Dolly Parton's modest two-room cabin in Dollywood symbolizes a rich chapter in Tennessee's tourism narrative. 

Dolly's childhood cabin in East Tennessee (Locust Ridge, near Sevierville, TN) with no electricity or running water.  A far cry from the life the singer would eventually build as a Grammy-winning musician, actress, philanthropist and the namesake behind one of the South's most adored theme parks.  The small cabin consisted of just two rooms (a kitchen and a single bedroom/living space) share with her parents, Robert Lee and Avie Lee Parton and 11 siblings. 

The original Parton family cabin still stands in the mountains near Sevierville, but it is located on private property and isn't open to visitors.  Travelers shouldn't attempt to access the property, but there is another way to get a glimpse of what Dolly's childhood home was like. A replica of her childhood home is featured in Dollywood, showcasing her humble beginnings.  The replica is original to Dollywood and has been part of the park since it opened on May 3, 1986. Despite its small size, the cabin tells a big part of Parton's story.  Inside, visitors can see a recreation of the family's simple living space including beds, a kitchen area, photographs and household items that help illustrate what everyday life was like for the Parton family.  Some original family treasures are also displayed inside.  Even the walls help tell the story.  The replica features the same type of "wallpaper" made from magazines and newspapers that adorns the original cabin.  The attraction feels particularly personal because Parton's own brothers helped construct the replica while her mother, Avie, helped to decorate it. 

Dolly's family relied on clever, low-tech solutions to manage their large household.  Here is how they handled daily life in their two-room cabin.  

Water and Cooking

They gathered daily water from a nearby fresh mountain spring.

Wood-Burning Stove

A single cast-iron stove served for both cooking food and heating the cabin.

Outdoor Well

They utilized an outdoor well and a traditional outhouse for sanitation.

Lighting and Warmth

Glass lamps filled with kerosene provided light after dark.

The main room relied on a stone fireplace for essential winter warmth

Share Beds

The children slept multiple to a bed to share body heat during freezing winter nights.

Sourcing and Storage

They grew most of their food in a large vegetable garden.

Canning

Her mother preseved vegetables in glass jars to last through the winter.

Livestock

They raised chickens and hogs for independent meat and egg production.

For those stepping inside the replica cabin take a moment to imagine what life must have been like for Dolly and the other family members who shared such a small space.  There are Easter eggs all through the display and don't forget to look for the calendar hanging inside which is set to 1946 and has January 19 circled to mark Dolly's birthday.  Visitors can also spot a box of chocolate-covered cherries, a nod to a sweet Parton family tradition.  Dolly's parents used to exchange boxes of chocolate-covered cherries at Christmas, a tradition she later carried on with her husband, Carl Dean.  

The cabin helped shape one of country music's biggest icons and later inspired her hit "My Tennessee Mountain Home". 

"It certainly puts context to where Dolly came from."

Pete Owens, vice president of marketing and public relations at Dollywood

She truly traveled from rags to riches though she never forgot her toots. Her upbringing inspired her music and attractions, reflecting her deep connection to her Tennessee roots. 

As fans remember the life and legacy of Dolly Parton following her passing on August 25, 2026, many are remembering the country music legend not only for the career she built, but for the humble Tennessee roots she never forgot.

 

Coat of Many Colors

This Coat of Many Colors is the one her mother remade from memory to display.  It is also the coat made for the musical of Dolly's life titled "Dolly Parton's Coat of Many Colors".   It is on display at Dollywood though we will never know how the original appeared on Dolly as a young girl growing up in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee.

Thank you, Dolly for penning the song about your coat of many colors.  We know it kept you warm through many a cold Tennessee winter. 

This is the coat that used to be in Dollywood's "Chasing Rainbows Museum" that closed in 2021.  As to who created this version is unknown.  It is just a shame the original no longer exits. It would be priceless. 

Dolly Parton's iconic 1971 autobiographical song "Coat of many Colors" tells the true story of her impoverished childhood in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tenneseee, when her mother sewed her a winter coat out of colorful fabric rags.  Growing up in a cabin with very little money, young Dolly needed a winter coat.  Her mother, Avie Lee Parton, collected a box of colorful fabric scraps and rags to piece together a small coat.  As she sewed, her mother told her the Biblical story of Joseph from the Book of Genesis, whose father gave him a coat of many colors.  Her mother blessed the finished coat with a kiss and told Dolly it would bring her good luck and happiness, making the young girl feel like a queen. 

Proud of the unique garment, Dolly wore it to school with great excitement. Her classmates laughed at her, mocking her for wearing a coat made of literal rags and scraps. Dolly could not understand their cruelty because she felt rich and knew the deep love her mother had stitched into every single thread.

