TOWNSEND, Tenn. — The Great Smoky Mountains National Park has received what it calls a "priceless" donation of Cades Cove artifacts.
The cove was a thriving community before the National Park Service began purchasing the land in 1927. Dan Alexander Lawson and Sydney Lawson were two of its residents.
According to the park, Dan A. Lawson, who shares a name and is related to the Dan Lawson family whose cabin is preserved in Cades Cove, led singing at the Methodist Church.
Sydney Lawson helped to educate children in the cove.
Now their great-granddaughter Robin Derryberry, of Chattanooga, has donated a handmade dresser, a family Bible, and wedding and other portraits.
Derryberry said in a news release that her family wants the items to be in a place where they can be enjoyed by the public and preserved for future generations.
The items will be on display at an exhibit at the Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center located in Townsend.
*Editor's Note: This article has been corrected and updated to reflect this was Dan Alexander Lawson, who is reportedly a relative of the Dan Lawson family whose cabin is preserved in Cades Cove.
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