Edited to add photos . . .
and edited again to say that the Jenkins Ridge Spence Field shelter is mentioned in Ken Wise's guide.
I'm curious if anyone here has any information about the shelter that used to be at the top of the Jenkins Ridge trail near the AT, and more generally the pre-GSMNP structures in the Spence Field area.
My understanding is that there were several (4?) different structures referred to as the 'Spence Cabin' over the decades before the Park, not all at the same location. One of these cabins was roughly where the current Spence Field shelter (built 1963, renovated 2005) is located. I seem to recall reading that one Spence Cabin was actually on the Tennessee side of the ridge.
The first generation of AT shelters, the six-person log and/or shingle structures, that I have seen pictures of or references to, were built at Moore Springs, Silers Bald, Little Indian Gap, and Icewater Springs. (I assume there were others, these are just the ones obvious from photos or topo maps showing both shelters.)
Is the shelter on the Jenkins Ridge trail the first-gen shelter? Was there any form of hiking shelter at the current Spence Field shelter location prior to 1963? The topo below is dated 1964, so I assume the shelter on the left is the one there today.
Spence Field Shelter
West Barber at Spence Field Shelter
Thanks for any information, photos or corrections you can provide.
spencefield.jpg