Lookout Alabama Spring 2015

falls park Noccalula

offers history, adventure and intrigue set against a dramatic focal point

Vacation in an authentic pioneer cabin, complete with today’s amenities

Sally Gentry looks to follow in her famous father’s footsteps

And more! TerraMae Appalachian Bistro puts new twist on regional fare, artist Cloud Farrow deals in details, a history-filled event venue, Curtis Strange’s musical talent crosses genres, hiking in Little River Canyon, pastoral landscape hides battlefield’s tragic past, The Summit offers spiritual R&R, Amazin’ Raisins makes healthy eating fun, therapeutic riding school meets challenges

Historically Speaking...

History – the bane of most high school students’ existence. Truly, the way we usually are taught history, it can be a bore. Dates and names of leaders, battles and seemingly infinite lists of who conquered whom. From inside the four walls of a classroom, we are given a CliffsNotes version of our past. I know I used to feel this way.

But local history opened my eyes. I grew up feeling fairly isolated from the real world. I thought everything noteworthy always happened somewhere other than where I lived. My awakening came from finding arrowheads in the freshly plowed fields behind our house after a hard rain. Who were the people who made them? What were their lives likes? Where did they go?

Who else was here before me?

Though fascinated with my finds, it was only after I was a young adult that I really began to realize that the local history of my small world was rich and diverse. I pored over the Fort Payne, Ala.-based Landmarks of DeKalb publications that my granny bought and learned more and more about this area. I still felt far removed from the action of the big cities, but I found new reasons to be proud of my home. Its history is colorful, inspiring, sometimes tragic and often triumphant in spirit. This region and its unique landscape have been a magnet for people for thousands of years (see history sidebar to Noccalula Falls article, page 36). It’s been home to various groups, invaded, fought over, settled and fought over some more.

This region was home to the last remnants of the Cherokee Nation – from here, these people made their final stand in the American courts before being forced west on the infamous Trail of Tears. It was a region occupied by two great armies during the Civil War and where skirmishes and major battles (see article on Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, page 56) left legacies still felt today. It was the site of New England speculation that gave rise to short-lived booms throughout the region – most notably in Fort Payne, where this heritage is still celebrated annually with the Boom Days festival. It was a place of growth and prosperity in the wake of the industrial age. And finally, it has spawned great men and woman who have shined on the world stage.

We pay homage to this area’s past in each issue with our History Book department, but virtually every story contains elements of history. You can’t escape it because the past shows us the direction in which we are headed.

As I get older, I find myself embracing the past more and more. I find both excitement and contentment in discovering something new that is really old.

Sadly, we occasionally lose an important piece of our history as we did last year when the Mentone Springs Hotel burned. Future generations will have to rely on the written and verbal accounts and photographs documenting the iconic symbol of the mountain village of Mentone, Ala. I often find myself standing at a historical marker trying to visualize the time period or event described on these placards. Fortunately, the Lookout Mountain region still has many historical buildings and preserved areas for visitors to enjoy.

These places give us the opportunity to instill in the younger generation the idea that history doesn’t have to be a bore if you get out and experience it. Sometimes it takes a little searching and self-discovery.

We invite you to come explore this region and its glorious history. It’s like a little mystery that’s a treasure unto itself.

The Lookout Mountain region has an exciting and diverse heritage beyond facts and figures.

Grady Gillam and Ora Epperson at Noccalula Falls in 1915 / photo courtesy Danny Crownover

Features

SPRING 2015

36 Legendary Park

A wealth of attractions and activities surround a majestic waterfall with an intriguing past.

cover photo by Olivia Grider

Talking with Teddy and Sally 30

The Alabama band member’s daughter finds her own songwriting inspiration in her famous father.

42

Pinnacle of R&R

Once owned by a renowned musician and now by the Chick-fil-A family, The Summit provides a spiritual retreat.

46 Bluffside Venue

Historic Cragsmere Manor boasts a unique heritage and now serves as a perfect setting for vacations, weddings and other events.

Departments

People to See

10 Artist Spotlight: Cloud Farrow’s drawings of natural and historic subjects are intricate records of time and place.

14 Mountain Melodies: Curtis Strange crosses musical genres with seemingly endless playlists.

16 Bear Creek Cabins are built on passion and determination reminiscent of early pioneers.

TerraMae Appalachian Bistro puts an international twist on Southern farm-to-table fare.

What to Know

Reasons to Stay

Publisher Randy Grider

editor & Creative direCtor

Olivia Grider

Contributing Writers

John Dersham • Caden Grider

LaRue Hardinger • Brett Jaillet

Elizabeth Manning

Kathryne Slate McDorman

Contributing PhotograPhers

John Dersham • Brittney Hughes

Brett Jaillet • Steven Stiefel

graPhiC designer

David Q. Watson

Web Master N. L. McAnelly

advertising rePresentative

Jake Harris

adMinistrative assistant

Michelle McAnelly

subsCriPtions

An annual subscription consists of four issues of Lookout Alabama magazine and is $19.95. To subscribe, go to lookoutalabama.com/ subscribe, call 205-534-0089 or write Southern Appalachian Press, P.O. Box 681208, Fort Payne, AL 35968. Gift subscriptions available.

letters

We welcome your feedback and suggestions. Reach us at editorial@lookoutalabama.com or Lookout Alabama, P.O. Box 681208, Fort Payne, AL 35968.

Writing/PhotograPhy

oPPortunities

We are always willing to consider freelance article ideas and photos from freelance photographers. Please send queries to editorial@lookoutalabama.com.

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advertising

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lookout Mountain life on

text and photography by JOhn DershaM

TOh, hOw I lOve sprIng. I can’t waIt tO feel the fIrst warm winds that blow in, sporadically at first, in March and gradually become more frequent.

The feel of a breeze on a warm day in april is something I look forward to each year, and when it comes, it makes me think about the springtimes of my youth, when the world was new and everything I did seemed to be for the first time: family picnics at the park, playing baseball, flying kites, playing outside with friends till dark and then my first girlfriend and the feeling of being in love in spring.

This season is a time of new life, of rebirth in nature. It is a time when the world seems to start fresh again. winter has taken away the old life with

cold winds, freezing temperatures and snow. The old leaves are gone, and the slate has been cleaned. It is time to begin again.

I have always felt the same is true for me. In spring, I feel renewed and eager like little buds on trees turning into flowers and then leaves. I feel young again and ready to celebrate life by living all I can. spring is energizing. In many ways, I look at spring rather than January as the beginning of the year. It starts a new cycle of seasons…a new year.

here, where I live on lookout Mountain, the seasonal distinctions are clear. lookout Mountain features unusual biodiversity as well. spring is

quite a spectacle as Mother nature brings forth an artistic palette of colorful trees, flowers and bushes.

I love watching the trees first start leafing out from the buds. t he tiny, translucent leaves sparkle and shimmer in the warm sunlight. t hey are alive and young and ready to grow and prosper as summer beckons them on.

people and nature are really the same thing experiencing the same cycles of life. This is why we should embrace nature and take good care of her. taking care of nature is taking care of ourselves, for we are not separate, and we cannot survive separately. spring is a new chance for us to experience our oneness with the environment, to embrace the beauty around us and share that beauty with others who might be too busy to notice it without some prompting.

now that spring is upon us, go out, hike, ride a bike or go to a park and feel the warm air on your face. The lookout Mountain region is a perfect place for all these activities. consider leaving your hectic schedule and to-do lists behind for a weekend vacation of relaxing and appreciating nature. Be at peace. after all, it’s spring – a time of rebirth, a time to begin again.

John Dersham is president/CEO of DeKalb Tourism.

drawing on the Past

Cloud Farrow’s dedication to capturing minute detail in his depictions of nature and historical structures stems from previous careers.

by oliVia Grider

Cloud Farrow oFFers his hands as a medium for understanding his approach to life and work. every finger has a piece missing or is deformed in some way, results of the years he spent in construction and cabinetmaking.

“with everything i’ve ever done, i’ve been too extreme,” says Farrow, who now makes his living through art. “i’m thinking about what i’m doing. i don’t think about me. when i sit at my drawing board, there’s no world around me.”

Farrow, 69, is often commissioned to draw old home places or other structures people remember from their childhood, and he can’t call a work complete until his customer is comfortable with every element. “if you pay somebody to do something and there’s a reservation about that work, you can’t like it,” he says. “That’s why it’s important to be as precise as possible.”

Precision is key to many aspects of Farrow’s artwork. “i love detail,” he says. “i don’t leave anything a blur. i get it all.” another striking attribute of Farrow’s drawings is the exactness with which he executes scale and proportion. it’s almost as if drawings of houses and buildings began with their blueprints.

This isn’t a coincidence. For much of his life, Farrow drew things for utilitarian rather than artistic purposes. he earned a degree in architectural and mechanical drafting before going to work for his stepfather’s commercial-construction company in Birmingham, ala. For decades, he owned and operated a cabinetmaking business that supported his family as he and his wife raised five children. “i always said i couldn’t build anything i couldn’t draw,” he says, noting problems could be worked out in the drawing phase.

when asked about his medium, Farrow says most of his work is mixed media, starting with a pen and ink structure and possibly incorporating watercolor, acrylic inks, oil pastels and more. “i try to get there any way i can – whatever it takes to get what i want,” he says.

he says creating a sense of depth that will fool the mind into thinking an object on a two-dimensional piece of paper is three dimensional is one of his biggest challenges.

after his last industrial accident, Farrow says his hands were ruined and his coordination was off, making it likely he would get hurt worse if he con-

tinued working. so he retired – and was diagnosed with cancer almost immediately. The disease has been in remission since 2007, but chemotherapy left him with fibrosis, a lung condition that makes physical labor impossible for him. with his savings wiped out to pay for cancer treatment (he had no health insurance), Farrow struggled to come up with a way to support himself. “i wanted to do something constructive, something worthwhile, not be a beggar,” he says. “i’d rather be dead than have another man carry my load for me.”

Farrow had been drawing for as long as he could remember. as a child, his drawings were mostly doodles for his own enjoyment, and he recalls being punished in the second grade for drawing when he should have been studying. he wondered if his artistic drawing skills might come in handy now and tested them by putting a few framed prints in a café in sand rock, ala. a Canadian couple bought one of the prints, and his work continued to sell.

