OUR STORY…
MEADOW BROOK FARM 2018
BY GAYLE PAGE
Even when abandoned and forsaken, the old farmhouse on Highway 113 in White Pine offered a warm invitation to passers-by. Terry and Kathi Sellars, from the first time they noticed it, had numerous discussions about how beautiful it could be if someone would restore it. Years passed until 2015 when this discussion started to become reality.
The farmstead and its surrounding outbuildings – a timeworn log cabin (perhaps the former cook house), a huge old-fashioned hay and stall barn, a smoke house, a tobacco barn, a traditional spring house – were all testament that this was once a place of farm living and amenable to sunny spirits. Almost simultaneously, Kathi and Terry decided to invest in the past, as well as in their own future. After talking it over they decided to buy the farm in 2015. The farm has always been called Meadowbrook as evidenced by the time-worn name on the barns that dot the property.
Kathi was particularly motivated because she could envision a summer wedding taking place on the green lawn, with musicians playing softly from the wraparound porch while a veiled bride held onto her father’s arm and marched toward an exciting new life. It was a lovely vision, but not an unlikely one. In fact, there have been weddings held at Meadowbrook in the past.
This was brought to the Sellars’s attention by Dorothy Turner Royston of Kingsport. Mrs. Royston is an “Eckle” descendant, the granddaughter of Harriet Alexander Eckle. Royston provided a brief history related to the farmstead. The original homesteaders were the Eckle family. Peter Eckel, Sr., who was of German descent, had migrated to Jefferson County in the early 18th Century. One of his many sons, Thomas Rogers Eckel, is believed to have lived at Meadow Brook and rebuilt the farmhouse in 1882 when the original dwelling burned down. Royston has been a source of historic knowledge that she shared freely with the Sellars.
The Sellars knew from the beginning there would be plenty of work to do on Meadowbrook. The first thing that caught their attention, particularly Terry’s, was that there was no front door on the house. There were two backside doors, but with the lovely porch opening the front of the house, they felt there should be a front door for guests to enter. They spotted one at the nearby abandoned Blanken House and contacted the owners, from whom they purchased the original front door and all its 1830’s hardware. “So Terry got his front door,” laughed Kathi. Except for the front door, the Sellars wanted to try to restore everything as close to original as possible.
From there they launched the serious restoration of Meadowbrook, which started from the top down. They decided to replace the roof first. They checked it out and discovered that the old house had been re-roofed over at least five times. Their workers tore off all of that aging material, and put on new sheeting and shingles.
Terry wanted everything to be time appropriate even down to the foundation which he wanted to match the fireplace from the 1700’s cabin. As he searched to find limestone, David Greene, a friend from their church who is a stonemason, said that he could rebuild the foundation with rock. Mr. Greene, a craftsman, began rebuilding the foundation with limestone that he got from the local quarry.
Kathi is interested in history and in finding antiques that reflect gentler times . One of her favorite activities is haunting antique stores and estate sales. Sometimes she buys things just because she likes them, and sometimes she has a place in mind for them. Her good taste has gone a long way toward giving the inside of Meadowbrook a splendid makeover.
Terry has been in charge of the outside, although the color of outside paint was a mutual decision. Since it’s early life, Meadowbrook had been whitewashed. Whitewash was used on most farmhouses during colonial times to prevent mildew from forming on both the inside and outside of them. But, rather than repainting it white, the Sellars chose warm heather green with cream trim.
As they began the inside restoration, a local young man named Ben Harris stopped by to see them and convinced them he was a master craftsman and woodworker. They took a chance on Ben and they have never been sorry. He turned the inside of Meadowbrook into pure country elegance. He installed wainscoting, crown molding, and many other types of decorative trim throughout the house, and on the fireplace hearths, as well.
Through her antique hunting, Kathi had brass chandeliers that were time appropriate and found a place for them in each room of the house. She has collected mirrors and lamps and artwork to decorate the walls. Her daughter-in-law took a color photograph of the house from behind a tree on the front lawn, and Kathi had the stunning photo enlarged, matted and antique framed, but has not decided yet where to hang it.
Curtains have been made for the kitchen and dining room and for some of the upstairs bedrooms, so furnishings and accessories continue to be a work in progress. Antique bedroom suites adorn the upstairs, as well as a claw footed bathtub. Because she plans to use the house for brides and their bridal parties to get ready in, hold receptions and small parties, she is keeping furniture to a minimum. She thinks people may just want to use tables and chairs in the downstairs area for their events.
The first event to christen Meadowbrook since the Sellars bought it and began renovating it was a surprise 90th birthday party for the lady mentioned earlier. Dotty Royston, the Eckle descendant who had visited the house once when she was a young woman, had cherished memories of Meadowbrook because her grandmother was born and lived there. Royston visited last year with her granddaughters and enjoyed coming back so much that the girls began planning an upcoming surprise birthday party for her there. So in January, friends and relatives gathered at Meadowbrook early, including Dotty’s daughter from Georgia. It was, indeed, a real surprise for Royston when she got inside and saw all her friends and family So the lovely farmhouse welcomed its first celebration.
The Sellars were thrilled with the way that occasion turned out. It showed them that was plenty of room for tables, chairs and friends in attendance. She smiles when she tells of a friend who said the Lord must have been listening to Kathi’s heart because Meadowbrook is turning into everything the Sellars had hoped for.
“People have been so encouraging. Some were so afraid that the house was going to be torn down and seemed relieved when it wasn’t,” said Kathi.
The next project they are tackling is renovation of the huge barn hay barn. Burt Cook, a carpenter/craftsman is currently at work on that project. He has built bench seating all around the inside wall of the barn and a space in the middle leaves plenty of room for a band and a dance floor. The Sellars can foresee all manner of activities taking place in there. There have already had inquiries from a several potential clients who liked the venue and are looking forward to hosting their first wedding in May of this year.
So, if you have events planned for this spring, like bridal or baby showers, a wedding on the lawn, a rip-roaring barn dance, or just a special meeting, Meadowbrook may be your place.
“It’s a working farm but it’s also a good place for get-togethers or prom pictures or catered dinners,” said Kathi. It will be strictly non-alcoholic, so church events are welcome, too.
The Sellars children and their families are hopeful that Meadowbrook will be a success, as well. Son Mathew and his wife Megan and their two sons Ayden and Avery, along with daughter Rachel and her husband Lee Elkins and their son Asher, are all keeping their fingers crossed that people will find Meadowbrook as lovely and inviting as they do.