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Mount LeConte in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park -- and LeConte Lodge which sits atop the mountain -- are special places to anyone who has hiked up LeConte and visited the Lodge. Those of us who worked at LeConte Lodge have a special love affair with the mountain and the Lodge and a special bond with each other. This site provides a place for us to share our love of the mountain and our special bond.
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Joe Schlatter (b. 1944) and his brother John (b. 1950) both worked at LeConte Lodge during the 1960's while the Lodge was owned by Herrick and Myrtle Brown. This section of the Schlatter family website is a collection of some of our photos and recollections of the Lodge, supplemented by photos from some of the folks who worked at the Lodge with us.
March 14, 2026
Excellent book published in recognition of the 100th anniversary of LeConte Lodge.
LeConte Lodge: A Centennial History of a Smoky Mountain Landmark (Southern Applachian Studies, 54), by Tom Layton and Mike Hembree.
The book is available on Amazon and other booksellers. Layton and Hembree are regional journalists who have written extensively on the Southern Appalachians and the Great Smokies. Their history of LeConte Lodge draws on official documents, various other texts, memoirs, and interviews. I highly recommend it.
June 26, 2025
Southern Living magazine has an article about LeConte Lodge -- this year is the 100 year anniversary of the Lodge.
Added June 2025
I worked at the Lodge in the early 1960's, my brother John in the mid- to late-1960's. That was a few years ago and a LOT has changed with the Lodge since those days:
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Propane tanks have replaced firewood for cooking and heating.
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Supplies are brought in by llamas, whose soft hooves do not damage the trails as did the horses' hooves.
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Helicopters are used for some supplies.
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The Lodge is now owned by Stokely Enterprises who purchased the Lodge from the Browns in the 1970's.
Still, it's LeConte Lodge, like no other place in the world.
Oh, and the Lodge has a Facebook page.
In June 2025 -- 15 through 20 -- I (Joe) and my wife of 58 years, Rose, went to Gatlinburg to visit her sister and daughter. LeConte was shrouded in clouds until Wednesday, June 18, when -- as we were driving through Pigeon Forge -- we were treated to one of the most spectacular views of LeConte ever.
LeConte Lodge Site Table of Contents
This site was last updated 03/30/26