A daughter with her proud mother.

The Enduring Message

Though they had no money, Dolly realized she was rich in love and self-worth.  She often called the song her personal favorite of all the tracks she ever wrote. The song remains a timeless anthem about human dignity, proving that true wealth comes from love and character rather than material possessions.  

"Whimsical illustrations pair with Parton's poetic lyrics in this heartfelt picture book that eloquently reveals how love and positivity make us richer than anything money can buy."

Penguin Random House

Brooke Boynton-Hughes is an award-winning children's book illustrator. Hughes first met backstage at a concert during Dolly's 2016 Pure and Simple North American tour.  Dolly invited Brooke to the private backstage event during her concert stop at the iconic Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado. Hughes, a lifelong fan of Dolly's music described meeting her as "wonderful". She later attended the concert, noting she was moved to tears when  Dolly performed "Coat of Many Colors" live. 

Beyond the book,  the two women bonded over a shared lifestyle trait.  While Dolly famously traveled the country in her tour bus, Hughes and her husband similarly traveled the United States full-time in an RV.

Their connection initially began professionally earlier that year when Penguin Random House asked Hughes to collaborate with Dolly.  She was hired to provide all-new illustrations to adapt the lyrics of Dolly's classic 1971 song into the children's picture book Coat of Many Colors.  While they collaborated remotely on the book's details with Dolly sharing personal memories of her childhood to help shape the artwork they did not meet face-to-face until later in the project.  

For the 2016 picture book adaptation of Coat of Many Colors, Dolly Parton wanted the visuals to focus heavily on warmth, family love and vibrant colors to mirror the emotional heart of her classic song.  To capture Dolly's rural childhood memories of growing up in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee, the book features specific visual choices.  Hughes used a warm, comforting watercolor art style.  The soft textures and gentle lighting are intended to make the reader feel wrapped in the same love Dolly's mother stitched into the coat.  The illustrations emphasize bright, rich fall colors to give the rural backdrop a sense of vibrancy and magic.  This directly reinforces the lyric that Dolly felt "rich" despite her family's lack of money.  

Dolly requested the imagery emphasize the love and joy overflowing in the Parton household.  Dolly is drawn as a joyful, blonde, curly-haired child, showing that her upbringing was filled with emotional wealth. The artwork intentionally captures the pai of childhood bullying when classmates mock her coat, but pivots beautifully into an uplifting message of self-worth and resilence.  

2026 celebrates the 10th Anniversary Edition 

Celebrate Dolly Parton's cherished storybook that brilliantly lends the lyrics of her classic song with a beautifully crafted 10th anniversary edition, featuring a special butter-yellow fabric cover and a new foreword from Dolly that is sure to resonate with fans of all ages.

In her 10th annivesary message, Dolly reflects on how the coat has become a symbol of strength and comfort against bullying, expressing her hope that people learn to love and accept one another as a "world of many colors".  

On May 26, 2026, Penguin Random House released the 10th Anniversary Edition of Dolly's Parton's Coat of Many Colors.

Dear Reader, 

It seems as though my little coat of many colors has become as big a star as I have.  It sure shines after all these years, offering strength and comfort to children and adults who still love to read and cherish its message.  So many people have suffered bullying in one form or another or have been made fun of for different reasons, and it is not a good feeling.  In fact, it is a terrilbe feeling that no one should ever be made to feel.  My hope every day is that we learn to love and accept each other for how and what we are. After all, we are a world of many colors.  So let's wear our love as proudly as I wore my little coat.  

Love, Dolly

April 10, 2026

Connection to the Imagination Library

The book is deeply woven into the fabric of Dolly Parton's Imagination Libary, which gifts one free book a month to registered children from birth until age five.  

Honoring Her Father

Parton launched the philanthropic effort in 1995 to honour her father, "whose difficult Appalachian upbringing never allowed him to finish school or learn to read and write." 

The themes of Appalachian poverty and pride in Coat of Many Colors directly mirror the life of her father.

A Milestone Anchor

The book is a staple of the program's curated collection and is specially mailed to children when they turn four years old. 

The Power of Ownership

Dolly designed the program to deliver books directly to children with "their little name on it and to them, it's personal."  Sending a story bout finding value in simple things directlyto a child's mailbox reinforces the magic of book ownership, regardless of a family's income.

Bilingual Expansion

To support the program's massive global scaling, this version of the book has been widely distributed in a fully bilingual English and Spanish edition to serve diverse communities.

