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The Deery Inn Historic Blountville, Tennessee
Old Route 4 South and Route 11 West
The Deery Inn was built by an Irishman by the name of William Deery back in the early 1800s. It now lies along Tennessee's oldest Wagon Road and is one of the stops along Appalachian GhostWalks "Haunted Historic Blountville GhostWalk" as well as the "Great Stage Road Haunted Bus Adventure Tour" on what is now Main Street in downtown Blountville, by an Irishman named William Deery. Deery lived here until his death in 1845...
EARLY HISTORY OF THE DEERY INN OF BLOUNTVILLE
William Deery, a man from Ulster in Ireland developed the inn into a major trading post. A successful merchant, Deery operated a thriving business as innkeeper and owner of the stage lines. The imposing manse has three main entrances. There are thirteen nine-over-six glass pane windows. Two chimneys stand sentinel at the west and east ends. The inn consists of a large entrance hall, a gathering room, dining room, library, kitchens, four family bedrooms, three bathrooms, and three wayfarers’ rooms with their own entrance.
After Deery’s death in 1845, his estate was in litigation. The next fabled owners were Gideon and Mary Cox Cates, when the inn was known as Cates’ Hotel. Cates leased the inn during the Civil War and during the Battle of Blountville, Cates bribed both the Federal and Confederate commanders not to shell the building. The Cates provided a sanctuary in the rock structure portion of the inn for infants, the ill, and the infirm. During the battle, the courthouse and eleven buildings nearby were burned, but the Deery Inn stood unscathed. The inn was purchased by Gideon and Mary Cates on 11 January 1866 for $2,527. Twenty years later, the Cates sold the inn to R. W. Easley, who immediately sold the property to Amanda Pearson in 1887. Census records show that the Pearson family operated a U.S. post office in the inn while they owned it. The Pearsons held the property until 1940 when the property was purchased by Virginia Byars Caldwell.
Mrs. Caldwell and Judge Joseph A. Caldwell maintained the residence as an historic and cultural focus for forty years. Mrs. Caldwell restored the manse to its Federal Golden Era with authenticity and singular purpose. During the Caldwell ownership, the inn became the center for historic and festival events. Mrs. Caldwell moved numerous log structures to the back gardens, including a smokehouse, the King Ironworks office, and a spring house as well as the law office of Attorney General John Fain. To the east is the circa 1800 Rutledge House. The Deery Inn and the Rutledge House are now owned by Sullivan County and managed by the Sullivan County Historical Preservation Association.
Notable guests in the inn include Andrew Jackson, James K. Polk, Andrew Johnson, Louis Phillipe Orleans the King of France, and the Marquis de LaFayette. The inside doors have been autographed by three Tennessee governors, including Frank Clement, Buford Ellington, and Lamar Alexander, and the front door by President Jimmy Carter.
The Inn is now open as a State Museum and is part of an indepth historic and haunted presentation offered as part of Appalachian GhostWalks "Spook and Study" Haunted Vacation Packages. Click Here to visit their website. Click Here to discover how you can include this great area attraction in any of Appalachian GhostWalks and Ghost Tours Haunted Vacation Packages on your next visit to the mountains! You'll have a "SPOOK-tacular" good time with our "Spook and Save" Discount Vacation Planning Packages.
This local area attraction is featured in the Appalachian GhostWalks "Spook and Study" vacation planning package along with the
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