Hurricane Mill (c. 1897), Hurricane Mills, Tennessee
Hello everyone, and welcome to my first installment of the new series, "Landmark Landing"! In this series I will be taking you along on my travels to America's landmarks. I absolutely love to travel, and I know many of you do too. I hope this series is helpful and sparks your inspiration!
This series is kicking off with Hurricane Mills, Tennessee. I visited Hurricane Mills for the first time this past July, and it did not disappoint. Truthfully, it was even better than I had anticipated. As most of you know, Hurricane Mills is home to Loretta Lynn's Ranch. This is what draws almost all of the tourism, but there is so much more than a celebrity home here. Hurricane Mills is a beautiful small town, and I have immense respect for what the Lynn family has done to preserve it. Although, many people are too starstruck to take in the history of the town, I want to do my best to showcase all of the things that Hurricane Mills has to see.
Hurricane Mills is an unincorporated community in Humphreys County, Tennessee. Hurricane Mills is a part of the Hurricane Mills Rural Historic District, which is 300 acres that was placed on the National Register Of Historic Places in 1999. Although there isn't much to show it these days, there was settler activity in Hurricane Mills as early as the 1830's. One of Hurricane Mills' earliest known builds is the dam on Hurricane Creek, which can be seen in the photo above. The concrete face you see now was placed in 1912, but underneath is the original stone dam that was built c. 1839! Going hand-in-hand with the dam is of course Hurricane Mill, where the community takes its name from. As seen in the photo above, Hurricane Mill is a large, wood built grist mill that was built in stages from 1897 to 1910 by James T. Anderson. The building was not only the mill, but a portion of the building housed the Hurricane Mills post office, now located down the street. The Mill is now home to one of many Loretta Lynn's attractions, a quaint gift shop that I personally, really liked.
We also, of course, visited Loretta Lynn's home, the biggest attraction in Hurricane Mills. This 19th century plantation style home is known as the Hillman-Anderson home, and sits on rolling acres of lush land. As you can tell by name, this home was built and occupied by the same Anderson family that built and operated the mill. The Lynn family purchased the property in the 1960's, and called has called it home ever since. Other than being the home of the "Queen of Country", the home has gained quite the reputation of being haunted. Loretta has spoken on multiple occasions about the activity in the house, which has impacted both her and her family. The Lynn family now lives in a newer home on the property, leaving the mansion open to tours. Tourists and employees have also spoken on their experiences in the home.
So we all hear of this activity, but what I haven't heard much is, why? Why is there so much paranormal activity in the home? This is a question I had, and I set out to get an answer. After hours upon hours of research, I found my answer, which I want to share with you. The Hillman-Anderson home is no stranger to the ups and downs of life. Since the home's construction, it has been the site of several events. It has seen the changes of time, and people from all walks of life.
During the Civil War, the home saw a skirmish that took place on site. The event left several soldiers dead, with 19 men of the Confederate Army being buried on the property. Those who were buried, still lie there today. The home also experienced the hardships of slavery, as there is a slave pit located under the home. In the pit is where it is thought misbehaving slaves were put, and likely abused. Word has it that Loretta has gone into the pit only once, and refuses to ever go back. Though fear not, the history of this property isn't all tragic.
What many people don't know, is that before the site was settled as Hurricane Mills, it was a thriving Mississippian-Era prehistoric village, inhabited by Native Americans. This village is known as The Duck River Temple Mounds, or the Link Farm. Near the Link Farm, there was another farm that was owned by the notorious Jesse James. There was also a notable Carding Factory, which was active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. All three of these sites are located within Hurricane Mills!
Hurricane Mills also still has it's general store which has been converted to another Loretta Lynn attraction. The building holds two shops, a post office, the Native American Museum, a snack shack, and an underground recreation of a coal mine, like the one Loretta's father worked in. I really like this portion of Hurricane Mills, as you can shop, learn, and eat all in one place. It's also a great place to cool off if you visit in the summer like I did.
Loretta has also had a new building built as her museum called "Coal Miner's Daughter Museum". The museum is a whopping 18,000 sq feet, and holds a massive amount of memorabilia. This building alone is paradise for a Loretta fan. What I liked about this museum is the inclusion of Loretta's friends and family. There are several exhibits on those who were/are loved ones of Loretta's. I also really appreciated the amount of seating throughout the museum, and Hurricane Mills in general. This was such a great surprise for someone who sometimes has trouble getting around. I found all of the attractions to be very inclusive, and welcoming.
I also have to give massive props to the recreations throughout Hurricane Mills. The work put into these pieces is extremely obvious, and they really make the history come to life. There is an exact replica of Loretta's childhood home (Located in Butcher Hollow, Kentucky) which can be toured. There is also the coal mine that I previously mentioned, and the town itself still has a maintained 19th century aesthetic.
As of 2019, Loretta Lynn owns nearly all of Hurricane Mills, and truthfully, I'm glad she does. The way she has taken care of, and presented this small town, is really admirable. Without her falling in love with that vacant house on the hill nearly 60 years ago, Hurricane Mills may have been lost to time. Now, Hurricane Mills is the most active small community I've ever seen. There are endless activities and events on Loretta's land. Camping, kayaking, and swimming to just name a few.
Overall, do I recommend you visit Hurricane Mills? Absolutely! I really enjoyed my visit, and would visit again. Even with everything I spoke on, there is still more to see. I hope to make another trip in the future and further explore Hurricane Mills. If you enjoy history, the outdoors, country music, or travel in general, I would definitely make a stop here. This quaint town 698 people will not disappoint!
Thank you all so much for reading! I really hope you enjoyed this post, and will tune into this series again! Give me your thoughts. Have you been to Hurricane Mills? Would you like to?
A special thanks to my mom, Colleen Gallagher, for being my travel buddy and giving me this experience.
With love, Jennie
(All photos in this post are taken by myself in July of 2019.)