Rest in Eternal Peace, Dolly

We Will Always Love You

and your

Coat of Many Colors

Recorded April 1971

Released September 27, 1971

 

I'll Always Love You

The moment the Empire State Building lights changed to sparkling pink in honor of Dolly Parton at 9:25 pm as a direct play on the numbers of Dolly's iconic hit song and movie title "9 to 5".  The specific 9:25 start time served as a direct nod to her famous song.

Did you know that Dolly used her long acrylic fingernails to create the rhythmic typewriter sound in "9 to 5"?  Now you know!

Dolly's favorite flower was the yellow rose which she described as feeling like "a little ray of sunshine".  The flower symbolizes friendship, joy and new beginnings, making them a cheerful gift for celebrating conections and uplifting others. 

Dolly Parton, a rhinestone life that shone bright enough for the world to see.  Dolly will forever stand as an inspiration not only through her timeless music and prolific songwriting, but also her wit, warmth and kindness that made us all feel like family.  Dolly Parton's legacy is one of love, compassion and resilience.  With a seven-decade career, she inspired multiple generations of artists and fans with her music and an unwavering commitment to making the world a better place.  Her songs will continue to resonate with people of all ages and her philanthropic work will have a lasting impact.

At Dolly's request, a small, private service will be held for immediate family.  Dolly's fans and friends from around the world are encouraged to pay tribute to Dolly on social media by leaving a message at www.dollyparton.com 

In lieu of flowers the family asks for donations to be made to Dolly Parton's Imagination Library at www.imaginationlibrary.com 

 

SUN, SAND, SOUL

Ocean Drive Miami Beach

Deco Delights

Miami's Art Deco history centers on Miami Beach where a 1926 hurricane and the Great Depression paved the way for a 1930s building boom. Architects blended European modernism  with a playful regional style know as "Tropical Deco" which is characterized by nautical designs, pastel colors, floral reliefs and "eyebrows" (a shelf structure placed above a window to provide shade from sunlight, cooling the interior) creating the world's largest collection of historic Art Deco and Streamline Moderne buildings.  The architectural forces that shaped Miami Beach were Mediterranean Revival, Art Deco and Miami Modern (MiMo).  

The Avalon

700 Ocean Drive

Tableside setting along Ocean Drive

In 1926, a massive hurricane destroyed much of early Miami Beach, followed by the economic crash, halting grand plans.  In the 1930s, low construction costs triggered a building boom of low-rise hotels and apartments.  Within ten years, when building had come to a near total stop in much of the country due to the Depression, the streets of South Beach were lined with buildings designed by *Henry Hohauser in the increasingly fashionable art deco style.  The now iconic view of Ocean Drive is in large part due to Hohauser's designs.  

Ultimately, Miami Beach's embrace of Art Deco was a perfect storm of circumstances:  The city needed buildings to accommodate the people, it had the space to do so, and Art Deco was the style at the time. Dozens of architects like Albert Anis, Lawrence Murray Dixon and Henry Hohauser took their Art Deco talents to South Beach.  

Grace and Henry Hohauser

In 1933, Grace Hohauser, the wife of Henry Hohauser, suffered from ongoing sinus infections.  She needed Miami and so they moved from New York, permanently.  In retrospect, Grace's affliction helped bring about the remarkable transformation of Miami Beach and the creation of the world's greatest concentration of art deco architecture.

*Henry Hohauser was a businessman, but he believed he was designing for the ages.  Many now share that belief. Henry Hohauser helped build one of the more distinct districts in America with creativity, boldness and budget. In the 1930s and 1940s, Hohauser became one of the defining architects of Miami Beach's Art Deco skyline.  His work helped transform a sleepy barrier island into a glamorous resort destination, designing landmarks like the Crescent, the Essex House, the Park Central Hotel, the Century Hotel, the Breakwater, the Raleigh, the Edison, the Henrosa, the Victor, the Avalon, the Tides, the Leslie, the Belmont, the Commodore, the Marlin and the Cardozo Hotel along Ocean Drive.  Hohauser relied on inventive geometry, pastel facades, porthole windows and nautical motifs to create buildings that felt modern, playful and unmistakably Miami.  Today, his designs remain at the heart of the Miami Beach Art Deco District, one of the largest and most recognizable collections of Art Deco architecture in the world. 

Several of Esther Williams' extravagant swimming pool sequences were filmed at The Raleigh. The historic pool is famous for its unique clover-like or fleur-de-lis shape.  It was dubbed "the most beautiful pool in America" by Life magazine in 1947 and served as a a glamorous backdrop for Williams. The pool features a shallow permeter with an 8-inch deep warm water shelf running around the edge. 

