History of the Land

James Ross gifted his daughter Nicely Ross Edwards and husband Edward C. Edwards 300 acres and several slaves. The couple constructed a Federal-style house between 1835 and 1838 from locally quarried limestone and bricks made on the site by the slaves. Slave cabins were located behind the house, foundations of which still exist today. 

The Edwards family owned the house from 1838 until the late 1890's when the Fowler family, originally from Knoxville, Tennessee, bought the house and attached acreage. 

Sam P. Fowler moved his family to Dutch Valley in 1907 when he purchased the house and 300 acres from his brother James A. Fowler and Edward T. Sanford. The community and school eventually became known as Fowlers from the influence of the Fowler family. 

The house has remained structurally unchanged for over 175 years, making the Edwards-Fowler house the oldest and only Federal-style house in Anderson County, Tennessee.  It was named The Hemlocks after the two massive hemlock trees that grow in front of the house, and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 29, 1975.

The Fowlers (native to Knox County) began purchasing land in Anderson County in the late 1890's. During this time, a partnership between Gen. James A. Fowler, C. O. Fowler, and Edward T. Sanford birthed the beginning of the nursery. The company was officially formed and recognized by the state in 1902 as the East Tennessee Nursery Co. Sam P. Fowler and P. A. Haynes were added as incorporators through a charter amenment in 1906. 

The nursery mainly operated on Fowler land in Dutch Valley, but also had contracts with other nearby farmers to grow trees. One of those contracts was with J. F. Long (of the Laurel community) for peach, apple and pear trees. The company shipped trees by railway to various points in Tennessee, Florida, Georgia, West Virginia and North and South Carolina. 

The Queener family began to lease a portion of land from the Fowlers in the late 1900's. For many years, John David Queener grew tobacco on the land where the Hemlock Acres farm currently resides. 

During this time, the land was featured in the "Cutting Time" episode of the Heartland Series for neighboring farmer Roy Saunders to show the process of cutting tobacco. 

The Heartland Series (1984 - 2009) was a documentary series that aimed to share and preserve traditional skills and ways of life in East Tennessee. 

David K. Gentry, grandson of John D. Queener and friend of the Fowler family purchases part of the land, and begins to implement regenerative farming practices. During the sale, the Fowlers put the land into a conservation easement under the Land Trust of Tennessee to protect it from encroaching development. 

The J.D. Hemlocks farm was established as a Gentry family farm in 2026, and named after David and his fiancé, Jaimie, with a nod to the rich history of the land and farmers that came before.