Gruetli-Laager in Grundy County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)
Stoker-Stampfli Farm
Town of Grόetli-Laager
Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, July 7, 2026
1. Stoker-Stampfli Farm Marker
Leaving Switzerland for a Better Life
In the mid-1800s, the Anton Stoker and his family were among many Swiss emigrants who were looking for a better future. Switzerland was among several European countries suffering from famine, failed crops and overcrowding. The government of tiny Switzerland encouraged its citizens to find new places to live by assisting them with the purchase or sale of their properties.
In 1869, about 100 Swiss families each purchased 100-acre plots, or more if they could afford it, to set about farming or pursuing their trade in Tennessee. The Stokers did not start with a big house and acres of cleared land. The land they purchased in the Colony of Grόetli was dense woodlands where they could cut a log or board well over 15 inches wide.
Despite the abundance of such building materials, the soil was rocky and poor, so many Swiss families ultimately migrated to places like Belvidere, Winchester, McMinnville, Chattanooga or Nashville, where conditions were less harsh.
The Stokers, however, remained in Grόetli, and replaced their original one-room log cabin with a bigger home
this page online
In 2000, Rose Stampfi donated 33 acres of the original property to the Grundy County Swiss Historical Society. Rose was descended from another Swiss family who came to America later on, and had bought the Stoker farm.
Today, the Historical Society's dream is to have all the buildings on the Stoker-Stampfli Farm restored as closely as possible to their original state. While some progress has been made with restoration and preservation of other structures on the farm, it will take more time, money and manpower to bring the original Stoker log home back to life. Although it is a small part of this farm, this log cabin played a significant role in the story of the Swiss in the South.
Photo captions:
The Swiss Historical Society has built a new gathering pavilion (with the silver roof) at the Farm, to host weddings and other events.
The second-generation Stoker home and barn have been partially restored, thanks to grants and donations to the Swiss Historical Society.
Information for this narrative came, in part, from The Blue Ridge Magazine and Grundy County Historical Society Ware indebted to all our contributors for their diligent historical research
Seeking More LOCAL HISTORY? Scan this QR code to visit our Regional Heritage Oral History Series a Mountainder.org/on-history-series
Erected by Blue
Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, July 7, 2026
2. Stoker-Stampfli Farm Marker
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Immigration. A significant historical year for this entry is 1869.
Location. 35° 23.545′ N, 85° 38.816′ W. Marker is in Gruetli-Laager, Tennessee, in Grundy County. It is on Swiss Colony Cemetery Road 0.2 miles east of 20th Ave N, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 325 Swiss Colony Cem Rd, Gruetli Laager TN 37339, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Tennessee’s Cumberland Plateau and in the Highland Rim. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, in Appalachia, and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Gruetli (approx. 1.7 miles away); Welcome to Gruetli-Laager (approx. 1.8 miles away); Longs Mill and the Chickamauga Trace (approx. 4 miles away); Greeter Homeplace (approx. 4.2 miles away); Creighton's Store (approx. 4.9 miles away); L.V. Woodlee House (approx. 5 miles away); The Northcutt-Moffitt Manor (approx. 5 miles away); Grundy County Confederate Memorial (approx. 5 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Gruetli-Laager.
Another marker is no longer nearby. Melchior Thoni, Jr (was approx. 1.8 miles away but has been confirmed missing).
Credits. This page was last revised on August 27, 2026. It was originally submitted on August 16, 2026, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. This page has been viewed 13 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 20, 2026, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. • James Hulse was the editor who published this page.
