Loretta Lynn's Mansion - Hurricane Mills, TN

These days, the town of Hurricane Mills is synonymous with the Coal Miner's Daughter, however the town dates back to the early 1800s as the site of an iron furnace and a flour mill. On July 22, 1863, a civil war battle took place on this land resulting in 19 soldiers losing their lives. Then in 1876, local plantation owner James T. Anderson decided to build this mansion. (The columns were added to the front in the 1930's) The Classical Revival mansion and grounds, and the city at large had enough history there that the area was added to the National Register of Historic Places as the Hurricane Mills Rural Historic District.

In 1996, Loretta and Mooney Lynn fell in love with the mansion and the small town and bought the whole area, making this mansion their personal residence. After living in mansion for about two decades, they had another home built behind the mansion and opened the area up as a tourist attraction. Even part of the movie Coal Miner's Daughter was filmed here. Today, paying customers can take a tour of the inside of the home, or cheapskates like me can stand on the curb and look at it from here.

While the rags-to-riches story make Hurricane Mills and the Mansion a top ten visited tourist attraction in Tennessee, there's something else that gets people talking. People say it's haunted. Loretta Lynn and all of her children have seen multiple ghosts. There's the stories of the ghost of James T. Anderson, the ghost of a lady who died while giving birth and ghosts of Civil War soldiers. For the whole haunting story, look here:
www.ghosteyes.com/haunted-hurricane-mills-plantation

Hurricane Mills, TN

This is the mill of Hurricane Mills. Today, this area is much better known as being part of the Loretta Lynn Dude Ranch, one of the most popular tourist attractions in the state.

This mill, and other historic spots nearby are on the National Register of Historic Places listed as the "Hurricane Mills Rural Historic District." According to a plaque across the river from the mill, this mill and dam were built by James T. Anderson in 1896. "Though wool was carded here, grain processing predominated, corn meal and flour were shipped through the south."

In the mid 60's, Loretta and Mooney Lynn purchased the 1876 mansion across the street from the river. Over the next few years, they preserved many of the nearby buildings and commercially opened the area as the dude ranch. Today, you can take a tour of the area, or just walk around some of the places, like I did. The mill's water wheel was removed and placed nearby.

Today, the mill serves two purposes. First, it is one of three gift shops on the ranch. Second, it is opened as the "Loretta Lynn Doll and Fan Museum"

Unfortunately, the Middle Tennessee May floods were not kind to Hurricane Mills. Just a few feet downstream from the mill (and would have been viewable in this picture), there was an iron bridge built in 1911 that used to carry highway TN13 (but had been replaced by a newer bridge in the background on the right) was completely washed away. I can't find any confirmation of this, but I suspect the mill suffered much damage as well as it looks like the exterior is almost completely rebuilt with new wood. (If you find any pre-flood picture, the mill is painted a deep red.) The area was closed for a couple of months after the flood and just reopened July 3, 2010.

Inside Loretta Lynn's kitchen

OK, Loretta Lynn hasn't built a shrine to herself inside her own kitchen. Instead in this case, Loretta Lynn's Kitchen is a restaurant and gift shop right off the interstate at the exit you'd take to get to Hurricane Mills and the Loretta Lynn Dude Ranch. Consider it a foretaste of what you can see 8 miles up the road.

The smaller dining room seen here has a small bit of Loretta Lynn memorabilia, including a life-size mannequin. It's a fraction of the Loretta Lynn experience for none of the cost (unless you eat at the buffet.)

Loretta Lynn's Indian Statue

Part of the grounds of the Loretta Lynn Dude Ranch in Hurricane Mills, TN. The base reads (with misspelled words intact):

Great Spirit grant that I might not critize my neighbor till I have walked a mile in his moscians

Replica Loretta Lynn Homestead - Hurricane Mills, TN

as part of the Loretta Lynn Dude Ranch in Hurricane Mills, TN is this Log Cabin. This was recreated to look like the home in Butcher Holler, KY to portray the rags-to-ritches legacy of her childhood as the "Coal Miner's Daughter"

Hurricane Mills, TN since the 2010 Flood

This is the mill of Hurricane Mills. Today, this area is much better known as being part of the Loretta Lynn Dude Ranch, one of the most popular tourist attractions in the state.

This mill, and other historic spots nearby are on the National Register of Historic Places listed as the "Hurricane Mills Rural Historic District." According to a plaque across the river from the mill, this mill and dam were built by James T. Anderson in 1896. "Though wool was carded here, grain processing predominated, corn meal and flour were shipped through the south."

In the mid 60's, Loretta and Mooney Lynn purchased the 1876 mansion across the street from the river. Over the next few years, they preserved many of the nearby buildings and commercially opened the area as the dude ranch. Today, you can take a tour of the area, or just walk around some of the places, like I did. The mill's water wheel was removed and placed nearby.

Today, the mill serves two purposes. First, it is one of three gift shops on the ranch. Second, it is opened as the "Loretta Lynn Doll and Fan Museum"

Unfortunately, the Middle Tennessee May floods were not kind to Hurricane Mills. Just a few feet downstream from the mill, there was an iron bridge built in 1911 that used to carry highway TN13 (but had been replaced by a newer bridge) was completely washed away. I can't find any confirmation of this, but I suspect the mill suffered much damage as well as it looks like the exterior is almost completely rebuilt with new wood. (If you find any pre-flood picture, the mill is painted a deep red.) The area was closed for a couple of months after the flood and just reopened July 3.

The steps to Loretta Lynn's Yard & Mansion

Hurricane Mills, TN is essentially all Loretta Lynn's perosnal tourist attraction now. For a modest fee, one can take the tour of the mansion, of, like me, for free, one can take a picture from the curb.

Sign to Loretta Lynn's Kitchen

If you've driven along I-40 through western middle Tennessee, then you've seen the signs for Loretta Lynn's mansion, museum, dude rance, cafe, campground, gift shop and flea market.

If you're time is limited and can't make the 8 mile drive to Hurricane Mills, then you can catch 1/10th of the experience at the Loretta Lynn Kitchen, which is right off the Interstate and up the hill. You can't miss it. I bought a post card of her husband riding a jeep.