We (Sonners & Suches) stumbled across this land for sale in February 2022. All three generations of our family were interested in creating a nature-focused travel center. The land sat within rural Chattanooga, on a mountaintop, next to a state forest, and had a creek running through it. We knew this was our unicorn!
We spent time drafting ideas, exploring the property, and pulling together all of our resources to make this happen. We sold our previous family business, refinanced a home, and used proceeds from selling another home (see the “semi-nomadic” lifestyle of the houseless John & Karen) and put all of our eggs – and dreams – into this basket. We were aware that there would be much work to be done, but we were up to the challenge!
We purchased the land in April 2022, dubbing the land “Talking Water” for the loudly bubbling water along Suck Creek (one mile of which flows along the property).
The first few months were spent cleaning up after decades of logging in the area which was to become Songbird Neighborhood. We removed hundreds of decaying logged trees remnants, disposed of buried trailer homes, and worked tirelessly to control erosion and bring the land closer to its natural elevation, including bringing in dozens of dumpster loads of fill dirt. The neglect was more extensive than we had prepared for, but it made us more certain that we were meant to restore the natural beauty and stability to the land.