| Sources |
- [S112] Census, 1920.
- [S4] Knoxville News-Sentinel (Tennessee), A7, 2 Nov 1999.
Boyd Wilson Obituary
- [S106] The Mountain Press, 4 Apr 2011.
Upland Chronicles: Whaley early leader of Pigeon Forge
by BRANDON BARNES
Martha Jane Whaley Scott, daughter of Winfred Whaley, reflects on her father while looking at a scrapbook.
Winfred Whaley was one of the first three Pigeon Forge city commissioners and the first vice mayor.
Winfred Whaley raking leaves in his yard.
With Pigeon Forge being voted a city on April 4, 1961, the new commissioners began the task of guiding the community into new and exciting frontiers.
Those early commissioners — Xan Davenport, Winfred Whaley and Wade McMahan — gave of their time to serve the citizens.
The three men agreed it was important for Pigeon Forge to always be a wholesome place for families. No one better exemplified this spirit than Winfred Whaley.
Born on Sept. 26, 1911, Winfred spent his earliest years in Cleveland, Tenn. As a child, his family moved to the Boogertown area, where he became friends with Bill, Charlie and Clyde Blalock. The Blalock brothers would go on to establish Blalock Construction Co. in Sevierville. They hired Winfred as a carpenter, and together they built many houses throughout the area.
Winfred also met Verla Viola Wilson. The couple wed on Jan. 17, 1932.
In the spring, Winfred cut and peeled timber to build the small two-room cabin they would call home. In 1933, the young couple had their first child, Mary Ella Whaley.
While Winfred was visited his uncle’s home in Idaho, Verla gave birth to their first son, Glen, in the small cabin that served as the birthplace of the couple’s next three children: James, Reba and Martha Jane.
Shortly after Jane’s birth, the Whaley family sold their cabin home to Jackson Trentham and moved to Blount County; however, they found their way back to Pigeon Forge during the Christmas season of 1948. Here, Winfred finished their home on Ore Bank Road (now Teaster Lane), which would serve to welcome two more children, Annie and Neil. Winfred’s daughter, Martha Jane Whaley Scott, fondly recalls living there.
“One of the best things about living there,” Jane says, “was that the school used to be located at what is now Patriot Park and we could walk to school every day.”
During these years the Pigeon Forge community began to show signs of change. U.S. Highway 441 blazed from Sevierville through Pigeon Forge straight into Gatlinburg.
Though the surroundings changed, Winfred remained true to his beliefs of raising his children in a wholesome, Christian environment. As such, the family attended First Baptist Church of Pigeon Forge regularly, and Winfred made an honest living building houses, a number of which were around Old Mill Square.
The biggest change was the incorporation of Pigeon Forge. Winfred was against the idea of Pigeon Forge becoming Sevier County’s third city. After a failed attempt to incorporate in 1960, residents voted in favor of incorporation on April 4, 1961 by a margin of 160-152.
Winfred set aside his feelings and decided to do his part. With his passion for Pigeon Forge, Winfred, along with Xan Davenport and Wade McMahan, served as the city’s first commissioners. Xan was the first mayor and Winfred vice mayor. Once Xan’s term expired, Winfred was selected to be mayor; Xan remained a commissioner.
This made Winfred Whaley the first to serve Pigeon Forge as both vice mayor and mayor.
As the commissioners began the process of building Pigeon Forge, various infrastructure and city needs arose. Knowing it was time to make some important decisions, Winfred, Xan and Wade met in the Paul Simms building to discuss things.
Sitting there in old, cane bottom chairs the commissioners decided to travel to Atlanta to obtain a loan to kickstart some infrastructure needs.
Winfred, who rarely traveled, was excited. Jane recalls, “My dad traveled to Idaho to visit his uncle when he was younger. He never really traveled since then, but he was excited to go to Atlanta. It was all he talked about.”
In Atlanta, the officials secured a loan of $187,000 to expand the city’s first water department. While the city had to scrape together funds to install infrastructure piece by piece, these early officials did their part.
Once his days as a city commissioner ended, Winfred had plenty to keep him busy. He established Whaley & Sons construction company, which would build the Pigeon Forge Welcome Center in 1982. Today, that building serves as the home of the Department of Tourism. Winfred remained an active member of First Baptist. Winfred, along with his distant cousin Murrell Whaley and Murrell’s sisters, Lilly and Stella, formed a gospel quartet that sang often in church and funerals.
