Our Family: A History of the Inn
Hemlock Inn, Bryson City, in the Great Smoky Mountains

In 1987, we (Lainey and Mort White) moved with our three sons (Andrew, Steven and John Thomas) to Hemlock Inn to help Lainey's parents (Ella Jo and John Shell) operate the Inn. The Shells retired a few years later and the new Innkeepers Cottage was built for them in 1990. The Shells purchased the Inn in 1969, built the Woody Cottage in 1970 and bought the Red Cottage in 1971.

How It All Got Started
A man named Plumer Plemmons had a farm which Lorene and Seth Haynie bought in the 1940's. Lorene was the dietician at Emory University and Seth was a realtor in Decatur , Georgia . The mountain farm they bought was a 65 acre tract (lots of woods) on top of a small mountain at an elevation of 2300 feet.

The Haynies decided to open a small inn. Hemlock Inn opened July 4, 1952 . The original building had only nine rooms, but that soon changed. By 1958, a second building, with 12 more guest rooms, had been added. Then came the three cottages in 1965, 1970, and 1971, making a total of 26 units. At first, Hemlock Inn was open only in the summer. Later, the fall and spring seasons were added. The Inn operated for two years without a telephone! The first cook to work with Lorene Haynie was Mrs. Annie Sitton who retired in 1974 at the age of 74.

In 1964, Georgia and Raymond Johnson, from Washington , bought Hemlock Inn. The Haynies stayed with them for two years. During that period, the Rondette (it's like a tree house) was built and the second story was added to the innkeepers residence. They sold the Inn to the Shells.

It's interesting that all of the owners have lived at the Inn year round and have ties to Georgia , but our guests come from all over. 75% of them have either come here before or have come because friends have said to them "..we know a place you'll just love..."

As you can see from our history, we started small, and with a few changes, we are still small, because our guests like it that way and so do we. Our philosophy, which guides the way we operate the Inn , hasn't changed. We want to give our guests a change of scenery and a change of pace, we want to share the beauty and the peace we enjoy here, and we want to know that our guests’ holiday has been restful, relaxing, and happy.

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Hemlock Inn
Adjacent to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
P.O. Box 2350, Galbraith Creek Rd, Bryson City, NC 28713
phone: 828-488-2885 / fax: 828-488-8985
Reservations taken from 7:30 AM until 11:00 PM EST
e-mail: hemlock@dnet.net

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