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 Ketner’s Mill has been a site that not only helped shaped the lives of one family, but the lives of these who settled in the Sequatchie Valley of Southeast Tennessee. The story is one of beginnings, growth, progress and community all told at once through Ketner’s Mill.
1824 -- Orphan David Ketner arrived in the Sequatchie Valley with his two siblings. He operated a mill near the base of Suck Creek Mountain, in what is now known as Ketner’s Cove. Along with the grist (corn meal) mill, a black smith shop also operated on that first site. Meanwhile, a dam and mill are built by early settlers at the current site.
1840 -- A wool carding machine, also powered by water from the dam, was purchased and set up for operation near the mill.
1868 -- David Ketner’s son, Alexander (affectionately called “Pappy” by his family), bought the “new” or current mill site on the Old Sequatchie River. Construction soon began on a brick structure and was completed by 1882. A water-powered sawmill also operated on the site during this period.
Early 1880s -- The wool carding mill was moved from the original site in Ketner’s Cove to the current site, where it was restored to working order. It is one of only three of its kind still running in the United States today.
1955 -- The last year of operation for the sawmill.
1974 -- A family reunion brought family members to the mill, where they agreed to embark on a three-year restoration project.
1977 -- Completion of the restoration was celebrated with the first Ketner’s Mill Country Fair. Ketner’s Mill was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
1992-- The last year of full-time operation for Ketner’s Mill. Until his death in 1992, Clyde Ketner, grandson of original owner David Ketner, continued the daily production of quality, old-fashioned corn meal. The family has continued the time-honored tradition by bringing the mill into production each year for the annual Country Arts Fair. The proceeds of the fair are used to preserve the historic site.
For more on the history of the Sequatchie Valley, please visit this site by Nonie Webb.
For more on historic mills, contact the Society for the Preservation of Old Mills (S.P.O.O.M.).
THE FAMILY:
Today, Pappy Ketner's great, great grandson Frank McDonald and his wife, Sally,continue the family tradition.
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