Chuck, my Sweet Little Momma, our grandchildren and I visited a farm in Gruetli-Laager today.
The small town of Gruetli-Laager is located on the southern portion of the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee.
The small town of Gruetli-Laager is located on the southern portion of the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee.
It was founded in 1869 by Swiss immigrants who established a farming community. You can read more about Gruetli-Laager here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gruetli-Laager,_Tennessee
One hundred Swiss families purchased farmland, sight unseen. When they arrived they found the land was still in timber. No fields. No outbuildings. No money. Their first crop of hay was cut with kitchen knives because they had no money for tools.
You can read more about the Swiss immigrants here:
There are two original Swiss farms remaining in Gruetli-Laager and one of them belongs to my Uncle George and Aunt Martha.
Snow from last week's snowfall covered the roads and pastures at the farm.
The outbuildings at the farm are the original outbuildings. They are over 125 years old.
LuLu the donkey loves my Aunt Martha. So does Arnold the dog. My Aunt Martha has a soft heart for animals.
My Uncle George carries round bales of hay to the pasture for the cows.
The welcoming committee greeted us as soon as we arrived.
This is an outbuilding my grandchildren were totally unfamiliar with. Raise your hand if you know what it is.
The barns, corncrib and wellhouse are a soft, weathered gray.
Ahhhh, how lovely she is.
Cows always like to have their picture taken. This one is particularly photogenic.
My granddaughter fed LuLu the donkey a handful of crackers.
And so did my Grandson.
LuLu wanted a closeup. I couldn't refuse her.
The cows demonstrated how they walk around in the pasture.
And did I mention Arnold, the Farm Dog, is going to have puppies?
Hub stands outside the Farmhouse.....
...while my Sweet Little Momma warms inside.
Our last stop was the hog pen.
They were really busy and didn't take time to watch us leave.
We enjoyed our visit to the old Swiss farm on this cold January day in Appalachia.
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