Farrow soon began taking commissions as well. every month since, he’s drawn three or four commissioned works.

he chooses many subjects himself, too, and sells prints of this work. natural and historic subjects attract Farrow. nature-themed drawings are often of trees, woods, valleys, cotton fields, “little hidden things,” and natural features of northeast alabama such as little river Canyon, Cherokee rock Village, Yellow Creek Falls and other waterfalls. “i love to capture water because it’s really challenging,” he says.

historic subjects include Cornwall Furnace and the cabins, mills and barns of the appalachian region. Farrow says he is deeply impressed by these structures that were built by people who struggled to make a life in a rough place. “By drawing an old mill, i can experience how much trouble they went through to get water to the wheel,” he says. “These were real american people. These were the people who built this country. This is where we came from.”

Farrow always draws from a photo or collection of photos showing different angles and close-up and wide views of the subject. in the case of commissions, he sometimes needs to draw a structure that no longer exists from an angle other than the one shown in a single photo. his drafting and construction knowledge are particularly helpful in those situations. “i can pretty much get it,” he says. “i have done hundreds of these.”

Cloud Farrow

Since 2007, Cloud Farrow has taught free, weekly art classes at the Cherokee County Public Library in Centre, Ala. Here he helps Ian Goodwin, 9, with a drawing of Abraham Lincoln. photo by Olivia Grider

Cloud farrow enjoys drawIng cabins and structures from the Appalachian region. This mill is in the Cades Cove section of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

CloCKwIse froM top left: Cloud Farrow says he is impressed by old things (rather than new) like this shed; Farrow displays his work; He often draws pioneer-era cabins; One of Farrow’s most recognized works, a depiction of St. Joseph’s on the Mountain Episcopal Church in Mentone, Ala.; A century-old covered bridge in Stone Mountain Park in Georgia; Farrow says he wanted to document the structural significance of this cantilever barn in Cades Cove; Rocks, trees, water and other natural subjects also are favorites for Farrow.

when i talk with Farrow, he is working on a depiction of a mill in the Cades Cove section of the Great smoky mountains national Park. The drawing is based on a photograph by Bob mcGill, a retired fine-art printer who passed away in January. much of Farrow’s recent work was drawn from mcGill’s photography, and Farrow says he loves the way mcGill captured colors and light.

“without a good subject i can’t do a good rendering,” Farrow says. “Bob was well placed in my career. he gave me much good advice. he liked my work and knew what i enjoy drawing, so he sent fantastic shots on a regular basis with his permission to use them.”

Farrow began teaching art at Cherokee County Public library in Centre, ala., right after his cancer went into remission. doris Pearson, chairman of the library board, had run across his work and commissioned him to draw a home place. around the same time, he asked the head of the Creative arts Guild in dalton, Ga., to critique his work. she told him his drawings were fine and he should offer to teach his craft in his community. when he told Pearson he planned to do that, she suggested he hold classes at the library.

Farrow began giving free lessons one afternoon a week. while the majority of his students are children, he says he teaches kids from 6 years old to 106. sometimes there’s one student and sometimes there’s 40. either way, Farrow says he’s happy.

“i can’t live without a purpose,” he says. “These students, they give me a purpose as a human being – even more than my work as an artist.”

The class is a critique rather than lecture session. each person chooses what he or she wants to draw, and a librarian often helps locate photos of the desired subjects. Farrow floats around the room, giving each budding artist advice and encouragement and answering questions.

Judging by the artwork i see when i visit the class in december, this simple method is quite successful. Jo sewell, a retired schoolteacher, is putting final touches on a professional-looking rendering of a hound dog barking up a tree. she’s only been taking the class for six months and had no previous art training.

rebekah Coffman, a 14-year-old interested in fashion design, has drawn a dress made out of musical notes. “she has the ability to visualize things and put them on paper,” Farrow tells her mother. “she has a lot of talent.”

ian Goodwin, 9, says he has learned much from the classes. For example, he now knows how to fill in objects to create different textures. real small circles are best for solid colors, he tells me.

“my art has gotten a lot better,” says evan Goodwin, 15. he uses a drawing of a fox he’s working on to show me how he’s learned to use a tool called a tortillion to blur backgrounds.

unless the community gives kids a goal and something to focus on, they go in circles and lose their potential, Farrow says. “if you have something society wants, society will support you,” Farrow says he tells the kids in his class. “That’s why it’s important for my generation to recycle itself and put itself back into the new generation. it might not be art; it might be automechanics. From mentoring relationships, young people can learn to support themselves.”

Farrow says he tries to let others with disabilities know art can be an avenue for independence. he’s taught people with cerebral palsy, autism and paralysis. one mentally disabled 47-year-old man now regularly sells his work.

Farrow believes all his students are talented and that each artist has a way of touching paper that’s unique. “That makes art an endless and fantastic experience,” he says.

his teaching philosophy is based on the idea that anyone can learn to draw and paint if they have a will to do so. “There’s nothing a person can’t do as long as they have a desire to be challenged. a challenging situation is the best thing and the healthiest thing one can possibly have.”

Farrow says he has lived up and down the state of alabama, and chose to retire in the lookout mountain area, buying a home near sand rock. he first visited the region when he was in his 20s, living in Birmingham,

and a friend invited him to little river Canyon to rappel. “i just fell in love with little river Canyon,” he says. “it was always to me a mystical thing. all the nature in northeast alabama has kind of a mystical effect on me. it’s like being in another world from the other places i’ve been. i was drawn like a magnet to the area because of the natural beauty.”

From a retirement standpoint, Farrow says the area offers numerous advantages, including reasonable real estate prices, low property taxes and a location that’s not far from good hospitals.

The region also offers many of the things he likes to draw. “it’s a really good life here in that it’s not been done here yet,” he says. “it’s not established. it doesn’t have the big hotels. it’s just a natural place that has a feel about it. i can play a part in awakening the world to this wonderful place in alabama.”

Farrow displays his work at art shows in the fall and spring and has a booth at Trade day in Collinsville, ala., where he sells prints and takes commissions.

Prints of Farrow’s work look sharp and vibrant to me, but he explains he doesn’t pay for “super-high-end” printing because he wants his prints to be affordable for people like him.

Throughout our conversation, Farrow mentions he is constantly learning. “i will always be a student of art,” he says. “That’s the thing about art. You never reach the top of the hill. it’s like philosophy. it evolves. it’s eternal – at least it is for me.”

Cloud Farrow and his work can be found at Trade Day in Collinsville, Ala., most Saturdays. His drawings also can be purchased at Desoto State Park in Fort Payne, Ala., Noccalula Falls Park in Gadsden, Ala., Katherine’s Framing in Fort Payne, Mentone Art Gallery in Mentone, Ala., Cherokee County Historical Museum in Centre, Ala., and online at cloudfarrowfineart. com and fineartamerica.com. He says he is always willing to share what he’s learned about the art world, tools of the trade and techniques. E-mail him at cloudfarrow07@gmail.com or visit his Facebook page at facebook.com/ lookoutmountainartist. His free art class is held at the Cherokee County Public Library in Centre, Ala., at 3:30 on Thursdays.

Cherokee County Geo-Tour

The

Site

Site 7: Orbix Hot Glass

34 17.926, W 85 42.281

Site 8: Yellow Creek Falls

Site

34 13.399, W 85 43.516

Site 9: Cherokee Rock Village

34 10.929, W 85 48.772

Site

Site 10: Leesburg Landing

34 09.645, W 85 45.904

Site 11: Weiss Dam

Site

34 14.828, W 85 35.304

Site 5: Little River Falls N 34 23.705, W 85 37.561

Site 6: Canyon Mouth Park N 34 17.157, W 85 40.968

34 07.943, W 85 47.635

Site 12: Country Club

34 06.661, W 85 39.064

Site 13: Historical Museum

34 09.122, W 85 40.719

Drop by the Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce in Centre, Alabama for a tri-fold brochure of coordinates and additional information about the sites and hints about each cache or visit goo.gl/rzs8Yc for an interactive map.

When you finish the tour with all the codes, return your list to the Chamber of Commerce or the Cherokee County Museum to receive your Cherokee County Pathtag. Alternately, you may submit your answers online and receive your pathtag through the mail - goo.gl/f6Xnk8.

256-927-8455

James Taylor, John Prine, Bob Dylan, The Band –I’ve studied all of them. I take away what I learn and use it. If I like the way a song sounds, I want to emulate that technique.”

– Curtis Strange

Artist spotlight | p.10

Mountain Melodies Curtis Strange inn for the night | p.16

CUrtis strAnge plays original and cover music. opposite: Strange performs with Dr. Rob Bouchard at Vintage 1889 restaurant in Fort Payne, Ala.

no Boundaries

Curtis Strange’s soulful sound and extensive portfolio encompass a range of genres.

story by ranDy griDer | photos by steven stieFel and ranDy griDer

Curtis str ange is an everyman’s musiC ian. With a seemingly infinite playlist of songs from almost any genre, he is a virtual Pandora of musical entertainment. in fact, i’ve tested him on many occasions and am always impressed at his range. James taylor, Dire straits, Bob seger, Kris Kristofferson, green Day, Bob Dylan, Hank Williams, allman Brothers, Buddy Holly, The Band…

How can a soon-to-be-21-year-old have such a vast repertoire always on the ready? Well, it helps if you have a father who teaches you to play music at a young age and you’re motivated.

“i started playing when i was 11,” strange says. “my dad [troy strange] played guitar, and we had all the guitars laying around. i was playing in a band named maiden China by the time i was 13. i built up a huge playlist over the years. i know so many songs that i don’t even know how many i know. it’s easily in the hundreds.”

in a way, strange, who also plays harmonica and bass, channels the persona of any artist whose music he plays. This isn’t cheap mimicking – he studies the mannerisms and other nuances that add depth and authenticity to his cover performances.

“i spent the most time learning James taylor’s technique,” strange says.” i even got fake fingernails put on so i can play like him. That’s what he does, gets fake fingernails put on. James taylor, John Prine, Bob Dylan, The Band – i’ve studied all of them. i take away what i learn and use it. if i like the way a song sounds, i want to emulate that technique.”

strange is often described as soulful – and sometimes as an old soul. His favorite song, the haunting “Whiter shade of Pale,” lends credence to those arguments.

strange’s philosophy concerning music is simple. “There’s good music in every genre,” he says. “it’s a universally loved source of creativity and expression.”

Born in Bloomington, ind., and raised in Fort Payne, ala., st range’s love of music has no boundaries – r&B, country, rock, Christian contemporary, jazz – and he can be found playing several times a week,

whether it’s with friend and fellow musician Dr. rob Bouchard, at the Fort Payne First united met hodist Church or as part of the band Permagroove.

“i have a lot of love for Permagroove,” strange says. “We started as another band about two and a half years ago. [today it’s comprised of strange, Jason guinn, Jay Chadwick and Chase armstrong.] We do some original stuff and a lot genres, but around the same kind of theme. The majority of it is ’60s and ’70s – funk, reggae, jam band.”

