Hiwassee Acres History

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Our History

Distant Past

The history of this property goes back hundreds of years when this area was inhabited by Cherokee indians. Just over 200 years ago the US government acquired the land north of the Hiwassee River which includes what is now Hiwassee Acres. The south side of the river was still Cherokee Nation land. Those who know the local history say that a passport was actually required to cross the river during that time as it was an international boundary. The property was then purchased by Peter Hambright.

We don’t know much about the property during those early years, however we were thrilled to have Bobby Hambright, one of Peter’s descendants, show up one day on the property. He shared a few interesting stories about his life as a teenager here in the 1940’s and gave us just a little insight into life during that time.

Recent Past

In 1989 a non-profit that had been operating a school for troubled boys in Zellwood, Florida bought the property which was at that time operating as a dairy farm. They moved operations to Tennessee and this property became their new school. The school operated for 24 years and shut down operations in 2013.

The property was then put up for sale. We viewed the property in early 2019 when we first considered relocating to Tennessee. We found it to be an incredibly beautiful place and, while first not dreaming this big, we felt God leading and eventually purchased it later that year. We’ve worked hard since then to transform it into a place that offers luxury accommodations with outdoor amenities that allow guests to fully experience how special this place is. We want Hiwassee Acres to be an oasis from the crazy, a place of healing, fellowship and blessing.

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