| Sources |
- [S47] Sevier County, Tennessee and its Heritage, Sevier County Heritage Book Committee, (1994, Don Mills, Inc.), 266.
- [S73] Rawlings Funeral Home, Book 2, 24 Sep 1971.
Dwayne Scott Maples obituary
- [S75] Atchley Funeral Home Records, Volume II, 1955-1973, Larry D. Fox, (Smoky Mountain Historical Society), 2 Aug 1972.
Nola Williams Ivy obituary
- [S106] The Mountain Press, 31 Jan 2014.
Upland Chronicles: Red Maples remained a humble man
CARROLL MCMAHAN
James Thomas “Red” Maples in the 1950s, when he peddled his wares in a wagon pulled by goats.
James Maples pictured after his red beard turned white, wearing his trademark overalls.
Known as Red, James Maples is pictured working at the Gem Mine in Pigeon Forge, where he was called the
A few people remembered him as the Goat Man, others knew him as Red, and to thousands of Silver Dollar City visitors he was known as the old prospector. His natural mountain man likeness graced billboards, posters and greeting cards. Lately he was the subject of artist Paul Murray, who created etchings and paintings of him in his studio.
James Thomas Maples was born March 6, 1927. He was one of 10 children of Luther and Anna Thompson Maples. James was raised in a tiny tar-papered house “on Maples Branch,” which was named for his Revolutionary War ancestor Josiah Maples.
Because his father needed another hand to tend the farm, young James dropped out of school in the fourth grade. At 17 he walked to the draft board, where he added a year to his age and took the oath to serve his country in the waning days of World War II.
After the war, he returned to Sevier County. On July 17, 1947, James, 20, married Wilma Ivy, 16. He did whatever he could to support his family, which grew to include a daughter, Carolyn, and two sons, Terry and Tim. Because of his red curly hair and beard, he received the moniker Red.
In the late 1950s, James struck out on a trek through East Tennessee, riding a goat-driven wooden wagon adorned with pots, pans, and other wares. He was labeled the Goat Man. According to his wife, Wilma, the trip lasted for a short stint of only a few weeks but some people thereafter referred to him as the Goat Man.
He worked for a number of years in a local pulp mill and later as a laborer at Johnson & Galyon Construction Company in Knoxville.
In 1977, while visiting Silver Dollar City, James, then 50, was spotted by an employee who suggested he apply for a job there, since he looked so much like a true mountain man. For about 10 years, James worked at the Pigeon Forge theme park, where he was known as the prospector.
Soon his natural-born image was used to promote the bustling Smoky Mountain tourist industry, appearing on billboards that lined the way from Sevierville to the entrance of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Because of the constant exposure, everywhere James went he was recognized. He could not understand what all the fuss was about.
He left Sevier County for several years to live in Benton, Tenn. After working there as a security guard for a few years, he returned to Sevier County.
He then got a job at the Gem Mine in Pigeon Forge. That business, too, used his likeness on its advertising brochures.
Although quiet by nature, James was not shy. He possessed a gift of gab, and had a great rapport with tourists. He was a natural-born storyteller who could keep listeners spellbound. He could spin a yarn off the top of his head and make it sound believable to strangers, who seemed to enjoy his talkative nature.
He loved animals, especially goats and burros. One of his favorites was a burro named Gus. James and Gus made television commercials, and posed for pictures for tourists. His garb of overalls became his trademark.
While paying a bill at a local service center, a chance encounter with a stranger would take James down another interesting path. The stranger was Paul Murray, an artist with a studio on Glades Road in Gatlinburg and another one in Ontario, Canada. Murray began sketching and painting James and Wilma.
Paul Murray said, “I’m trying to capture the last flicker of light of the past, the character and depth of people of yesterday. I don’t know what an artist’s job is exactly. I do know I’m trying to capture something that is almost lost – fading fast.” He found those qualities in Maples.
