In May? 2006?, Nicole Williams and Mark Engler moved to Nashville to take new jobs. That was great, but it wasn’t enough. (alternative for anonymity: Nicole and Mark)
They found themselves enjoying greater-Nashville-area lakes and parks every weekend, putting miles and miles on their newish car. They even began to dream about a vacation home — some day. “What if,” they’d say to each other, “we had a place of our own in these beautiful hills?”
That soon led to looking for — and at — land for sale. The very first place they visited was a rundown three-acre parcel near, but out of sight of, Center Hill Lake. For buildings, it boasted a house (if you could call it that), a three-room cabin (complete with commode in the middle of the main room), a historic cabin-become-stable-become-toolshed, a garden barn, a pumphouse, and a workshop. Plus decades worth of prior residents’ detritus and head-high weeds.
This unassuming real estate offering settled in their minds and soon became their own. A few weekend commutes later, they found renters for their place in Nashville and committed to The Holler Homestead.
By 2011, both the house and the cabin were habitable, and two other small properties often could be made available for visitors’ use. Water supply and disposal systems were more dependable, and a greenhouse had joined the complement of buildings. The original settlers’ house (and later stable) had become unsafe but lived on as wainscoting in the remodeled small cabin.
Friends and business associates have taken to coming out to The Holler for a meal, a stint picking produce, a dozen eggs, or a weekend. They like the gardens, the custom-roasted coffee, the chickens, the quick stroll over the hill to the lake, and the continual round of projects. Life here bursts with variety.
What makes The Holler unique is its mix of neighbors, location, arability, and charm.
Everyone on the road drops by when they feel like it, as neighbors should. Everyone has a few unique skills to benefit the community. If someone is headed into town, everyone gets a “what do you need?” phone call.
Your talents and memories can join ours to make The Holler even better. Come on around.