The Raleigh

1775 Collins Avenue

South Miami Beach

The Raleigh is a legendary 1940s Art Deco landmark. The original architect was Lawrence Murray Dixon. In 2024-2017, fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger bought the art Deco landmark with plans to convert it into a private club, but Hurricane Irma's severe 2017 damage forced a sale and the hotel was closed.  In 2019-2025, developer Michael Shvo and partners purchased the property for $243 million alongside adjacent parcels (The Richmond and The South Seas) to build a $1 billion ultra-luxury complex and glass residential tower.  Plaqued by construction delays, a high-profile broker shakeup and a looming $190 million mortgage it was later sold to NYC-based Nahla Capital in October 2025 ending Shvo's involvement.  

The Raleigh is known for its architectural flair and star-studded past.  Over its glamorous history since opening in 1941, the Raleigh has hosted numerous iconic celebrities, golden-era movie stars, fashion designers and musicans.  Among the musicians were Desi Arnaz who performed with his band on site before his hit show, I Love Lucy.  Elizabeth Taylor and Frank Sinatra were frequent quests enchanted by the property.  Clark Gable, Sammy Davis Jr. and Andy Warhol visited or lounged aroung the historic Art Deco pool.  Its private cabanas once hosted the likes of Audrey Hepburn. Esther Williams, the famous competitive swimmer and actress frequently swam in the hotel's pool. In 2008, Karl Otto Lagerfeld, a German fashion designer who joined Chanel in 1983, hosted a massive, iconic Chanel cruise fashion show at the pool featuring a synchronized swimming team.  

In 1995, the Moon Over Miami Ball was held at The Raleigh. Hosted annually from 1978 through the 1990s, the Moon Over Miami ball was a black-tie soiree held as a fundraiser for the Miami Design Preservation League.  The event celebrated the theme "Art Deco Latin America" featuring a lively evening with a 1930s nightclub atmosphere.  Over the years, the Balls brought in some of the greatest talent in the industry including Cab Calloway, Eartha Kitt, the Xavier Cugat Orchestra, Lionel Hampton and the Swing Classics.  

In 1979, thanks to the work of community activist, Barbara Baer Capitman (1920-1990)  who led the Art Deco preservation movement in the late 1970s and early 1980s and co-founded the Miami Design Preservation League.  The Art Deco District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 14, 1979. It was the first 20th-century historic district in the United States to receive this recognition. 

The nonprofit MDPL remains dedicated to preserving, protecting and promoting the architectural character and historical integrity of the Miami Beach Architectural Historic Districts, home to the largest concentration of Art Deco architecture in the world, with more than 800 preserved historic buildings. The district's 800 or so buildings were built to look like ocean liners.  The annual Art Deco Weekend festival draws approximately 400,000 locals and visitors. 

Barbara Baer Capitman, Champion of Art Deco

"My whole life had been Art Deco.  I was born at the beginning of the period and grew up during the height of it.  It's a thing of fate."

Capitman was president of the Art Deco Society of America and had organized chapters in cities around the country including Los Angeles to preserve the "decorative arts" style of architecture popular between the two world wars.  Although somewhat more whimsical in Miami, the style is exemplified by the Chrysler Building and Radio City Music Hall in New York City, the old Pan Pacific Auditorium and the Times building in Los Angeles. At the time of her passing, Mrs. Capitman was putting together the first World Congress on Art Deco and working on a book "Art Deco U.S.A." She had published a book about Miami Beach's 1930 hotels and other Art Deco buildings called "Deco Delights".

The Leslie

1244 Ocean Drive

The Crescent 

1420 Ocean Drive

Hotel Henrosa

1435 Collins Avenue

The Henrosa is a 3-star boutique historic Art Deco hotel.  Built in 1935, originally called the Biarritz Hotel with the last renovation of the lobby entrance added in 1951 by architect Harry O. Nelson.  It features 40 elegant rooms. It is located steps from the ocean and the Versace Mansion.  

The 1950s

Dorothy Sebastian was a silent screen actress who married Herman Shapiro and bought the Henrosa.  The 1950s brought a brand new career for Dorothy when she and her husband ran the hotel .  In the beginning she feared she might be bored, but soon she reveled in the busy atmosphere and the opportunity to mix with the public again as a hostess (she was recognizable to many as a former actress).  Dorothy was really taken with many of the Cuban visitors that stayed at the hotel and she worked hard to quickly learn Spanish to she could better converse with them.  In December of 1955 she traveled to Cuba to visit her new friends made at the Henrosa.  

