They say “If walls could talk” but I ask what if they can call from 600 miles away? This is a story of a house that seemed to pick its new caretaker. It all started in a town far away where tyrannical forces were engaging in unspeakable practices and restrictions. We will not give it any credit for a name but you can see where I’m coming from. A few members of my family and I now had free time to search the globe for cities of refuge. We had certain boxes to tick, freedom was the most important, but second was the weather. . . It’s bad enough being compelled to stay home for 2 years but when 6 months of each year are cold and miserable, it makes you think. Our message boxes were soon filling up with the latest “Look what I found” Then one fateful day I was standing in the kitchen making dinner with a random ‘fix something old ‘ video on YouTube playing in the background when the algorithm sent me an abandoned house tour from the urban explorer Kappy. I remember glancing over at the images and asking myself” Why does that look so familiar?” The images drew me in and I fell in love. The crackled paint, the incredible woodwork, the simple layout, the timeless classic feel, and the sounds. The water trickled just past the back porch against a backdrop of mature trees on a wooded hill. Then it hit me. It is one of the houses that I had bookmarked as interesting. Well, long story short it took many months for us to be able to take a trip to see it. Never before had we ventured into the breathtaking hills of Tennessee and as the excitement was mounting we drove to our Air BNB, hooked up to the wifi, and were met with a dozen messages from our lovely real estate agent Nichole. The last one read something like. Are you here yet? The owners have an offer that they are going to accept. We drove straight to the house and to be honest I couldn’t get out of the car. I knew my wonderful husband would never be pressured into anything never mind have to decide to buy a house RIGHT NOW! After composing myself I got out of the car, found a weed-covered trail to the broken-down front door, and stepped inside. It did not disappoint. A warm breeze was gently blowing through the broken windows bringing with it the sound of the birds in the hills. And time stood still. I could picture it both in its former glory and in future repair. With a heavy heart, we left, finding ourselves at a local restaurant called the Little Dutch Restaurant we were seated and as I looked up from my menu, there across the room on the wall was a lovely little original sketch of The Riggs House it felt like a bit of a slap in the face. We made the best of our time the next few days enjoying the town and meeting up with family at a lake-side cottage, it was such a beautiful area. Then it happened. What exactly I do not know but there on my phone was the message from Nichole. Are you still around the deal fell through. And the rest they say is history.
Now one year later we have, with the help of Dakota Wise, boarded, patched, done some structural repair, and now are getting in services. There is a temporary building in place and family visits have begun. We have plans to Airbnb in the future and we are excited to use the mineral spring water in a hot tub and put a bunkhouse on the hill. We have met some of the neighbors including a historian named Dakota Carmichael who has gone above and beyond with his helpfulness and knowledge.
We are proud to support a community that respected and cares for the Godly truths and freedoms handed down to us by God. Notes on the barn and other findings to come