Permagroove plays throughout the region with shows in cities including atlanta and Huntsville, Birmingham and gadsden in alabama.

strange, who has tourette’s syndrome (limited to subtle body ticks and often unnoticed by the casual observer), seems comfortable in front of an audience, even though that was not always the case. He credits his Fort Payne High school drama teacher, Paul Crawford, and football coach, Paul ellis, with boosting his confidence in a way that has aided his stage presence.

“Drama and doing plays helped me with interaction,” he says. “and football helped me. Coach e l lis used to say, ‘you can be nervous, but never scared.’ i remember that and tell other people that when they are nervous.”

music is both a passion and artistic release that strange would like to take to the next level. “i love music, and it’s helping pay for my college right now – and if anyone wants to donate...” strange trails off playfully. “i would love for it to take me somewhere. i would love not only to be able to sustain myself, but to really live playing music.”

But above all, strange adds, “i want to do something great in this world. i want to help people who otherwise would not have a shot. i’ve had people to help me, and i want to give back.”

To learn about Curtis Strange’s upcoming performances, visit permagroovemusic.com or his Facebook page by typing his name and Fort Payne in the search field.

pioneers rest

Bear Creek Cabins offers authentic, hand-hewn vacation cabins nestled on a picturesque working farm.

by ranDy griDer

DDriving onto the property that houses Bear Creek Cabins, you know you are entering something very different and special. The labyrinth of rocks on the right side of the country road makes you slow to a crawl and beckons you to come explore before you even arrive at your destination.

The only thing that keeps me from hitting the brakes and doing a little bouldering with the goats that use these incredible formations as their private jungle gym is the anticipation of seeing the cabin where we will be staying for a couple of nights. i’m always excited to bed down in anything rustic that teems with history.

Bear Creek Cabins is a complex of pioneer cabins that have been relocated and painstakingly reconstructed on a 196-acre working cattle farm adjacent to Little river Canyon national preserve. (part of the land was once divided into lots for construction of a golf-course development as part of the now-defunct Canyon Land amusement park. Canyon Land offered carnival rides, chairlifts into the canyon and a zoo with exotic animals and was a popular music venue before it closed in the 1980s).

We are assigned Cabin v, a two-bedroom, one bath, hand-hewn structure that wows us the minute we open the door. My wife, olivia, and i, as well as our daughter, ansley, 15, and son, Caden, 12, are happy to see it offers a perfect blend of rustic and modern conveniences – gas-log fireplace, cable tv, washer/dryer and a hot tub on the back porch.

ok, quick reference for first-timers: Cabin v is the first cabin you come to on the entrance road. The cabins are numbered not by order, but rather by when they were reassembled on the property, explain randy and sandy galloway, owners of Bear Creek Cabins. Cabin i, the first cabin they reconstructed, is actually the fourth cabin and the fifth structure in sequence as there also is a lodge – a remodeled farmhouse that is perfect for larger families or groups. as the couple added more cabins, they decided not to change the numbering or name the cabins since that would confuse repeat customers – an important part of Bear Creek Cabins’ success. perhaps it should be noted that Bear Creek Cabins didn’t start out as a rental-cabin venture. it evolved from randy’s passion to find, save and reconstruct an authentic, hand-hewn cabin on his farm. his love of pioneer

photos by Olivia and Randy Grider and courtesy Bear Creek Cabins

Five reBuilt cABins feature original details and modern conveniences and are situated on 196 acres atop Lookout Mountain.

clockwise From top leFt: A view of Cabin V’s living room from its loft bedroom; Cabin II sports a wrap-around porch; Kids love to rove the boulder field that is home to six to 12 goats; A cozy array of comfortable and antique furnishings fills the cabins; Guests are welcome to roam the farm, which includes this barn, cattle pastures and a fishing pond; Bear Creek Cabins owners Randy and Sandy Galloway took apart each cabin and carefully rebuilt it on their property.

cabins began with a childhood friend, Barry Borders, whose parents, Buck and Martha Borders, owned an 1830s-era cabin on their property on the western bluff of Lookout Mountain. When he spent the night with the Borders, he and Barry often would sleep in the cabin beside the main house.

But hand-hewn cabins aren’t the easiest things to come by. Few are left, and most are in poor shape and hidden inside newer exterior and interior walls – keeping their secrets from the unsuspecting eye. r andy spent years trying to find one he could purchase, take apart and reconstruct. after giving up, and with “Building and restoring the hewn Log house” by Charles McCraven as his guide, he started building a new, hand-hewn cabin in 1998. six logs into the project, fate intervened when a neighbor stopped by to see what was causing so much noise.

“Daryl norman came over and asked, ‘What in the world are you beating the woods down for, r andy?’” sandy says laughing. r andy told him he was building a cabin because he couldn’t find one to restore.

“[norman] says, ‘here’s the deal. i bought an old cabin that i don’t have time to do anything with,’” randy says. “he offered to sell it to me, and that day i bought it.”

as i tour the grounds of Bear Creek Cabins with r andy and sandy,

they proudly point out little reminders of the hard work that went into rebuilding Cabin i as with all the cabins, the logs were numbered when they were dissembled. and in the case of this cabin, the rocks of the chimney were also carefully cataloged for reconstruction.

Cabin i is the only cabin whose original front façade doesn’t face the road. it’s aligned instead for a view of Bear Creek, which cuts a deep gorge before it intersects Little river Canyon. (several miles of scenic Canyon rim Drive – highway 176 – including the part boasting grace’s high Falls, alabama’s tallest waterfall, follow Bear Creek Canyon. you can witness the convergence of both waterways and canyons at Crow’s point overlook.)

it took the galloways three years to complete the first cabin, which was originally built in Lebanon, ala., by isham B. roberts, an early settler and member of the alabama militia who was involved in the indian conflicts of the 1830s.

sandy says it was a dream come true to finally restore an authentic cabin, but renting it was not the intent. That idea came from family and friends who were impressed with the completed project. “This was 2001, and there were cabins in the Mentone area, but not like it is now,” sandy says. “i remember thinking to myself, ‘Who in the world would come out here to stay in the middle of nowhere?’ Little did i know.”

now the galloways have five restored cabins and the lodge, and they stay booked almost constantly year round.

each cabin is amazing in both detail and décor. our cabin’s living room walls feature antique tools, a spinning wheel, a mounted deer head over the fireplace and a bear skin. other cabins offer similar features as well as small, stained-glass windows.

Though it’s relatively chilly during our visit, we each find exploring the grounds a lot of fun. The galloways invite guests to make themselves at home and enjoy the farm at their leisure. (Just please close any gate you enter as to avoid letting out the cows or goats).

olivia, ansley and Caden hike to Bear Creek while i prepare dinner. They also ramble along the rocks with the goats – a very popular aspect of Bear Creek Cabins, especially with kids.

“We bought the farm in 1995 and inherited goats,” sandy says. “it’s perfect: the goats climb on the rocks and keep the place manicured, and they are neat to watch. kids love them. We usually keep between six and 12. We also give them away. you won’t believe the number of guests who have taken baby goats home with them.”

The first night, we eat chicken and sausage prepared in a slow cooker and play cards before enjoying the hot tub. The next day is comprised of more exploring, and Caden and i go down to the pond to fish before the chilly winds of an approaching cold front drive us back to the warmth of the cabin. still, it was very enjoyable – a pictoral setting for lofting away a sunny, winter afternoon.

Caden and i watch a movie the second night, but i find myself spending more time contemplating the cabin and the area than paying attention to what is on the screen. i enjoy sitting on the couch and gazing around in wonder at the hard work and craftsmanship that went into building this cabin.

i learn from the galloways it was originally on a piece of land about five miles away near Johnny’s Creek and is at least 150 years old. This cabin, like the others on the property, is a testament to the determined grit of this area’s early settlers, who literally carved their homes from what the land presented.

This is part of why the galloways are willing to go the extra mile to preserve them for future generations. “i always wanted an old log home,” randy says. “i knew what it took for the pioneers to build them. They were carved out of the wilderness, right where they stood. each one is unique, and there’s not another one like it.”

i drift to sleep peacefully and without stressful thoughts. it’s hard not sleep well when you realize the walls surrounding you were built with such dedication and passion – twice.

If You Go

}getting there: Bear Creek Cabins is located at 923 County Road 252, Fort Payne, AL 35967. Directions and additional information about each cabin can be found at bearcreeklogcabins.com or by calling 256-845-2584.

}other AreA AttrActions: Outdoor activities are plentiful and include: hiking on the farm and within Little River Canyon National Preserve (see page 26); a scenic drive around the canyon rim via Highway 176 (nps.gov/liri/planyourvisit/scenic-drive.htm); and educational programs at Little River Canyon Center (jsu.edu/epic/ canyoncenter). If you feel the need to be creative, consider Orbix Hot Glass (orbixhotglass.com), where you can create your own glass art.

SecludedHome

With Breathtaking Vie W

• Located on eastern brow of scenic Lookout Mountain overlooking beautiful Weiss Lake

• Just a couple of minutes from outdoor nature park

• 428-foot bluff width amid 13 wooded acres

• 850-square-foot deck wrapping around three sections of house

• House more than 4,000-square feet with stacked stone and split-shaker vinyl shingle facade

• Travertine foyer, kitchen and master bath

• Porcelain, tongue-and -grove hickory flooring

• Granite counter tops

• Hammered copper sinks

• Whirlpool tub with 64 air-jets

• Top-of-the-line fixtures and appliances

• Large two-vehicle garage easily accommodates crew-cab trucks

• All heavy-duty wiring and electrical

• Underground utilities

• Minutes from Cherokee Rock Village

$489,000

TeRRAmAe’S menuS are filled with items such as this duck leg that put a new spin on regional recipes. OPPOSITe: Beets and bleu cheese; A couple enjoy the food and ambiance of the restaurant, located inside an early 20th century building that also houses the StoneFort Inn.

farm-to-Table with a Twist

story and photos by

TerraMae appalachian BisTro is one of The most popular restaurants in chattanooga, Tenn., because the staff does things a bit differently. The foods seem familiar, but an emphasis on farm-to-table principles and international influences takes this establishment out of the usual territory.

in an era dominated by chain restaurants where you will consistently find the same tastes regardless of locale, TerraMae builds its menu on a foundation of fresh, carefully sourced ingredients.

owner Mark oldham co-founded the bistro on the first level of his stonefort inn, a 16-room hotel built in 1909 that sits in the heart of downtown. The restaurant’s basic concept involves serving food harvested at the peak of flavor as dishes steeped in tradition. The well-executed idea landed the business honors as “one of chattanooga’s buzziest new restaurants” in Travel + leisure magazine.

