About the Cades Cove Corn Cribs
In the early days of Cades Cove, when settlers were making a life in the Cove, corn was an important crop.
Both settlers and animals required corn to survive, and the corn crib was the building that protected the crop.
Aside from grain for livestock, the corn was ground into cornmeal and used for making cornbread, grits or simply left whole to make hominy as well as other traditional uses.
Cades Cove Corn Crib Structures
When you visit Cades Cove, you’ll notice the Cades Cove corn cribs were designed with slats which would hold the corn in while allowing maximum air circulation.
The harvested corn ears were brought to the corn crib and tossed in the hatch usually with the shucks still on the ears where they air dried into hard kernels still on the cob. When corn was needed, it was retrieved through the small door at the bottom of the crib, shucked and rubbed together briskly to knock the hardened corn from the cob. Once off the cob, the corn kernels could be made into a variety of foods.