The Commodore

Postmark November 22, 1943

The Belmont

301 Ocean Drive

The Belmont was an Art Deco hotel was documented in vintage 1930s and 1940s postcards featuring classic local architecture. It was on the ocean front with a private beach. The Belmont was designed by Henry Hohauser along with his temporary  Lawrence Murray Dixon. The building utilized clean horizontal lines, rounded corners reminiscent of ocean liners and smooth stucco surfaces.  The exterior featured bands of decorative geometric reliefs, a classic Hohauser signature, designed to play with the intense Florida sunlight. Like many hotels South of Fifth (SoFi) neighborhood, it was designed on a human scale, typically three stories, prioritizing boutique charm over the soaring heights seen in later eras.

In the 1930s and 1940s boom the Belmont operated as a popular, budget-friendly tourist hotel during the Great Depression and WWII eras, capitalizing on its direct proximity to the beach and the standard amentities of the decade. As tourism shifted further north toward mid-beach (where massive high-rises like the Fontainebleau were built in the 1950s), older South Beach properties like the Belmont began to decline in popularity. Sadly, the Art Deco Belmont with the round window above the front door was  demolished 

Most of the Art Deco hotels have survived to be enjoyed today.

Miami Beach, drenched in sunshine

Miami Beach, drenched in neon

"The Iconic green thrift store staple is now a cult collectable with a price tag to match."

Jadeite is an opaque, jade-green milk glass that was widely produced for kitchenware and dinnerware in the United States from the 1930s through the 1970s.  Named for its resemblance to the semi-precious stone of the same name, jadeite was manufactured by three principal American glass companies .. Anchor Hocking, McKee Glass and Jeannette Glass each of which used a distinct spelling and formulation.  

Jadeite was sold cheaply through grocery stores, hardware stores and five-and-dime shops.  It was frequently distributed as a promotional premium with the purchase of flour, oatmeal or gasoline.  Although production had largely ended by the 1970s, jadeite experienced a dramatic resurgence in collector interest beginning in the 1990s, driven in large part by Martha Stewart's public display of her own collection and the color remains in production today by both heritage American glassmakers and overseas manufacturers. 

If there's one person who's most responsible for the growing interest in the jadeite market over the last half century, it's probably Martha Stewart, who multiple collector cited to me as the reason they got started in collecting this iconic collectable. Influenced by her daughter, Alexis who began collecting jadeite on a cross-country road trp in the '90s, Stewart started her own stockpile of the glassware, which began making cameos on her TV show and in the pages of Martha Stewart Living.  

One cannot talk about Jadeite without mentioning Martha Stewart.  It was because of Martha's passion for this glassware that many collectors were reminded and reintroduced to its many beautiful qualities.  

Martha Stewart Signature Jadeite Chandelier

Original 1930s salt box with the orignal wooden lid still intact.  

The sought after Jadeite cake stand.

A Jadeite pitcher.

Having  this set is a goal for many collectors.  You can tell reproductions from real sets by the lettering and the condition of the screw-on lids.

The sought after electric mixer

"Say Good-bye to hand beating!"

Instructions for using MAGIC MAID and Tested Recipes

Model D

Cat. No. 805

Among these Jadeite gems is a juicer and a milkshake mixer

And among these Jadeite gems is a rolling pin with a cap to fill with ice water.  It was called an ice water chamber.  The hollow glass body allowed bakers to fill the interior with cold water or ice cubes to keep pastry dough chilled while rolling.

These canisters are some of the older Jadeite out there.  The square ones were made in the 30s and 40s.  Like most Jadeite, they all very ain color and mold imperfections.  Every piece is unique!  The large canisters are 48 oz. and came in coffee, sugar, flour, tea, salt and cereal.  And if you are wondering about the telephone .. No, Jadeite did not make a rotary phone though companies like Tecno released a phone named "Ice Jadeite".

Did you know?  Real vintage Jadeite glass contains uranium and will glow a bright vibrant green under a blacklight though not all vintage Jadeite kitchenware glows under a black light.  Whether it does depends entirely on the manufacturer and the presence of trace amounts of uraniium dioxide added to the glass formula.  Pieces by McKee Glass Company and Jeannette Glass Company before WWII will glow a bright radioactive green, while peices made by Anchor Hocking's Fire-King do not glow at all.  

Jadeite continues to be a popular collector's item due to historical utility, mid-century nostalgia and celebrity endorsement.  Collecting Jadeite is a passion for many.  People adore the soft green hue of this glass to no end and are devoted to collecting it for their homes.  There are collectors who will tell you they only collect one pattern of Jadeite and are dedicated to getting as much of it as they can.  Then there are those who don't mind having a mix of patterns and styles or even a mix of old and new.