TerraMae defies easy classification as a “steakhouse” or “seafood place” and also changes its menu more frequently than most restaurants, basing the dishes served on which seasonal ingredients are most readily available and can build the kind of comfort foods people living in appalachia have enjoyed for hundreds of years.

some popular items include bacon-wrapped scallops, rosemary and rabbit biscuits and tasty combinations of oysters, shrimp, lobster, crab, bass, trout, beef, pork, eggs, cheeses and various vegetables, herbs and sauces.

“person after person walked out saying something about how good their food and drinks were, so we were excited to have dinner,” remarks Jane errico of ooltewah, Tenn. “and it was worth every minute we waited at the bar for a table since we hadn’t made reservations. our meals were perfect, and we savored every bite.”

sTeven sTiefel

Drawing on life experience and a passion for food and creativity, TerraMae’s chefs start with local ingredients and reference the appalachian region’s conventional dishes while adding bits of flavor and component combinations influenced by cultures around the world.

The restaurant is a favorite of chattanooga foodies who enjoy experimenting with new tastes. chefs incorporate new dishes gradually, realizing the importance of informed servers who can educate customers and make recommendations. “i don’t expect everyone to completely revamp the menu overnight,” says executive chef shelley cooper. “a lot of times when we get very creative with the ingredients or the cooking, there’s a lot of explanation that goes into it and conversation that needs to happen first.”

oldham and David Mitchell developed the model for TerraMae, bringing it to reality in December 2012. oldham’s interest in restaurants began with his first job, working at Miss Daisy’s Tea room in franklin, Tenn., when he was 14. “Miss Daisy King” is now a much-celebrated southern chef who has published numerous cookbooks. oldham purchased the stonefort inn as a sideline business while running a publishing company he eventually sold.

“The genesis for TerraMae was the result of a kindred-spirit connection with David Mitchell, who originally came to chattanooga to prepare to walk the appalachian Trail before the realities of life kept creeping in – aka having to make a living,” oldham says. “David and i concentrated on the words ‘appalachian’ and ‘Mother earth’ and, combined with the historical structure of the stonefort inn, TerraMae was born, with the help of many people along the way. Today, we are consistently ranked in the Top 10 restaurants in Trip advisor, and this is a testament to our upscale appalachian focus with a casual atmosphere and great team service, led by Brent Tate as general manager.

To helm the kitchen, they hired cooper, who was professionally trained

TerraMae Appalachian Bistro

TerraMae Appalachian Bistro builds its seasonal dishes with locally produced ingredients, starting with traditional recipes and infusing them with global character.

at culinary institutes in charleston, s c., and san francisco before honing her craft at top restaurants in hilton head, s c., new Zealand, los angeles, alaska and hawaii. coming to chattanooga was a return to roots for cooper. The Memphis native grew up among family members who treasure fresh, seasonal, made-from-scratch foods and hail from the Mississippi Delta and Blue ridge Mountains. new sous chef hardin cowan, a chattanooga native, most recently worked for Merchants restaurant in nashville, Tenn., and studied french culinary art in new York.

Much of the restaurant’s produce is supplied by oldham’s farm near nashville. “i’ve always had a garden,” says oldham’s wife, sharon.

If You Go

} G e T TI n G TH e R e: TerraMae Appalachian Bistro is at 122 East 10th Street, Chattanooga, TN 37402.

} d I nne R H O u RS: Monday-Thursday, 5-9 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 5-10 p.m.

} b R unc H H O u RS: Sunday, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

} Re S e RvATIO n S: 423-710-2925 or terramaechattanooga.com

}cO n SI de R A STAy AT STO nef ORT I nn: TerraMae resides on the first floor of the StoneFort Inn, which was built in 1909 on the grounds of Chattanooga’s old Stone Fort. The 16-bed, urban bed and breakfast offers a blend of rustic comfort and contemporary elegance and is surrounded by tourist attractions and a lively music scene. More information at stonefortinn.com

“When Mark opened TerraMae, he told me to expand.”

The oldhams routinely grow several acres worth of heirloom tomatoes, kale, lettuce, spinach, beans, sprouts, squash, watermelon, peppers, cucum bers, herbs and more. The TerraMae Garden salad includes a plethora of sea sonal vegetables often sourced from the farm.

food is only half the TerraMae story. Master bartender Justin stamper uses his alchemical wizardry to prepare cocktails and wines that expertly pair with the foods. if you stop by the bar, he’ll make you some familiar favorite the way its creator intended it to be mixed or offer up one of his own drinks infused with bitters, fresh fruits and ginger beers inspired by classic speakeasy drinks or literary references. You can kick back while listening to big-band music over the sound system. The vibe of this place welcomes you and promises something special with an ambiance that delivers relaxed sophistication.

TerraMae is an essential part of a stay at the stonefort inn. Many couples who come to chattanooga for a romantic weekend enjoy friday night dinner as well as the sunday brunch, ready in time for checkout.

Both the hotel and restaurant occupy the same restored brick-and-lime stone structure that was beautifully decorated by cris angsten to provide the perfect backdrop for weddings, business dinners, bridal showers and other social gatherings. located on 10th street near Warehouse row and the Bessie smith Museum, stonefort and TerraMae are conveniently near many other attractions in the scenic city. The free electric shuttle, accessible from a stop a block away, whisks travelers from the cool southside district to the popular riverfront areas housing the Tennessee aquarium and trendy northshore shops and galleries.

it’s difficult to imagine a more romantic getaway than dining on scrumptious food amidst TerraMae’s intimate lighting and elegant decor before retiring upstairs to enjoy a hot soak in a claw-foot tub or a view of the urban skyline from a balcony.

cLOckwISe fROm LefT: Executive chef Shelley Cooper prepares Braised Rabbit & Rosemary Biscuits, a favorite of repeat diners; Artisan Mac & Cheese; Crab & Corn Rainbow Trout, with pea succotash, soft grit cake and smoked tomato sauce. Produce is sourced from owner Mark Oldham’s farm near Nashville and from Chattanooga-area farms.

H A n DMADE F I n DS

The Lookout Mountain region is the home or inspiration of countless artists and craftspeople. Here’s a small sampling of their work.

METAL SCULPTURE BY CHRIS BECK

Dress, $980; Flower, $200 Commissions accepted chrisbeckart.com

706-463-8187

PATCHWORK POTTERY PLATTER AnD OWL BY TInA PEnDLEY Platter, $45; Owl, $18 Sweet Tea Pottery Pendleytina4@gmail.com 256-494-9278

LOTIOn CAnDLES BY

TERRY URBInE

Melted soy wax and essential oils moisturize skin. small, $10; medium, $15; large, $20 squareup.com/market/ the-mad-scientist; facebook.com/TMSLC; madscientistlotion candles@gmail.com 256-632-9297

BIRD PAINTING AND DECORATIVE GOURD BY VICKI S. DODD

Bird painting, $65; Gourd, $25 vickiqdodd@aol.com

256-593-5398

The Bullet, $40 706-398-0194

JEWELRY AND PURSE BY ANGELA JEFFERY GRIZZARD

Coral and Silver Cross

Necklace and Earrings, $32; Native-print Purse, $50 AJ Trading Post in Mentone, Ala. aljefferynm@yahoo.com 828-508-0576

MOUNTAIN DULCIMER BY JOHNNY PLEDGER

$325

OldTyme Mountain Dulcimers

johnny.pledger@gmail.com 706-331-2382

CHARLES ABERCROMBIE

CloCKWise froM left: My friend Dylan Wisener climbs the Bear Creek Canyon Trail; Me, at the first overlook on the Highway 176 scenic drive. You can see Little River Falls, where Little River Canyon begins, in the background; A map at the beginning of Beaver Pond Trail shows the two routes you can take; A view of Little River, which created the canyon and is unusual because it forms and flows almost its entire length atop a mountain

Kids’ View Little River HikingCanyon

Hiking in and Around Little River Canyon

Little River Canyon National Preserve offers adventure and amazing scenery.

by CAdEN gRIdER, AgE 12 | photos by oLIvIA gRIdER and JohN dERShAm

First of all, I would like to express the pure beauty of Little River Canyon. It is like jumping into a piece of art – but jump carefully and watch where you land. The canyon walls are steep. When most people see the canyon, they can’t take their eyes off it. I tend to ask myself, “Is this real?” every time I see it. “Can a place be this beautiful?” And then, “Where can I hike around here?”

Eberhart Point

To really know the magnificence of Little River Canyon, you have to climb

down into it. And what better place to do that than Eberhart Point, one of the deepest parts of the canyon? The view from the overlook prompts my three questions above. The steep rock cliffs and river below are simply astonishing. A wide, gravel-covered path leads to the river below.

As I descend about 600 feet into the canyon, I can’t believe how tall the cliffs are. And the water! It is clear up close and a fascinating aqua color from a distance. The view from the bottom of the canyon makes me want to stay and set up camp. (But that’s not a good idea. The National Park Service doesn’t allow camping in the canyon because of the risk for flash floods.)

Near the river, I also see the ruins of a chairlift that once was part of Canyon Land Park, an amusement park on Lookout mountain in the 1970s and early 1980s. It had carnival rides and even a zoo.

I go to the water’s edge and watch it rushing over rocks and large boulders. Two kayakers row up to the shore after a trip downstream. The trail continues along the river, but I save that adventure for another day. I love this trail and it’s alluring qualities. don’t bring small children on this one, though, because the climb back up is a doozy.

Beaver Pond Trail

Right across from the gorgeous Lynn overlook is the Beaver Pond Trail. It is a winding trail that goes through a hardwood and pine forest. Three bridges cross a burbling stream. most of the trees are short, and sunlight streams through them. You can take the short way (1/3 mile) or the long way (3/4 mile). Either way, at the end you arrive at Beaver Pond. It’s a small pond created by a

beaver’s dam in the stream. You can walk out on a short pier to get a better look.

We take the long way around and venture off

the path a little after the second bridge. We see a clearing that turns out to be a glade. The ground is covered with gray rock and thick, green moss. This would be a great place for a picnic.

Bear Creek Canyon Trail

This trail gives you a little bit of everything and more! A stroll through a cow pasture, a walk through the woods, a climb down into Bear Creek Canyon (which joins Little River Canyon) and a relaxing setting by the creek. If you stay at Bear Creek Cabins (see story page 16), you can enjoy this trail.

my friend dylan Wisener accompanies me on this trail. We walk through the expansive cow pasture that’s part of the Bear Creek Cabins property, through the forest, a short way along a road and onto the canyon trail. (The owners of Bear Creek Cabins are happy to tell guests the way.)

