Bearskin Congress Motel – Gatlinburg

Bearskin Congress motel was located on the parkway in Gatlinburg. Hattie Ogle McGriffin first opened the Bearskin Tourist Home. Hattie was born on Feburary 24, 1898 in Gatlinburg. When Hattie was 12 years old, she started working at her fathers general store. She was known to be great at negotiating with hunters on animal skins. At the age of 19, she married Charles Austin Ogle, his family also owned a general store in the area. They went on to have 4 children and in 1932 she opened up The Bearskin Craft Shop, it was the first craft shop not affiliated with the Pi Beta Phi Fraternity. When Hattie noticed the potential for Gatlinburg becoming at tourist destination, she opened up a few cottages and named it the Bearskin Tourist Home. Hattie eventually tore them down and built the Bearskin motel. It the 1980s she decided to demolish the Bearskin motel and its is now the Bearskin parking garage in Gatlinburg, a 515 spaces garage. Hattie Ogle passed away on June 21, 2002 at the age of 104.
The Ogle family purchased the 1.4 acre property on the banks of the Little Pigeon River and opened up the Bearskin Lodge in 2000.