Primitive Baptist Church on the Cades Cove Loop

Cades Cove Primitive Baptist Church is Stop 3 on your driving journey. It is one of three churches in the Cove. The other two are the Missionary Baptist Church and the Methodist Church. You'll find the driveway on the left about 1/2 mile or so from the John Oliver Place.

The Primitive Baptist Church sits off of Cades Cove Loop Road by less than a 1/2 mile. The roadway is narrow so be ready to yield to oncoming traffic if needed. The parking area accommodates several vehicles.. It's a quiet spot with plenty of space to explore the church and cemetery.

This congregation originally began as part of the Cades Cove Baptist Church that was established in 1827. A group left to found the Primitive Baptist Church in 1841. The building that you now see was erected in 1887. As you look behind the church, you will notice an old cemetery. It contains the graves of some of the earliest settlers of Cades Cove.

Like other churches, the congregation of the Primitive Baptist Church did not meet during the Civil War. As with the rest of the south, loyalties were sharply divided in the cove.

Your next stop will be at the Methodist Church. Go back out onto the road and turn on the one-way loop. The parking lot is directly on the loop road.