This is where our climbing journey starts. The narrow trail is fairly flat at first, then gets very steep. Ropes tied to trees help us along the most challenging areas.

CloCKWise froM top left: Little River Canyon is a 12-mile-long, 600-foot-deep gorge surrounded by14,000 acres that make up Little River Canyon National Preserve; Me, at the bottom of the Eberhart Point Trail; The water in Little River is an incredible aqua color; I stand in a glade off Beaver Pond Trail; A path leads to an overlook then the trail into the canyon at Eberhart Point; Beaver Pond Trail is known for the variety of animals and plants that live in the area’s wetland habitat; BeloW: A section of Beaver Pond Trail winds through a pine forest.

It isn’t difficult for dylan and me. We go down quickly (my mom might not have fared as well). At the bottom of the first roped section, we begin to see a waterfall crashing into the creek below. After we knock out the second rope (which is easier), we arrive at a bend in the creek.

I can’t get over the beauty of the place. It’s similar to the bottom of Little River Canyon, but the river is narrower and the canyon isn’t as deep. An almost vertical rock wall rises on the other side of the creek.

This is definitely my favorite trail of all. This trail does have steep climbs and drop-offs just beyond its edges, so small children should not go on this trail.

If you counted the number of times I said beautiful or a synonym of beautiful in this story, it would be nowhere near enough. Little River Canyon and the area around it is more than beautiful. It’s almost heavenly. But don’t take my word for it – go see for yourself!

If You Go

}getting there: Little River Canyon National Preserve is at 4322 Little River Trail NE, Fort Payne, AL 35967.

to reach Beaver pond trail: Turn off Alabama Highway 35 onto Highway 176 (scenic drive) just west of Little River Falls. The trail entrance and a parking area are right past Lynn Overlook.

to reach eberhart point: This is the last improved overlook along the Highway 176 scenic drive.

}Also CheCK out:

Martha’s falls trail, a moderate hike that leads to the upper portion of the canyon and a small waterfall. A parking lot is east of Little River Falls on Highway 35.

little river Canyon Center, where you can watch a short film about the canyon and attend nature and arts and crafts programs.

the many canyon overlooks along Highway 176, which follows the canyon’s western rim.

}More info: www.nps.gov/liri; jsu.edu/epic/canyoncenter; 256-845-9605; 256-845-3548

Family Affair

Alabama band member Teddy Gentry

Sally

by Larue hardinGer

FFor more than F our decades, Lookout mountain native teddy Wayne Gentry has been bassist, singer and songwriter for the legendary band alabama, the most awarded group in the history of country music.

But when i interview him, he is more the proud father of his firstborn, s ally Gentry Lutz – or “s ally G” as na shville is coming to know her.

For two hours, i observe an almost symbiotic dance of words, glances and laughs between father and daughter as they talk about songwriting, family, fame, cattle – and memories of the road that brought them to where they are today.

They are both a little antsy. There’s a big announcement coming, and i didn’t know it.

i knew sally had written and released a demo called “half of Who You are,” a tribute to her father, and i was anxious to hear his reaction. sally fairly bounces with joy, long brunette locks framing an angelic face, as she sits next to her dad, beaming and hanging on his every word.

“sally will be writing for our publishing company, kid south music,” teddy says without fanfare. sally is effervescent, her eyes glistening. i offer congratulations and wait for the follow-up.

“me, randy and Jeff have had a publishing company since 1973,” teddy continues. “sally is going to be writing. We’ll be publishing her material for her.”

a simple announcement, but one that carries huge potential. sally says she only learned of the decision a few days earlier.

“Three different labels have wanted me,” she adds, barely able to contain her excitement.

music publishing companies make deals with songwriters to protect and promote their songs. “if someone wants to record a song,” teddy explains, “we collect the license fee and make sure sally gets her cut and writer’s royalties. every writer has to have a publisher.”

sally says the process involves cataloguing the material and cutting a rough demo. her current demo partner is mark narmore, a longtime friend who takes sally’s lyrics and puts them to music.

“i send mark everything i write,” sally says. “he just puts it together and puts the melody to it. he doesn’t change any of my words.”

singers on sally’s demos include scott Ward of Gadsden, ala. (“half of Who You are” and “come Back Before You’re Gone”), and rachel

Wammack of muscle shoals (“Washin’ over me”). sally’s demos can be heard at reverbnation.com/sallygentry.

it is clear teddy is not just sally’s dad; he’s her hero. she spent three years penning 450 songs before she anxiously unveiled one to him.

“i just want to make daddy proud,” she says. “my goal, honest to God, is just to make him proud.”

“half of Who You are” contains the refrain: “half of who you are, hope i get there some day / i look up to you, like those stars ‘cross the milky Way. / The times we weren’t together, oh the love spoke louder. / and all i’m shooting for, is to be half of who are you are.”

“i am told i am a lot like my daddy … down-to-earth,” says sally, 36. “i knew a long time ago i wanted to do something with music – just didn’t know what it was. i held back from telling daddy until very recently, because i wanted to own it. When you are given a gift and that is your heart and soul, it’s like putting your newborn child out there for everybody to judge. it’s a piece of you that you are sharing with the world.

“and i wanted to make daddy proud, by hearing him say, ‘she’s a good song writer.’ i look up to him more than anyone i know.”

teddy assures her. “There’s no measuring,” he says. “i couldn’t love you any more. Baby, i’m proud of you. and being a momma and raising kids is the most difficult thing in the world.”

sally’s home with her husband John Lutz and their five children is a stone’s throw away from teddy’s place atop Lookout mountain, on a country road where family privacy is guarded, and teddy’s 140-acre cattle ranch, “Bent tree Farms,” stretches to the horizon. on the ranch is teddy’s childhood home place – that of his late, beloved Grandpaw Burt eller.

it is here that Grandpaw eller raised teddy, on what was then a 60acre cotton farm. “i come from a background of nothing,” teddy relates. “When me and my grandpaw would go to the cotton gin in the fall, if we had the money to pay the bank off, we would stop at the Frosty Freeze and have hamburgers and coca colas – the only time of year i remember eating a hamburger. That was a big deal. We didn’t have t V. i bought books with my lunch money, and i’d come home and read and live in my fantasy world.”

sally finds her songwriting inspiration in this rural setting, with her family history surrounding her.

and daughter

talk about fame, family, songwriting and Lookout Mountain roots as Sally makes her debut as a professional lyricist.

teddy Gentry and sally Gentry at the Alabama Fan Club in Fort Payne, Ala. Sally recently signed on as a songwriter with Kid South Publishing, owned by Teddy and the other founding members of the band Alabama.

Photo by Steven Stiefel

i ask teddy what his reaction was when he first heard “half of Who You are.”

“When i played the demo,” he says, then pauses, “i was very flattered to have her write something for me, about me. Very flattering, very emotional.”

Both teddy and sally refer to songwriting ability as “almost a curse” because it runs on the demands of emotion that can’t wait to be expressed. “i get a melody in my head, and i can’t get it off,” explains teddy. “i get in the shower first thing in the morning, and it’s playing in my head. Your antenna is always up – you’re always looking for the next line or hook.

“i’m totally consumed. sometimes i drive the guys in the band crazy because i’m a perfectionist.”

teddy is speaking of his two original alabama band partners, randy owen and Jeff cook. all three cousins have maintained homes on Lookout mountain and their roots in the area’s heritage, despite the band’s spectacular rise to fame.

s ally nods. “What we mean by curse is you have to drop what you’re doing and get it out,” she says. “Literally, you can’t focus on anything until you do. i am blessed to have that gift, but you really have no control.”

teddy says he will be working with sally on song structuring to further her success. “There’s a big difference between a lyric and a threeminute composite – to write a great song so that in three minutes every-

body interprets that song in the same way you did,” he says. “every line has to lead you into the next one, and if you lose your train of thought anywhere in that song, you have lost your audience.”

teddy’s passion for songwriting is apparent, yet he says, “it’s no big deal.” he believes songs are personal and can’t be measured in the same way as success over a long, lifetime career. “The career alabama is a big deal,” he says.

“Being a songwriter is something you do because you love it,” he continues. “Writing songs is emotion. it’s satisfying. it’s satisfying myself. it’s something i have to get out. and when i get it out, it’s better than sex.

“You’ve created something that is good and decent and said it in a cool way – and you’ve spent years and years and years learning how to do it. if you write something that changes somebody’s life, you’ve left something that will be around after you’re gone. a part of you.”

teddy says even after alabama retired and came off the road some four years until reuniting in 2011, he never stopped songwriting.

he wrote his first song around age 10 and called it “ two roads.” “it was about life in general, from a young kid being raised in a holiness church,” he recalls. “Probably my first influence on my musical life was gospel music.”

teddy says of the thousands of songs he has written or co-written, he couldn’t name his favorite.

“You don’t have a favorite,” he says. “They’re like kids. You have favorites for different occasions. “‘The Fans’ i like because it’s a thank-you

clockwise from left: Sally Gentry recently wrote and released a demo titled “Half of Who You Are” that is a tribute to her father, Teddy Gentry; Teddy sings a song written for his wife, Linda Gentry, and set to be included on an album Alabama will release in May. photos by Steven Stiefel; As part of a 40th anniversary tour in 2013, Alabama plays at The Bowery in Myrtle Beach, S.C., where the band gave its first public performance. photo courtesy Teddy Gentry; Teddy performs with Charlie Daniels, whom he credits with impressing him more than any other celebrity he’s met. photo by Lisa Pay Shephard

for letting me do what i do – a very emotional song, writing it for those people. two or three days of putting my being into every line.”

he also mentions “never Be one,” the song he wrote to sally on her second birthday. “You think it would not be a favorite?” he asks.

he adds “Give me one more shot.” “it was to the good Lord for giving me another day to wake up and do what i do.”

teddy picks up the acoustic guitar at his feet and strums his latest song for Linda Gentry, his wife of 42 years. he sings, “i’d go back down every road we’ve been, just to do it all again.” The song is set to be included on alabama’s newest album, to be released in may.

teddy relates how “never Be one” was recorded in a south carolina studio, and he walked across the street to where his family was staying to ask a favor of sally. “i asked her if she would go in the studio with me and say ‘Goodnight, daddy’ at the end of the song.”

