Grinder's Stand was a stand, or inn, located on the

Natchez Trace The Natchez Trace, also known as the Old Natchez Trace, is a historic forest trail within the United States which extends roughly from Nashville, Tennessee, to Natchez, Mississippi, linking the Cumberland River, Cumberland, Tennessee River, ...

. A replica can be visited today at the Meriwether Lewis Park, located on the

Natchez Trace Parkway The Natchez Trace Parkway is a limited-access national parkway in the Southeastern United States that commemorates the historic Natchez Trace and preserves sections of that original trail. Its central feature is a two-lane road that extends 44 ...

Lewis County, Tennessee Lewis County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 12,582. Its county seat is Hohenwald. The county is named for explorer Meriwether Lewis, who died and was buried at Grinder's Stand n ...

, south of

Nashville Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

, southwest of Columbia, and east of

Hohenwald, Tennessee Hohenwald is a city in and the county seat of Lewis County, Tennessee, Lewis County, Tennessee. The population was 3,757 at the United States Census, 2010, 2010 census. The name "Hohenwald" derives from German meaning “High Forest". Meriwet ...

. This is where

Meriwether Lewis Meriwether Lewis (August 18, 1774 – October 11, 1809) was an American explorer, soldier, politician, and public administrator, best known for his role as the leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, also known as the Corps of Discovery, with ...

died, by suicide (as suspected by his friend and colleague,

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (, 1743July 4, 1826) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was the primary author of the United States Declaration of Indepe ...

) or homicide (as suspected by his family).

History

The tavern is believed to have been established in 1807 and was originally known as "Indian Line Stand". The Chickasaw had ceded the land to Tennessee in 1805. Its proprietors were Robert Evans Griner and Priscilla Knight Griner. The establishment is properly "Griner's Stand", given the proprietors. Soon after it opened, people began calling it "Grinder's Stand", and it stuck. The original stand consisted of two rough

log cabin A log cabin is a small log house, especially a minimally finished or less architecturally sophisticated structure. Log cabins have an ancient history in Europe, and in America are often associated with first-generation home building by settl ...

s adjoined at right angles, with a

dogtrot The dogtrot, also known as a breezeway house, dog-run, or possum-trot, is a style of house that was common throughout the Southeastern United States during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Some theories place its origins in the southern Appal ...

between them. Both rooms had doors facing the Natchez Trace; one room also had a door facing the detached kitchen behind the stand. A barn and stable were located on the property, although the original placements of these two buildings have not been determined. According to tradition, Robert Griner sold

whiskey Whisky or whiskey is a type of liquor made from Fermentation in food processing, fermented grain mashing, mash. Various grains (which may be Malting, malted) are used for different varieties, including barley, Maize, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky ...

to the

Indians Indian or Indians may refer to: Associated with India * of or related to India ** Indian people ** Indian diaspora ** Languages of India ** Indian English, a dialect of the English language ** Indian cuisine Associated with indigenous peoples o ...

, whose lands came within a few feet of the cabin. The proper use of the stand was to provide food and lodging to travelers passing through the Natchez Trace. In October 1809, Meriwether Lewis was fatally shot here in a disputed manner. In the 1930s, the

Civilian Conservation Corps The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government unemployment, work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was ...

built a replica cabin less than 20 feet from the remains of the original stand.

References

Civilian Conservation Corps in Tennessee Buildings and structures in Lewis County, Tennessee Natchez Trace {{Tennessee-struct-stub

History

See also

References