I stumbled upon this charming historical village after I went to stay in cabin in rural Tennessee.  When I booked to stay in John and Nancy’s cabin I had no idea that it would be part of an historical village which had been brought together from all over the South.  Some of the buildings have been painstakingly taken apart at their original locations and then reconstructed on site.

Originally, from South Texas, John was a medical missionary in Thailand for 10 years in the 70’s before settling in Bells.  I enjoyed getting to hear his stories as rode with him to the hardware store to get replacement tap for one that had broken on the property.  He bought the land in the 80’s and, and shortly after, began bringing together artefacts and buildings which help to keep the history of this part of the country alive.

One of the most impressive buildings and pieces of machinery is the old cotton gin which had been moved from Mantua, Alabama and restored on site.  It is a massive piece of machinery with was used to separate the cotton from the thistles and pack it into bails.

My favourite was the old printing press and the Linotype machine in the print shop

The Chapel came from about 4 miles from Green Frog and still hosts services and weddings.