“he woke me up in my footie pajamas,” sally laughs, “and i remember going with him to the studio and saying ‘Goodnight, daddy.’ i was too young to ‘get it’ at the time. i always knew that was me on that song. i just didn’t know it was a big deal.”

“everything i do is by emotion and feel,” teddy adds, “and it just was the icing on the cake for her to say ‘Good night daddy.’ That was the ‘movie ending.’”

teddy’s voice cracks as he explains the depth of his love for his two children, sally and her little brother, Josh. “You gotta understand,” he begins, “you’ve been wanting a baby so bad, and it was five or six years before we got pregnant with sally, and we were on pins and needles the whole time. i don’t think anybody was ever loved any more.”

teddy holds his hands out, as if receiving a newborn into his arms. “They brought her out, and she was just beautiful and perfect in every way,” he says. “i thought, ‘This is just as close as i’ll ever come to seeing a miracle.’ That feeling has never left. she’s still my miracle.”

“We have always had a lot of love in our family. The downside to the success is the times you didn’t get to be there.”

sally’s first demo echoes that sentiment:

Staying busy

“The heart of you was here with me, don’t think i didn’t know. / i’d fall asleep most every night, with your songs on my radio. / Like a beacon in the darkness, your smile always shines through./ i hope i’ve made you proud of me; i hope you know i’m proud of you.”

sally says her father not only taught her the basics of fishing and basketball, but how to understand fans and how to handle fame.

“i’m a little girl, going out to eat with our

family, and all these people would come up to us,” she recalls. “i turned to daddy one day and said, ‘do you not ever get tired? They always stop you!’ he said, ‘They are the ones who made us who we are.’ he accomplished his dream. Who am i to be selfish? i share my daddy with everybody.”

Fans of alabama might see teddy as a laid-back, quiet, unassuming, bass player who harmonizes. But don’t be fooled by his mild manner.

Alabama is touring again, but Teddy stays busy with an array of other activities as well, including:

} r unnin G Bent t ree farms. On his ranch, Teddy raises a special breed of heat-tolerant cattle he developed called South Poll.

} Book pu B lishin G. Teddy’s new book, “Before You Have a Cow,” co-written with Allen Williams, has just been published and is available for purchase at the Alabama Fan Club in Fort Payne.

} o pen m ic n i G ht. Teddy sponsors this regular event, where local kids can jam with musicians and songwriters and experience singing on stage with a live band for free at the Alabama Fan Club.

} c hildren’s a dvocacy c enter fundraisers. Teddy raises money for the DeKalb County, Alabama, Children’s Advocacy Center through events such as his annual birthday bash (Jan. 22) at 3rd and Lindsley, a family supper club in Nashville, Tenn. Teddy’s songwriter and musician friends come by, and his Rockit City Band plays. He describes Rockit City Band as “songwriters and friends around Music Town (Nashville) who get together and have fun, play, just jam. Ninety percent of what we do is for charity work.”

}his northeast alaBama community colleGe annual sprinG event. Kids from area schools participate in this musical competition.

from left: Teddy Gentry plays at a concert during Alabama’s annual Fan Appreciation Weekend in 2014. photo by Randy Grider; Alabama performs at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tenn. photo courtesy Teddy Gentry

The man is intense: totally committed to his family, his songwriting, his programs to help children and his cattle business. Yet he doesn’t mix the four.

“i never brought my music home,” teddy says. “When my son Josh was in first or second grade, he was asked what his dad did for a living, and he said i was a farmer. That made me so proud!”

teddy admits he’s totally consumed by whatever he’s doing at the moment – and often works himself to exhaustion, focusing on nothing else. and though this is puzzling to some, sally says she understands because she’s the same. “daddy don’t sit still,” she says.

That dynamic, all-consuming work ethic –borne of his agricultural upbringing – is the vehicle that helped bring him fame and fortune.

“my advice to my kids and my grandkids and now my great-grandkids is that you don’t live life without passion,” he says. “i mean, be passionate about something! and ever what it is, you don’t have to get my approval on it. if you love it, i will love it, and i will support you in it, because you love it. dedicate yourself to something you love every day.”

Learn more about Teddy Gentry and the band Alabama at the Alabama Fan Club in Fort Payne, Ala.

end of

the Falls le G

Gadsden’s picturesque park offers mystery, historical perspectives and a wide array of outdoor activities to complement views of its fascinating focal point.

by olivia Grider

OPPOSITE: A statue and plaque tell the story of a Cherokee maiden who supposedly jumped to her death because she could not marry the person she loved.

BLACK CREEK GORGE, below

Noccalula Falls. photo courtesy

Greater Gadsden Tourism

photo by Olivia Grider

GGrowin G up in a home daycare is a curious experience. it’s like having four to six siblings who disappear at night and on weekends. life in our relatively small house was never boring, to be sure, and the summer field trips were some of the best perks. determined to keep her brood entertained, my mother – who at 60 is still accused of having more energy than most children – scheduled a trip for almost every day of the week. There was library day, movie day, pool day and my favorite, park day. The park was often noccalula falls – not a short drive from our Birmingham, ala., suburb, but reasonable given cheap 1980s gas prices and, everyone agreed, well worth the time spent double-buckled* in the monte carlo’s massive back seat or, later, making faces at fellow interstate travellers from the third row of the aerostar van (where we were relatively safe from my mother’s watchful eye).

i’m not sure i fully appreciated the breadth of the somewhat odd combination of activities the park offered. you could roam through rock passageways, interact with wildlife, ride a miniature train, dash around a playground, explore a real pioneer village, play mini-golf and go on an adrenaline-pumping adventure to the bottom of the gorge and the area behind the waterfall. To top it off, the place had at its core a mysterious legend filled with romance and tragedy.

plus there were two things at noccalula falls park we couldn’t find

anywhere else: grape ice cream and a human hamster wheel. when you’re 8 years old, a summer outing doesn’t get any better than that. upon arrival at the park, we tumbled out of the vehicle steps away from a bridge crossing Black creek just before it plunges 90 feet to the damp, cavernous ravine below. The first order of business was to take stock of the water flow, which could range from a trickle to a ferocious gush that caused a spectacular mist to rise from the pool beneath and made us raise our voices to be heard even a few feet away.

next, we unpacked and ate our picnic lunch at a covered pavilion in the wooded area bordering the parking lot and the north side of the falls. Then we crossed the bridge, stopping to feed extra bread to the ducks and geese gathered there, and headed for the rest of the park. Taking the path that hugged the stone cliff, we came to the statue of the indian maiden noccalula, forever frozen in the last step before her desperate leap to the depths below. even though i knew the story, i always took time to pause here, where the view of the falls is best, reread the plaque and ponder whether noccalula actually jumped from the statue’s position (in which case she would have landed in the forested ravine) or closer to the falls, where she might have landed in water.

The legend goes that noccalula was the beautiful daughter of a great indian chief who wanted her to marry the leader of a powerful neighboring tribe. Though noccalula pleaded that her heart already belonged to a young brave of her own tribe, the chief, desiring a union with the other group, banished the young warrior and forged a marriage agreement with the neighboring chief. noccalula allowed herself

*This is what you did when there weren’t enough seatbelts to go around and public-safety education hadn’t progressed enough to teach you any better.

to be dressed in festive wedding robes, then slipped to the brink of the rushing waterfall, where she ended her sorrow. her remorseful father renamed Black creek falls in her honor.

i took it for granted the legend was true. standing as close to the rim of the chasm as the iron fence would allow, i tried to imagine the inner turmoil that would inspire one to jump – and what such a flight

Tearing myself from my reverie, i joined the other kids romping among giant boulders in a field to the left of the path before we embarked on the highlight of our journey – the historic Gorge Trail. The sign warning hikers that they “assume all risks” only added to the thrill of the challenge before us: navigating an ancient-looking, unbelievably steep, brown-metal staircase into the humid jungle at the base of the falls. The 77 steps were increasingly short and narrow as one descended, becoming more like a ladder than a staircase at the end. we felt like we diana Jones expedition.

he bottom, a trail wound in a semi-circle along the sheer rock façade on our right and into the deep cavern behind the waterfall. The area was scattered with slick, black-tinted rocks of all sizes, and i cringe recklessly bounded from one to the next, heedless he shade beneath the falls, the stone facings and raw earth radiated cool relief from the blazing sun beating down on d if a lot of water were flowing over the falls, our skin was soon coated with a refreshing layer of mist.

were a native american, i would spend all summer in the gorge. There was evidence people had been visiting for a long time. The trail itself was well worn, and old carvings mingled with modern scrawls on the rock walls.

er climbing the stairs out of the canyon, it was on to the pioneer village, complete with homesteads, a general store/post office, blacksmith’s shop, loom house and school/church. all the log structures were authentic, and had been moved to the park from sites near lawrencegazed through iron-barred doorways at the scenes portrayed inside and tried to imagine living in those times. The buildings lder’s “little house” books i had read. st the village was a large fenced area that was home to deer and sometimes turkey. The deer were fairly easily drawn to the fence ade a loop here and began heading back toward our starting point on a parallel path. a train ride – the only activity besides mini-golf that required a fee – was up next, and the conductor, always an elderly gentleman in striped overalls and a matching hat, gave an informative and entertaining tour of the park grounds.

ast we arrived at the playground, which was typical of the time –merry-go-round, swings, slides and metal jungle gyms – except tucked into a back corner, inside a structure painted to look like a small house, was a human-sized hamster wheel big enough to accommodate four or rds can’t describe the joy. partly because, in hindsight, i’m not sure what was so appealing about a circular treadmill. maybe it was had a pet hamster and spent a lot of time watching him run in wasn’t alone in my fascination. small crowds of kids would gather to wait their turn, even though the park itself was never crowded. he afternoon wound down, we sometimes played a round of mini-golf at the small course next to playground before ending our exploits with ice cream at the Jack’s restaurant that adjoins the park.

Today no ccalula falls park, which has Been owned by the city of Gadsden, ala., since 1949, retains many of the aspects i

remember, but incorporates changes and additions as well.

The most obvious is a new main entrance, marked by a large parking lot and attractive wood-and-stone building that houses a gift shop, admission booth and restrooms and is steps from a new train platform. while the viewing area around the top of the falls and the playground are still free, the other parts of the park i knew as a child have been fenced in, and visitors access them through the new entrance, where admission fees of $2-$6 are charged and include unlimited train rides. The miniature golf course has been rebuilt on a much larger and impressive scale on land outside and to the left of the new entrance. Tasteful landscaping has been added throughout the park, and the grounds are generally more manicured than i recall. The metal stairway leading to the Gorge Trail is closed, replaced by an earthen ramp visitors and emergency vehicles can use, and a new trail system has opened many more acres of the park to hikers and mountain bikers.

many of the updates were made about 10 years ago, says Janet Tarrance, park supervisor. “interest [in the park] was growing and growing,” she says. “The city just wanted to do some revamping and make improvements.”

noccalula falls park now consistently ranks among alabama’s top three attractions in terms of attendance, along with the u.s. space and rocket center in huntsville and the uss alabama Battleship memorial park in mobile, says hugh stump, executive director of Greater Gadsden area Tourism.

