Hall Cabin
Also known as: Kress,J. H.,Cabin
Why it's listed
Deep in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, about 15 miles northeast of Fontana, a log cabin stands off Bone Valley Creek. A man named Hall built it in 1910 as the cabin of a mountain farm. It is a rectangular 1 1/2-story building with a gable roof, a front porch, dovetail-notched split and hewn logs, and board-and-batten gable ends, set on masonry piers. In 1940 J. H. Kress set up a hunting lodge there and partly remodeled the cabin. It is the only building left of the Kress complex and the only one surviving nearby from the settlements that once lined the creeks on the park's southwestern edge. Those communities, along with logging operations, disappeared after the park was established and Fontana Dam created its lake. The cabin needs repair, with a missing floor in the north room and missing doors and hardware, but it shows some of the finest log construction in the Smokies. It is reached only by a nine-mile jeep trail from Lake Fontana.
Significance in brief: It is the only building left of the Kress complex and the only one remaining in its immediate vicinity on the southwestern edge of the park. It shows some of the finest log construction features in the Smokies. It also recalls the farming and logging settlements that were emptied when the park and Fontana Dam were created.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 76000162, listed January 30, 1976. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 15 mi. NE of Fontana in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Fontana |
|---|---|
| County | Swain County |
| Listed | January 30, 1976 |
| Reference number | 76000162 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 20th Century (1910) |
| Architect / builder | Hall, a man said to have built the cabin in 1910; remodeled by J. H. Kress in 1940 |
| Architectural style | Vernacular |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as unoccupied, in fair condition and altered; the data sheet says it is not in use. The north room floor, two doors and all hardware are missing, and the form recommends preservation. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 35.52023, -83.67943 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 76000162.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q18151289
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.