909.  The tannery allowed Walland to modernize to some extent, bringing electricity, framed houses, and greater railroad access.  The company built Chilhowee Inn in 1902 to house executives visiting the tannery, and helped complete Walland High School in 1922.
  While Schlosser Leather ceased operations in the area after the tannery burned in 1931, Walland was already benefiting from the growth of tourism in the Great Smokies several miles to the south.  The Little River Railroad was completed from Walland to Elkmont in the early 20th century by W. B. Townsend's Little River Lumber Company.  While initially a logging railroad, the line was offering passenger service to the mountains by 1909.  Several resorts sprang up in the vicinity of Miller's Cove, using the health-restoring qualities of mountain springs to lure tourists.  These included Montvale Springs, on the other side of Chilhowee Mountain to the north, and Kinzel Springs at the northern tip of Tuckaleechee Cove to the south.  With the formation of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 1934 and the construction of US-321, Walland was able to replace the loss of tannery jobs with income from through-traffic and tourism.
  In 1966, one of the first sections of Foothills Parkway was completed across the western crest of Chilhowee Mountain, connecting Walland with Chilhowee Lake.  Another section, connecting Walland with Wears Valley, was opened to the public in November, 2018
caption: The home of James Martin in Walland, built early 1900s
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