Following the devastating 2016 fires at Gatlinburg, Tennessee, Honest Abe Log Homes was chosen by Tammy Dollish and her family, with the help of Greg and Melissa Watson of Honest Abe Cookeville, to recreate the family’s mountain cabin.
Tammy’s Facebook page became a history of the original cabin and a photo chronicle of the design and rebuilding of the second one. Her excitement is palpable in each and every post as she shares building progress and decorating decisions. Tragically, before Tammy could begin to truly enjoy the rebuilt cabin, she lost a hard-fought battle with cancer and passed away on Jan. 9, 2019, at age 49.
Tammy’s son Zach continues to use the cabin as a retreat, but he also rents it as a Smoky Mountain get-away with reservations accepted online HERE.
Here is what Zach has to say about the rebuilt cabin and the area where it is located.
“Tammy’s Place at Baskins Creek is our family’s log “home away from home.” We make it available to guests looking for a comfortable, central, relaxing setting. The original cabin was lost to the 2016 firestorm, but Tammy spent a year putting it back (almost) the way it was. The rebuild gave us a chance to updates the bathrooms and widen the porches. The pictures posted on HERE are of the new cabin. If you like history, or are old friends, please check the Baskins Creek Sounds page on Facebook for photos of the original.”
The original cabin burned in November 2016 during the Gatlinburg fires.
What we love best about our cabin is that it is .8 miles to downtown Gatlinburg AND a mile to a hiking trail into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, yet sitting on the front porch swing, drink in hand it’s perfectly peaceful and private. It’s also just a few miles to the Arts and Crafts loop. Down the road is Gatlinburg, with the Smoky Mountain Candy Kitchen, the Donut Friar and plenty of places to get a bite.
Walking in to Gatlinburg, you save money on parking as well as the frustration of trying to find a place to park. Walk up the road the other way and you’ll be right in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. You’ll pass a gorgeous waterfall approximately 45 minutes down the trail, and if you really like to hike you can keep going and connect with other National Park trails such as Trillium Gap, Cherokee, Roaring Fork, Mount Le Conte, Rainbow Falls and of course, Baskins Creek Falls. We have approximately 200 feet of beautiful Baskins Creek running right through our front yard, so if you’re not a hiker you can enjoy the sounds of a mountain stream without leaving the property.
The house has three large bedrooms – two up and one down – and two full baths. For sleeping there is a king, a queen and full bed with a twin trundle. There is also a queen-sized sleeper sofa in the living room. It looks great on the new hardwood floors!
Tammy soon began building the new cabin.
The living room features a gas fireplace, available from November through February, as well as several comfortable chairs and a chest that doubles as a coffee table and storage for board games. There are three televisions – with cable – in the living room, master bedroom and the queen room.
The kitchen/dining area is 20 ’x 18’ with an open beam cathedral ceiling of knotty pine. It features a ceiling fan and an island wet bar with two stools. You can seat eight comfortably at the dining table and two in the children’s corner, which features a pint-sized table and chairs. The kitchen is equipped with coffee makers (drip and Keurig), toaster oven, electric range and microwave as well as enough cookware to make a cooking family happy.
Through the side kitchen door is our large side porch with an additional table for four, a couple of comfortable chairs and a glider where you can let the creek lull you into a refreshing afternoon nap. There is a charcoal grill available for your steaks, sausage, hotdogs, burgers and of course, s’mores.
The new cabin was completed in 2018.
The yard is quite special. With the exception of the house most of this beautiful half-acre survived the 2016 firestorm and is filled with unique flowers, trees and shrubs, all in a delightful series of garden rooms, sure to please any nature-loving taste. We lost the massive rhododendrons and azaleas near the house, and that area is still recovering from the fire and subsequent construction, but in another year or two we should be in pretty good shape. We have been planting roses.
The best way to enjoy the yard (in our opinion) is to park yourself on the 30’ front porch where you can swing or rock and listen to the birds and the creek as you enjoy your favorite beverage.
Tammy’s Place is great for a family or friends’ retreat, girlfriends’ weekend, wedding or a honeymoon. To us our home is about relaxing with family and good friends and making memories that will be cherished. We hope you’ll find the same is true for you and yours. Come see us soon!
See more photos and make reservations at HERE.
