Greeter Homeplace

Greeter Homeplace. Savage Gulf State Natural Area. , One of the many Swiss immigrant families who made this area home. , This foundation of the old “Greeter Homeplace” provides the backdrop for a fascinating story of early European immigrants who came to this area in search of a better life. The Greeter family, who emigrated here from Switzerland, is emblematic of the large number of Swiss and German families who, in the 1830s and 1840s, founded the nearby towns of Gruetli-Laager and Altamont., The Greeter family came to the United States in 1865. They first settled in Brooklyn, New York, but in 1870, decided to move to a new colony of Swiss settlers in the wilds of southeastern Tennessee. As a young lad, John George Greeter, who was born in New York, made the arduous train-and-wagon journey with his family to Tennessee. , Not finding any suitable land within the Swiss colony at Grutli (now Gruetli-Laager), the Greeters initially settled in Beersheba Springs. In 1880, they established a 640-acre homestead near Altamont, along Firescald Creek, purchasing the land for the going rate of 50 cents per acre. , The property included a grist mill, known as Long’s Mill (after the previous owner), located on the creek, just above what we know today as Greeter Falls. The family grew corn, and milled it at Long’s Mill. Young John grew up on this Greeter family homestead. , Early in his adult life, John G. Greeter was trained as a blacksmith. In 1895, he became interested in using the water-power of his father’s mill to cut timber into boards that he could use to make wagons and caskets. He purchased a water-driven sash say, installed it at his father’s mill, and began producing board lumber. This technology ultimately allowed the Greeter family to venture into the lumber manufacturing business. , John had three sons: Leo, Harvey and Werner. By 1935, the three brothers had moved the operation from Long’s Mill into Altamont, using a steam-powered saw. The family added to its timber holdings, and at one point owned or had timbering rights to 5,000 acres, with a market value of over two million dollars. , John W. Greeter, Leo’s son, was born and also grew up at the Greeter Homeplace. He was one of the first in his family to attend college, graduating from the University of Tennessee in 1957 with a degree in marketing. In 1964, John started the Greeter Building Center in Altamont, selling both the family’s lumber products and an array of other building supplies. Later, he added a second location in Monteagle, which he operated until 2007, when he sold it to Builder’s Supply of Tullahoma. , In 1971, John W. Greeter was one of a local group of conservation-minded leaders who joined then-Tennessee Governor Winfield Dunn on a foot-and-horseback tour of Savage Gulf. That visit proved to be instrumental in Dunn’s advocacy for the creation of South Cumberland State Park. , By the mid-1970s, the State of Tennessee began purchasing land for the new park. John W. Greeter, with the blessing of his father and uncles, persuaded Tennessee officials to offer 380 acres of the original 640-acre Greeter homestead to the park. In 1980, the State completed the purchase of this area, which includes the site of Long’s Mill, the Greeter Homeplace, and outstanding natural features such as Blue Hole, Boardtree Falls, and Greeter Falls., [Captions]: , Foundation of the old Greeter Homeplace. Unfortunately, no photos or drawings of the Victorian-era home are known to exist., ABOVE: John W. Greeter, who, with the backing of his family, sold 380 acres of the Greeter homestead to the State of Tennessee in 1980, adding this site, as well as Greeter Falls and other unique areas to South Cumberland State Park., LEFT: Like many early homes, the Greeter Homeplace had a substantial “root cellar”, a cool, dark area beneath the house where various kinds of foods and other supplies could be stored for an extended period of time., Typically, a family’s cellar would include vegetables such as turnips, potatoes, sweet potatoes, beets, radishes, garlic, ginger or fennel, and canned or preserved items that could be safely stored to provide a source of nutritious food throughout the winter., Visit the site of Long’s Mill , You can reach the site of Long’s Mill by taking the Greeter Trail and then the Greeter Loop Trail to the junction with the Greeter Falls Trail; then bear right onto the Upper Falls Trail, which takes you out to the mill site.