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The Phillips Story & Information
Let us introduce ourselves & tell you a bit of local history & a lot of information
These resort properties, nearby cabins & vacant land for sale are a culmination of 12 years of transforming this rural property in to an agritourism destination. Originally from New England, we yearned for the change of seasons, lush forests, open spaces, minimal traffic & a sense of the ‘wild west’. We searched daily for the perfect piece of property & knew, immediately, when we came upon this 36 acre parcel being offered by the widow of Mr. Curtis Peters. About a year later, Mr. Oscar Peters passed and we were fortunate to purchase his 36 acres, putting back together the original 72 acres their father had farmed. Descendants of the Peters came from Pennsylvania Dutch County and had been awarded 840 acres for services in the American Revolutionary War. Mr. & Mrs. Steve Peters raised their two sons in the 1921 farmhouse. When Mr. Steve Peters lived off this land, it was called a 4-mule farm as that is how many mules it took to work the land. Folks ask us how did you find this paradise ‘in the middle of nowhere?’. We answer ‘divine intervention brought us off the beaten path’. An interesting story for another time.
Parrottsville, founded by Mr. John Parrott in 1769 who had received a 640 acre land grant for his services in the American Revolutionary War, is nestled in the Clear Creek Valley. 
It is not in the ‘middle of nowhere’ but rather in the middle of a lot of equally distant towns—Newport, Greeneville & Hot Springs, NC (1/2 hr. drive) & cities -Knoxville, Tri-Cities, Asheville, NC (1.15 hr. drive). Parrottsville is the 3rd oldest town in Tennessee. Traditionally, farming was the main business which included dairy & beef cattle, tobacco and grains. Today several new farms are raising horses, angora goats, sheep, alpacas & llamas. A small, quaint 1 street town with 1 flashing light, a firehouse, a beautiful park which hosts the annual chili cook-off & Heritage Days Country Fair each October, a walking path, 2 convenience stores, a car wash, post office, library, pizza parlor, dump station, laundromat and elementary school. What more does one need? Perhaps the completion of the current renovation of Hwy 321 which connects from Gatlinburg & the Tri-Cities running through Parrottsville which will soon access area sites and towns more efficiently and safely.
Parrottsville is also the home of the late Marvin ’Popcorn’ Sutton, infamous moon shiner & a man of his convictions. The making of moonshine dates back many years as the main commerce of the area & continues to this day—it is a proud heritage that supported families in times of need & provided liquor during prohibition and gave birth to NASCAR racing. Most notably known is legendary bootlegger turned car racer, Junior John-son—as epitomized by Tom Wolf’s article ‘The Last American Hero is Junior Johnson’.
So, we had lots vacant land, a farmhouse in serious need of some TLC, 2 old tobacco barns & a small herd of cattle we inherited from the Peters. Now what to do? Splitting our time between the Keys & TN, we built a small cabin while living in the farmhouse which had no inside plumbing. Yes, there was an outhouse & we jerry rigged an outdoor shower. We took care of the cattle with our friendly neighbors’ help and, for a few years, continued in the tradition of raising tobacco. We were definitely ‘the Phillips move to the country’ -but it all just felt so right.
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We met a fellow who had 6 horses that needed pasture; we had the pasture & no horses. Putting this together we began a riding stable. In short, with the help of our son, Cody, this led to opening a snack bar, renovating an old farmhand’s house and offering it as vacation rental, adding more land to develop with respect to the land and to our neighbors. We replaced the cattle with a herd of horses and we discontinued the tobacco trade. With the help of other family members, namely Ted & Nancy Shea and Leroy & Jean Darrow, Charlie’s sisters & spouses, we further developed the resort. Over the past 12 years we have sold vacant land, built & sold various size cabins and custom built homes for folks. In the meantime, we held our annual ’Pork of July’, host•ing our own family reunions as well as friends & neighbors. We also created lasting memories for the 100’s of guests who have spent their vacation here. The rest is history as you can see from the pictures on our website http://www.meadowcreekmountain.com.
The many guests who have visited here often comment on the peace & serenity they find here. Many have moved here. We believe there is a special spirit found here—perhaps that the Cherokees traversed these lands so many years ago. Hundreds of arrowheads have been found in the immediate area. Perhaps that this beautiful land is in the Cherokee National Forest. Perhaps that this land was tilled & plowed with blood, sweat & tears, supporting generations of families.
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Cody married Ali and moved to the Florida Keys. We have decided to semi-retire, remain here and garden, have chickens & fresh eggs, ride horses & search for arrowheads—all the reasons we moved here.
Pictures say a thousand words but most people who have visited tell us they do not do justice to these surroundings. So, plan a visit—we’d be happy to show you around. Most importantly, come and sense the peace & tranquility of our surroundings. Perhaps you’ll find an arrowhead as a souvenir.
If you are looking for financing, we highly recommend Brent Pippin, Financial Services Officer at Farm Credit Services of Mid-America in Greeneville. They are very experienced in financing rural property and are wonderful to work with. See link below.
Links
- http://www.e-farmcredit.com or email Brent at bpippin@e-farmcredit.com