Chilhowee Inn

Chilhowee Inn is a historic inn in Walland, Tennessee, whose identity is closely connected with the region's railway, tanning, education, and tourism history. The property was built in 1902 by the Schlosser Leather Company as a small five-room cottage intended to accommodate company executives visiting the nearby tannery. A. J. Fisher, the tannery's superintendent and the builder associated with the project, was connected with the inn's early development; the name Chilhowee Inn was chosen by his wife, Rachel Fisher. The property's original role changed rapidly. In 1903, an additional inn section was added to accommodate more guests and teachers. During the school year, it functioned partly as a boarding house for public-school teachers, with their rent paid by the tannery. Its location also gave it an important transportation connection: the site was the final stop on the Knoxville and Augusta line of the Southern Railway System and the starting point for the Little River Railroad. These connections helped place the property within the commercial and industrial network of the area. After the Schlosser tannery closed in the early 1930s, Chilhowee Inn moved beyond its company-oriented purpose. The emergence of Great Smoky Mountains National Park created a new visitor economy, and the inn became a nationally recognized lodge for travelers visiting the developing park and surrounding mountains. Accounts of its service and meals helped build its reputation, and the property was featured in a number of national publications of the period. Its historical significance therefore rests not only on its age, but also on its role in the transition from industrial Walland to a destination serving regional tourism. Following its principal period as a lodge, the property operated for a shorter period as a restaurant serving the local community. It subsequently remained unused for nearly three decades. New owners began restoration work in 2005, and the property reopened as a bed and breakfast in February 2008. It is described in reference material as the oldest actively operating inn in Blount County. Chilhowee Inn is best understood as a heritage hospitality property rather than a scaled lodging chain or consumer brand. Its offer is centered on overnight accommodation, historic character, meals or hospitality associated with an inn, and access to the cultural and natural attractions of East Tennessee. The property was considered during a survey of historic properties in Blount County for possible inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places. Because of remodeling carried out after 1931, however, it was determined ineligible for listing. Despite that decision, the inn retains a documented connection to local industrial history, railway development, education, and the tourism history surrounding Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Chilhowee Inn was established in 1902 in Walland, Tennessee, by the Schlosser Leather Company. Its first form was a five-room cottage intended to house executives visiting the company's nearby tannery. The property's early history was therefore tied to the industrial economy of Walland rather than to leisure travel. A. J. Fisher, who served as superintendent of the tannery, was associated with its construction, while his wife, Rachel Fisher, selected the name Chilhowee Inn. In 1903, the original structure was expanded with an inn section designed to provide additional accommodation. The property also served a practical community function by housing teachers at the local public school during the academic year. The tannery covered the teachers' rent, reflecting the company's broader role in local civic and economic life. Transportation further strengthened the property's importance. Chilhowee Inn stood at the last stop of the Knoxville and Augusta line of the Southern Railway System and at the starting point of the Little River Railroad. The closure of the tannery in the early 1930s marked a major transition. Rather than disappearing with the industrial operation that had created it, the inn adapted to the growth of tourism associated with the newly established Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It became a widely known lodge for visitors to the park and the surrounding mountains. Its reputation was supported by favorable reports of its service and food, and it received coverage in national publications. This period established the inn as a hospitality destination with significance beyond Walland's immediate community. After its best-known lodge period, Chilhowee Inn had a shorter life as a restaurant serving local residents. It then remained dormant for almost thirty years. Restoration began under new owners in 2005, leading to a reopening as a bed and breakfast in February 2008. The restored operation continued the property's use as lodging while emphasizing its historical setting. The inn was included in a survey of historic properties in Blount County and was considered for possible National Register of Historic Places recognition. It was found ineligible because of several remodelings undertaken after 1931. That finding concerns formal register eligibility and does not eliminate the property's documented historical associations. Chilhowee Inn remains linked to the Schlosser tannery, the Southern Railway System, the Little River Railroad, local education, early Great Smoky Mountains tourism, and the preservation-oriented revival of historic lodging in East Tennessee.

• 2008

  Reopening as a bed and breakfast

  [1]Chilhowee Innen.wikipedia.org

  Chilhowee Inn reopened as a bed and breakfast in February 2008.

• 2005

  Restoration begins

  [1]Chilhowee Innen.wikipedia.org

  New owners began restoring the long-dormant property.

• 1930

  Transition after the tannery era

  [1]Chilhowee Innen.wikipedia.org

  Following the tannery's closure in the early 1930s, the property developed into a lodge serving visitors to Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

• 1903

  Expansion for guests and teachers

  [1]Chilhowee Innen.wikipedia.org

  An additional inn section was added to accommodate more visitors and teachers, who were housed there during the school year with rent paid by the tannery.

• 1902

  Construction as an executive cottage

  [1]Chilhowee Innen.wikipedia.org

  The Schlosser Leather Company built Chilhowee Inn in Walland as a five-room cottage for executives visiting its nearby tannery.

A historic, independent lodging property positioned around heritage, regional hospitality, and access to the Great Smoky Mountains area.

• Accommodation · 1902

  Historic lodging

  The inn's core offering is overnight accommodation in a historic property in Walland. Its lodging identity developed from an executive cottage and company boarding house into a tourist lodge and, after restoration, a bed-and-breakfast operation. The experience is based on the building's historical setting and its location in the Great Smoky Mountains region.

• Hospitality · 2008

  Bed-and-breakfast hospitality

  Since its February 2008 reopening, Chilhowee Inn has operated as a bed and breakfast. This format combines guest rooms with the intimate service associated with an independent inn and connects the property's modern operation with its earlier reputation for hospitality and meals.

• Heritage tourism

  Historic mountain-region tourism stay

  Chilhowee Inn has historically served travelers visiting Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the surrounding East Tennessee landscape. Its tourism proposition combines accommodation with proximity to a nationally recognized natural destination and with the story of Walland's railway and industrial past.

1. 1Chilhowee Innen.wikipedia.org