Murray hired James and Wilma to entertain at his Gatlinburg studio on Saturday afternoons. An advertisement for the events stated, “Join us for our Smoky Mountain Man Storytelling, when Red Maples brings his mule and his wife, from 10 a.m.- 4 p.m., and tells tales and great stories about ‘livin’ in the ol’ mountain ways.’”
Unfortunately, last fall, James, who was 86, began to experience a decline in his health. On Jan. 14, after suffering complications from surgery, he slipped quietly away. It came as no surprise that near his impending death, he requested that he be buried in his overalls and dress shirt.
After his death, his niece Beulah Karr remembered him: “He was always a very humble man who was never aware of the impact he had on others.”
His wife Wilma said: “We were married for over 66 years. He was always a good person, a good husband, and a good father and grandfather. We raised three children and a grandchild who was like our own; and he was always there for me and them.”
Throughout all the years of publicity, Maples remained as he appeared to the artist, the thousands of tourist, and his friends and neighbors – a simple, hard-working, unpretentious mountain man.
Carroll McMahan is the special projects facilitator for the Sevierville Chamber of Commerce and serves as Sevier County historian.
The Upland Chronicles series celebrates the heritage and past of Sevier County. If you have suggestions for future topics or would like to submit a column, contact Carroll McMahan at 453-6411, email cmcmahan@scoc.org; or Ron Rader at 604-9161, email ron@ronraderproperties.com.
- [S112] Census, 1940.
Name: James T Maples
Titles and Terms:
Event Type: Census
Event Date: 1940
Event Place: Pigeon Forge, Civil District 4, Sevier, Tennessee, United States
Gender: Male
Age: 13
Marital Status: Single
Race (Original): White
Race: White
Relationship to Head of Household (Original): Son
Relationship to Head of Household: Son
Birthplace: Tennessee
Birth Year (Estimated): 1927
Last Place of Residence: Same House
District: 78-5
Family Number: 117
Sheet Number and Letter: 7B
Line Number: 48
Affiliate Publication Number: T627
Affiliate Film Number: 3933
Digital Folder Number: 005461375
Image Number: 00129
Household Gender Age Birthplace
Head Luther A Maples M 54 Tennessee
Wife Anna E Maples F 39 Tennessee
Son Clyde Maples M 18 Tennessee
Daughter Helen Maples F 15 Tennessee
Son James T Maples M 13 Tennessee
Son Lee Maples M 10 Tennessee
Son Junior Maples M 7 Tennessee
Daughter Mildred Maples F 3 Tennessee
- [S23] Atchley Funeral Home, (http://www.atchleyfuneralhome.com/), 14 Jan 2014.
March 6, 1927 - January 14, 2014
Resided in Sevierville, TN
James T. "Red" Maples, age 86 of Sevierville, TN passed away Tuesday, January 14, 2014. He was known and loved by many as the "prospector" at Silver Dollar City. Red was also the subject in many paintings at the Paul Murray Gallery.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Luther and Anna Maples; sisters, Iva Mize, Mildred Williams, Helen Woody; brothers, Hobert, Clyde, Lee, Raymond "Gene" and Luther Jr. Maples.
Survivors include:
His loving wife of 66 years: Wilma H. Maples
Sons: Terry Maples and wife Gay, Tim Maples with Teresa Boyle
Grandson raised like a son: Josh Maples and wife Donna
Grandchildren: Kevin Maples and wife Suzanne, Janie Strong and husband Dave, Rebecca Lethco, Melissa Lethco
Many great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren
Brother: Harold Maples and wife Phyllis
Cousin: James Hale
Funeral service 10 AM Friday, January 17th in the West Chapel of Atchley Funeral Home with Rev. Kevin Childs officiating. Interment will follow in Bethel Cemetery with military honors provided by American Legion Post 104. The family will receive friends 5-7 PM Thursday at Atchley Funeral Home, Sevierville. (www.atchleyfuneralhome)
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