Between 300,00 and 400,000 people visit noccalula falls park annually, Tarrance says, and stump estimates 70 percent of them are from outside the Gadsden area.

noccalula falls is the dramatic starting point (or ending point, depending on perspective) of lookout mountain, which stretches north to chattanooga, Tenn. it’s unusual to have such a grand natural feature within city limits, stump says. “it’s our prime, no. 1 image for Gadsden,” he says. “when we do image advertising, we always use a picture of the falls.”

The train ride and a new petting zoo are the most popular things in the traditional park space, Tarrance says. The train is a replica of the c.p. huntington, a locomotive first used by the central pacific railroad in 1864. Train conductors still point out attractions and tell about the area’s history. The boarding point next to the new entrance, by the pioneer village, adds convenience. “To get on a train and ride is fun, but it also gives a little direction for someone who’s never been here before,” Tarrance says.

The animal habitat and petting zoo – additions to the deer park, which is still there – were started in 2000 and now include indoor and outdoor areas for goats, sheep, donkeys, emus, an alligator, fish, birds, rabbits, foxes, an african lion and more. “kids and people in general love animals,” Tarrance says. “we just started little by little to have different things.”

in 2006, a wedding chapel opened on the north side of the falls, by the bridge crossing Black creek and the area where we used to picnic. The chapel holds 60 people, and wedding styles range from country to elegant.

“noccalula falls has always been popular for people wanting to get

RIGhT: A wedding chapel stays booked most of the year; The pioneer village includes about 20 authentic structures moved to the park from Tennessee. photos by Olivia Grider OPPOSITE [TOP TO BOTTOm]: An 18-hole mini-golf course is a popular attraction; A deer park and petting zoo are part of the grounds; A train ride is a good way to get acquainted with the park. photos courtesy Greater Gadsden Tourism

Events at the Falls

Several annual events and festivals draw large crowds to Noccalula Falls and have given the park more visibility in recent years, says Hugh Stump, executive director of Greater Gadsden Area Tourism. They are:

}SmOKE ON ThE FALLS BARBECuE FESTIvAL, APRIL 11, 2015 –Pros and backyard barbeque teams compete in this event sanctioned through the Kansas City Barbeque Society and Alabama Barbecue Trails. Live music, food vendors and a children’s play area are part of the fun.

}WhEELS ON ThE hILLS CAR ShOW, JuNE 12-14, 2015 – Thousands will gather to trade, buy and sell cars at this reconfiguration of the 30-yearold “Gadsden Street Rod Run” series of car shows.

}ThE BARBARIAN ChALLENGE, JuNE 20, 2015 – Part race, part obstacle course, the Barbarian Challenge utilizes the Black Creek Trail System and involves creek crossings, tunnels, walls and ropes. Stump brought the event’s organizer to Gadsden after witnessing the Challenge in Georgia, and it will be held at Noccalula Falls for the fifth year in a row in 2015.

}ChRISTmAS AT ThE FALLS, NOvEmBER-DECEmBER, 2015 – The park is decorated with more than 1 million lights, Santa and the Grinch make appearances and children can decorate cookies and write and mail letters to Santa at the pioneer Post Office.

married,” Tarrance says. Before the chapel was built, people got married in the park’s botanical gardens or by the covered bridge, built in 1899. “we just decided we might as well have a wedding chapel,” Tarrance says.

now couples use the gardens and covered bridge as photo backdrops. “it’s a gorgeous place for wedding pictures,” Tarrance says. also on the north side of the falls, noccalula falls campground, which offered rv and tent camping when i was a kid, now boasts two cabins that accommodate up to six people each. Tarrance compares them to vacation cabins in the smoky mountains and says wedding parties often use them. rv camping sites with full hookups or water/ electric hookups are available, and tent sites offer water and electricity. Both Tarrance and stump tell me about the biggest change at the park

It seems safe to say no one knows more about the history of the Noccalula Falls area than Danny Crownover, president of the Etowah Historical Society and director of the Etowah Heritage Museum. After returning to Etowah County with a degree from the University of Alabama, Crownover spent a lot of time in Black Creek Gorge, curious about the unexplained things he saw there –old carvings and markings, piles of rubble, nails and pipes sticking out of the rock on both sides of the falls.

“I was fascinated,” he says. “There was all kinds of historical evidence.” He began researching the area’s past as a hobby and eventually wrote a book, “Black Creek – Southern Lookout Mountain,” published in 1983.

Crownover says he found much to indicate people regularly visited the falls long before it became a park. It was a landmark for various Native American tribes, as it was near a route they used for thousands of years that eventually became known as the High Town Pass. It stretched from present-day Charleston, S.C. to Memphis, Tenn., and the Chickasaw used it as a trading route with the British.

A story goes that during the Civil War Gen. Joseph Wheeler took his men for a night of dancing at a pavilion in the gorge. “They were down there with the country women,” according to one account, Crownover says, “and must have had a good time judging from all the peanut shells on the dancing floor.” Crownover has found photos confirming dancing pavilions existed

at the top and bottom of the falls.

An 1859 map shows a cave entrance directly below where the Indian maiden statue now stands.

The cave was rumored to go all the way to Chattanooga, but Crownover thinks it more likely ends in the Keener community, about 10 miles northeast of Gadsden, since it was sometimes called the Keener Cave. The cave entrance was dynamited in 1870, possibly because a saloon operated inside. The historical society and the University of Alabama Geology Department are holding an interest meeting soon to investigate the cave.

One of the first houses in the area was near the falls and was owned by a white man, John Riley, and his Native American wife, Crownover says. The log cabin has been moved to another area on the High Town Pass. Etowah County’s first factory, which made hats and was called The Hattery, was built in 1858 where the park is now.

Beginning around 1870, steam boats from Rome, Ga., came to Gadsden with the purpose of taking people to Noccalula Falls. A narrowgauge passenger railroad was built around 1895. “It was a little tiny train

in the past several years – the development of the Black creek Trail system. This trail system is on the north side of the falls (as opposed to the Gorge Trail, which begins on the south side) and can be accessed for free. The 1.7-mile main trail starts behind the wedding chapel and gradually descends into the gorge along a gentle slope, ending amid the city streets of Gadsden.

stump says the trail had existed for hundreds of years, but when he came to Gadsden in 2009, it was a rutted, eroded, natural trail filled with rocks and roots. “you could tell it was a trail that had been used for a long time, but it was difficult to maneuver,” he says.

The city of Gadsden widened the trail to about 8 feet and paved it with gravel in 2011, using part of a federal transportation grant, stump says. The goal was two-fold: make the park easier to access from the main part

that brought tourists from Gadsden to Noccalula Falls,” Crownover says.

The area was known as tourist camp for a long time. From 1838 until the city of Gadsden purchased the property in 1949, the land was privately owned, but its owners allowed the public to use it, Crownover says.

“There were many reasons why people went up to Noccalula Falls,” he continues. “For health reasons, people went to drink from the spring. People went to get away from life, to enjoy themselves and to go hunting. Many stayed overnight.” You can see where their camp fires blackened the rock in the gorge.

Of course, the main thing people want to know is whether the legend of Noccalula is true. Similar stories are attached to other waterfalls and told as far north as Niagra Falls.

Crownover says written records, including newspaper articles and journals written by travellers on the High Town Pass in 1815, 1818 and 1821, indicate a Native American maiden jumped from the falls between 1789 and 1795, although the story is a little different from the popular legend based on an 1857 poem by Mathilde Bilbro.

The maiden was the daughter of Chief Little Turkey, who came to Tur-

key Town (a large area that stretched from Gadsden to Centre, Ala., with its main village located five miles northeast of Gadsden) in 1789 and later became principal chief of the Cherokee Nation. Her name was not Noccalula, which means “waterfall” in the Cherokee language, but Elohibela or Elofabela.

The brave she was in love with was Chief Pathkiller, who also became principal chief of the Cherokee Nation and died in 1827 in presentday Centre.

A stick-ball game was involved in the incident, Crownover says. Chief Turkey promised his daughter to Creek Chief Micco if the Cherokees lost, which they did.

While he’s not comfortable saying the legend is definitely true, Crownover says he tends to believe it is, largely because it was documented in writing not long after it happened by people who were living during the time. Some people even claimed to have witnessed the stick-ball game. And since Little Turkey was principal chief of the entire Cherokee Nation, the story would have spread, he says. “I lean toward thinking the legend of the Indian princess started right here at Noccalula Falls,” he says. “But the fun of it is it’s a legend. It has a romantic story to it. It’s romantic that someone loved someone and they were willing to jump over a waterfall because they couldn’t marry who they wanted to marry. That used to wow the early pioneers. That’s why I think they wrote about it.”

A group in Black Creek Gorge, about 1910/ photo courtesy Danny Crownover

a hisTory of aT TracTion

of the city and open areas of the park few had accessed before. only a small portion of the park’s 250 acres is occupied by what people have traditionally called noccalula falls park, stump says. hundreds of other acres could be used for hiking and biking. “it wasn’t something that was known about because it wasn’t accessible,” stump says. “people just saw the waterfall.” now the elderly and people with disabilities can see the gorge.

dozens of additional trails, made by people, deer and other animals, intersect the Black creek Trail, and the city began improving those trails for hiking and mountain biking about a year and a half ago, stump says. now 5 miles of these dirt trails are easily accessible from the Black creek Trail.

