In March 1920, James H. Atchley became Sevier County's first licensed embalmer. He was working in the furniture trade — as many early funeral directors did, building caskets alongside tables and chairs — and he saw that his mountain community needed someone trained and committed to the care of the dead.
The business moved through three separate addresses along Main Street before settling at 118 East Main, the home the Sevierville chapel has occupied since 1948. James's sons — Blaine, Bill, and Harold — joined him, laying the groundwork for what would become a four-generation operation spanning all of Sevier County.
By the 1980s, a new wave of leadership arrived: Jim, Albert, and D.J. Atchley stepped in alongside their fathers. Then came the 4th generation — Adam and Reed — who now carry the name forward in all three chapels.
The early records of Atchley Funeral Home mirror the mountain community it served — family names etched into the ridges and hollows of the Smokies. Huskeys and Ogles, Clabos and Huskeys — the same surnames that named the coves were the same families who called on James H. Atchley.
More than a hundred years later, those same family lines still walk through our door. The names have grown, the chapels have multiplied, but the commitment has never changed.
Representative Records · Sevierville · 1920–1948
A complete chapel service with visitation, ceremony, and procession — held at whichever of our three Smoky Mountain chapels best serves your family.
A memorial service before or after cremation, with visitation, music, and reflection. Urn selection from our chapel, personal delivery to family.
A more intimate gathering at the cemetery — for families who prefer the simplicity of a single ceremony at the place of rest in the mountains.
Full coordination of military honors — flag presentation, taps, and burial at East Tennessee Veterans Cemetery if desired. We handle all VA paperwork.
A quiet conversation, planned in advance — locking in today's costs, easing the burden on those who follow. Funded through a licensed pre-need insurance plan.
When the call comes at any hour, we answer. Our staff is always on call across all three locations — to bring your loved one into our care without delay.
Plate · 05 · Digital Services
Millions of people visit Pigeon Forge and Sevierville every year. When someone passes while family members are travelling — or when loved ones have already returned home — Atchley's digital services keep everyone connected, from any distance.
We broadcast services live so that family members who are travelling, elderly, or simply too far to make the journey can still be fully present. A private link, shared only with those you choose.
Leave a message, a memory, or a photograph on the family's memorial page. Condolences submitted online are gathered and printed for the family — a keepsake of everyone who cared enough to write.
You don't need to be in Sevier County to pre-plan. Our pre-need coordinator handles consultations by phone, email, or video. Families who have visited the Smokies and fallen in love with the mountains can plan to be laid to rest here — from wherever they call home.
"We have carried Sevier County families through their hardest hour
for more than one hundred years.
That is not a business. It is a calling."
Atchley Funeral Home · Serving the Smokies Since 1920
Licensed Funeral Director & Embalmer
D.J. joined the family business in the 1980s as funeral service itself was changing. He has spent decades guiding families through arrangements with the steady hand his grandfather James first brought to Main Street.
Licensed Funeral Director
Albert began his full-time career in funeral service in 1971 and became a partner in the 1980s. His decades of service shaped the modern Atchley practice — expanding to Pigeon Forge in 1997 and Seymour in 2003.
Licensed Funeral Director
Adam chose to follow in his father Albert's footsteps, marking the entry of the fourth generation of Atchleys into funeral service. He brings a contemporary approach to care while honouring the family's century-old commitment to Sevier County.
Licensed Funeral Director
Reed graduated from Carson Newman College in 2005 and joined the family immediately after, bringing formal training to complement a lifetime lived alongside the business. Today he serves families across all three Smoky Mountain chapels.
Our directors are on call twenty-four hours across all three Smoky Mountain chapels. Reach us by phone any hour, or write us a note — we will be in touch within the hour.