Winfred even served as an inspiration to future commissioners. Jane recalls one very special moment.
“I remember my father always relaxing in his garage. He had this couch in there and would often sit outside in his rocking chair or on that couch and read his daily newspaper. One day, I pulled in the drive and when I walked in I saw my dad and Bill Maples sitting together on that couch praying. Bill was like a son to my father and they had a very close friendship.”
In March 1992, Winfred was guest of honor for the opening of the new City Hall on Pine Mountain Road. Seeing her father standing there as the last living original city commissioner left an impression on Jane.
“My father gave a heartwarming speech. He praised the efforts of City Manager Earlene Teaster and the city commissioners during that time for all their hard work.”
Whether Winfred’s life is judged on his accomplishments as an elected official or his involvement in the community or his success as a family man, Winfred Whaley left more than an imprint on Pigeon Forge and its people with his passing on Sept. 2, 1999. His life and his impact is a story worth telling and remembering.
— Brandon Barnes is a Sevier County native who serves as a special events coordinator for the Pigeon Forge Department of Tourism and Office of Special Events. The Upland Chronicles series celebrates the heritage and past of Sevier County. If you have suggestions for future topics, would like to submit a column or have comments; contact Carroll McMahan at 453-6411 or e-mail to cmcmahan@scoc.org; or Ron Rader at 604-9161 or e-mail to ron@ronraderproperties.com.
- [S1] U. S. Social Security Death Index, 411-14-9371.
Issued in Tennessee last residing in Pigeon Forge, Sevier County, Tennessee
- [S112] Census, 1920.
Name: Carl W Whaley
Residence: , Sevier, Tennessee
Estimated Birth Year: 1912
Age: 8
Birthplace: Tennessee
Relationship to Head of Household: Step Son
Gender: Male
Race: White
Marital Status: Single
Father's Birthplace: Tennessee
Mother's Birthplace: Tennessee
Film Number: 1821762
Digital Folder Number: 4390948
Image Number: 00127
Sheet Number: 1
Household Gender Age
Parent George S Houser M 60y
Parent Martha C Houser F 32y
Stella G Houser F 9y
Lula G Houser F 7y
Lile G Whaley M 13y
Frank H Whaley M 10y
Carl W Whaley M 8y
- [S112] Census, 1930.
Name: Winfred C Whaley
Event: CENSUS
Event Date: 1930
Event Place: District 13, Sevier, Tennessee
Gender: Male
Age: 19
Marital Status: Single
Race: White
Birthplace: Tennessee
Estimated Birth Year: 1911
Immigration Year:
Relationship to Head of Household: Stepson
Father's Birthplace: Tennessee
Mother's Birthplace: Tennessee
Enumeration District Number: 16
Family Number: 103
Sheet Number and Letter: 6A
Line Number: 10
NARA Publication: T626, roll 2271
Film Number: 2342005
Digital Folder Number: 4547919
Image Number: 00924
Household Gender Age
George S Houser M 70
Martha C Houser F 42
Stella G Houser F 19
Lula G Houser F 18
Winfred C Whaley M 19
Frank H Whaley M 20
Lile G Whaley M 23
- [S112] Census, 1940.
Name Winford C Whaley
Event Type Census
Event Date 1940
Event Place Pigeon Forge, Civil District 13, Sevier, Tennessee, United States
Gender Male
Age 28
Marital Status Married
Race (Original) White
Race White
Relationship to Head of Household (Original) Head
Relationship to Head of Household Head
Birthplace Tennessee
Birth Year (Estimated) 1912
Last Place of Residence Same House
HOUSEHOLD
ROLE
GENDER
AGE
BIRTHPLACE
Winford C Whaley Head M 28 Tennessee
Verla Whaley Wife F 25 Tennessee
Ella Whaley Daughter F 6 Tennessee
Gleen Whaley Son M 5 Tennessee
James Whaley Son M 3 Tennessee
Reba Whaley Daughter F 1 Tennessee
"United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1971-27883-6787-85?cc=2000219 : accessed 5 February 2016), Tennessee > Sevier > Civil District 13, Pigeon Forge > 78-21 Civil District 13, Pigeon Forge (part) > image 13 of 35; citing NARA digital publication T627 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012).
- [S106] The Mountain Press, 1 Oct 2001.
Verla Viola Whaley obituary
- [S58] Marriage Certificate.
22409 WINFRED WHALEY VERLA WILSON
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