“The cool thing about noccalula falls is you can go exploring and not get lost,” stump says. “you’re going to come out on a road eventually.”

upon hearinG aB ouT These enhancemenTs To one of my favorite places, i have to see for myself. on an unseasonably warm January weekend, my 12-year-old son and i set out for noccalula falls. i park the car in the parking lot we used when i was a kid, since this is closest to the Black creek Trail. people are feeding the ducks and geese by the bridge, just like i remember. only there are machines that dispense feed so you don’t have to bring food for them.

we walk behind the wedding chapel and see a sign marking the beginning of Black c reek Trail. with the gorge on our left, we pass the campground on the right and go by the cabins before the trail begins to descend. we f ind it much as described, with overlooks and a bridge offering pretty views along the way. o ur elevation eventu -

ally matches that of the burbling creek, and we walk alongside it. where the narrower, dirt hiking and biking trails intersect the main trail, colorful signs with maps show their routes. as we inspect one of these signs, an older man with a hiking stick explains the trail it shows offers an alternate route to the campground. he also tells us about an upcoming trail that follows the creek more closely. “This is just wonderful,” he says of the whole trail system.

after reaching the end of the main trail and making our way back – taking the trail the man suggested for a time – we decide to have ice cream and visit the playground as a tribute to my memories. alas, the ice cream at Jack’s has been replaced by standard Blue Bell fare, and there is no grape flavor. i try strawberry and find it a passable substitute. my son orders a chocolate-peanut-butter milkshake, and we walk to the playground.

all the equipment is new, and the area swarms with children enjoying the sunshine. There’s no replacement for the giant wooden hamster wheel (how could there be?), but the kids don’t seem to mind. They zoom down slides, hold tight to a metal, zipline-like apparatus and climb over the two large play structures.

we stop to look at the waterfall as we leave. a little boy approaches the fence near the statue, points at the rainbow the mist makes at the base of the falls and urgently calls his dad over to look. everything isn’t the same as i remember, but i’m glad the beauty, history and adventure of this place are enchanting even more people today.

Noccalula Falls Park is on Noccalula Road in Gadsden, AL 35904.Hours: (Gated portion of park) March 1-June 1, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; June 2-Aug. 10, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.; Aug. 11-Oct. 30, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. More information: cityofgadsden.com/index.aspx?NID=134; 256-549-4663

respite and renewal

Built by a country music legend and owned by the family of a popular restaurant chain founder, The Summit is a mountainous haven offering relaxing group getaways.

story by eLizabeTh Manning | photos by oLivia grider

Tucked aT o p a wooded ridge be T ween Lookout Mountain and Sand Mountain in Fort payne, ala., is a secluded estate where the family of late chick-fil-a founder Truett cathy invites groups large and small to enjoy worldclass accommodations and the area’s abundant natural beauty.

“The Summit is a private residence of Mr. cathy’s,” says amber Mcpherson, guest coordinator. “So when we have groups come, we want them to feel like they are guests in Mr. cathy’s home.”

church and corporate groups from across the Southeast visit the 200acre estate, which is part of the cathy family’s Lifeshape organization, for retreats and planning meetings.

The Summit consists of three homes, offers 17 bedrooms and suites

and can accommodate up to 80 guests. The main house includes seven bedrooms and 12 bathrooms, a gourmet kitchen staffed by a full-time chef, a large dining area, movie theatre and billiards room. a heated, outdoor pool is available to guests during much of the year. eighty people can be seated in a large conference room, and smaller, intimate meeting spaces are tucked indoors and out. wireless internet is available in common areas.

“we are all-inclusive,” Mcpherson says. “when groups come for a stay, they take off their shoes and kick their feet up, and we take care of the rest.”

The estate was originally the private home of Teddy gentry (see story page 30), member of the band alabama. gentry began construction of the

house and surrounding buildings in 1982, and the home was completed in 1987. The carriage house was built as a residence for gentry’s road manager.

gentry sold the estate to bob and beth Yoe in 1991. The Yoes added an upper parking lot at the main lodge, widened the porch and added extensive landscaping to the property. in 2003, the estate went up for auction.

cathy heard “a mountain estate” only a 45-minute drive from his camp, winshape, was going to be auctioned. winshape, in north georgia, is a christian day and overnight summer camp for children. “They say Mr. cathy loved auctions and he loved a good deal,” Mcpherson says. upon visiting the property prior to the auction, cathy fell in love with the place, she continues. cathy knew his daughter, Trudy, and son-inlaw, John, had a dream of founding a retreat for christians in leadership roles, Mcpherson says. cathy bought the Fort payne property and offered it to them as a location for the retreat.

The estate began welcoming guests shortly thereafter. b ob Yoe is now a board member of Lifeshape, the organization that operates The Summit. Lifeshape was established in 2003 to help young christians understand, explain and live their faith, according to the Lifeshape website.

after purchasing the property, cathy renovated several rooms in the main house and carriage house to include private bathrooms. a pool house, adjacent to the main lodge, includes another suite – for a total of 12 – and an exercise room. The grounds have expanded from the 50 acres cathy bought at auction and now include three additional houses.

The gated estate is quiet and peaceful. windows are plentiful, with nearly every room offering mountain and wooded views. Many of the band alabama’s most famous songs are said to have been written and prerecorded in the gentry billiards room and the alabama Theater room, formally a recording studio. autographs of people who played and wrote with alabama are displayed on the mantel in the billiards room.

a typical day at The Summit might include personal solitude, strategic planning meetings, a hike in the woods, time on the deck and a swim in the pool. Team-building activities led by winshape representatives and outdoor excursions can be added to the itinerary as well. hikes in nearby Little river canyon, a 600-foot-deep gorge cut into Lookout Mountain, are a popular activity for many groups. other recreation opportunities include canoeing, caving, fishing, golfing, mountain biking, scenic drives, picnics, rappelling and rock climbing.

a local business offers manicures and pedicures by The Summit pool. a Tennessee river dinner cruise aboard a private yacht also is available.

“at dinnertime, when the sun is setting over the river, it’s absolutely gorgeous,” Mcpherson says. “That’s a little extra touch that you can’t get just anywhere.”

Fort payne resident Tricia Shankles has attended a women’s retreat at The Summit annually since 2012. her group arrives on a Friday and leaves the following Sunday. a weekend full of massages, manicures and pedicures, zumba, bible study and communing with one another leaves the women refreshed and ready to go back to the real world, Shankles says.

“we have all ages of ladies who come on our retreat – the different points of view help us grow and look at life’s challenges in a new light,” Shankles says. “each year a speaker comes; this year’s talk will focus on the different seasons of life.”

The Summit’s full-time staff of five focuses on providing the most comfortable retreat possible, Mcpherson says. “we have designated jobs, but each of us knows how to do everything, just in case we need all hands on deck,” Mcpherson says. “if a bed needs to be turned, i’ll do it.” one such do-it-all staffer is holly davis burt. burt started working with the Summit in housekeeping and moved through several different jobs before reaching her current position as financial services administrator. her typical duties include gathering invoices, coordinating with the Lifeshape home office in atlanta and organizing timesheets. She says her job is rewarding because of the service The Summit provides.

“The rest that groups get when they come to The Summit is so important to us and them,” burt says. “it’s a place to get away for those who rarely take a moment for themselves.”

That respite is highly sought after, it seems. The Summit stays busy most of the year, with many groups returning annually for rest and team planning. in december, the estate is available for local churches’ christmas parties. “although we don’t host private parties and weddings, we have no trouble staying busy,” Mcpherson says. “The Summit’s original purpose is still alive and well.”

For more information, visit summit.lifeshape.org.

CLOCKWISe frOM Left: The two-story great room is divided by a double-sided, stone fireplace; Balconies and a wrap-around deck offer views into the valley; One of 17 bedrooms included in the complex; The large dining room can accommodate groups of various sizes; Autographs by famous friends of the band Alabama decorate the mantel in the billiards room.

With a View

history

story by larue hardinger

photos by abraham rowe PhotograPhy and olivia grider

WeddingS are popular at Cragsmere Manor since it opened as an event venue.

right: Cragsmere’s view and the hospitality of its owners have drawn guests for more than a century.

Cragsmere Manor atop Lookout

Mountain has begun a new life – one

as a venue for vacations, weddings and other events.

Ii f only the 150-year-old hand-hewn log walls of Cragsmere manor could talk.

since it was built around 1860, owners of the mentone, ala., cabin have included a freed slave, a midwife, a sports-club developer, a lumberman, an alabama legislator, a ski and golf resort owner, a chef and now – rentalproperty veterans bill ‘hoot’ gibson and martha blackburn gibson.

in July 2012, the couple won the property at auction and within two months had renovated it, careful to maintain original features. They also employed the talents of harold Carden Construction to erect a pavilion that showcases the property’s sought-after view from the top of lookout mountain. The pavilion can accommodate 150 people and includes a caterer’s room, bar, serving area, restrooms and dance floor.

The pavilion and Cragsmere’s 300 feet of clear brow view have been the backdrop for 12 weddings, including that of Katie herndon, daughter of drummer mark herndon of alabama band fame, since april 2013. The manor stays booked weeks in advance for weddings, family reunions and vacations, graduations, anniversaries and retreats.

“we love the brow view at sunset,” martha says. “we had always loved Cragsmere. we had such good memories here.”

The gibsons frequented Cragsmere when it was a restaurant known as Cragsmere manna. “many times we’d just go out, eat good steak, sit by the fireplace and enjoy good company. you bet!” says hoot, whose nickname refers to the actor hoot gibson, who starred in early westerns.

of many –

martha and hoot say they are thrilled with Cragsmere’s new public appeal as a vacation and venue-rental property.

“our first-time visitors are in awe of the natural beauty,” martha says. “They tell us, ‘now that i have found this, there’s no need to drive farther and pay more.’”

mark travers, a november 2012 guest, wrote in an online comment: “we enjoyed spending several nights at Cragsmere manor. it was the perfect place for our family to gather and has become the setting for our family vacations. we were more than comfortable. it is absolutely beautiful beyond description – inside and out!”

martha says she can now quickly answer prospective guests’ top three questions. “we can sleep 14 adults comfortably, the view is spectacular and, yes, there is privacy,” she demonstrates.

The six-bedroom, three-and-a-half bath, sprawling structure has been expanded multiple times and offers views of the mountain foliage and valley depths. one immediately feels at home, yet amazed. Cragsmere manor is a piece of history. it’s in the air.

The original cabin, still visible from the inside, is the center of the building. martha’s family heirlooms and antiques blend into the décor. They include her father bill blackburn’s baby grand piano, her grandfather’s hoosier cabinet, a coffee table

fashioned of repurposed iron and wood from a railroad depot baggage cart and her mother dottie blackburn’s oil paintings.

The hoosier cabinet was originally used at blackburn grocery, an old-

clOckWiSe frOm bOttOm left: A large, cowboy-themed bedroom delights kids; Weddings are often held on the mountain’s brow; A painting by Dottie Blackburn, Martha Gibson’s mother, of a store her husband’s family ran, is set against Cragsmere’s original cabin walls; The dining room now occupies the space that was the cabin; Current owners Martha and Bill ‘Hoot’ Gibson; The Gibsons added a pavilion that showcases the property’s view and includes a caterer’s room, bar, restrooms and dance floor.