“The coolest house in Knoxville”

Homeowner Stuart Worden and his girlfriend, Lane Hays, with the Tennessee River and Sequoyah Park in the background

That’s how one guest described Stuart Worden’s enchanting cottage where 30 folks gathered Sunday evening for one of  Knox Heritage’s “Summer Supper” series.

Stuart and his late wife, artist Betsy Worden, saved numerous historic East Tennessee artifacts from the wrecking ball and incorporated them into the home they built 32 years ago on a steep cliff on the south side of the Tennessee River across from Sequoyah Park.

They also saved and moved to the site three historic log cabins, two of which were put to use as guest houses on the property and one which served as Betsy’s studio.

“Thirty years ago, Knoxville was tearing down a lot of beautiful old buildings,” Worden said. “My wife and I collected as much as we could and put it all together in what we thought was a beautiful location.”

Most of the property on the steep slope to the river was just “thrown in,” Worden said, when they purchased a lot at the top of the cliff. It was considered unbuildable and, therefore, worthless.

But the Wordens thought that part of the property was the most beautiful of all. So they started excavating and ran into massive rocks and boulders. Today, those rock outcroppings are an impressive part of the landscape. One of the bedrooms in the main house is literally built around a huge piece of stone, as you can see in one of the photos below.

The event was billed as “a mid-summer evening in an enchanting cottage,” and it lived up to the hype. My advice: if you ever get invited to visit this unique Knoxville landmark, do it. But, in the meantime, here are some of the things we enjoyed most.

Knox Heritage volunteers Scott Fugate, left, and Mary Holbrook greeted arriving guests in front of one of the guest houses.

These two guest houses actually are log cabins salvaged and moved to the South Knoxville site.

First order of business: something cool to drink.

Volunteers William and Sheri Pender offered white sangria to start things off.

Then it was out onto the terrace for appetizers and mingling.

From left, Randall DeFord, Wes Goddard and Jack Rose.

One couple had a great idea to deal with the afternoon heat.

Gina and Fred Buffum claimed a spot in front of a giant fan!

Sequoyah Park is across the river.

Stuart Worden, left, poses with Doug Bitzer near one of the rock formations.

Another view of the rocks

Dinner guests Doug and Sharon Bitzer pose in front of the striking boulders that accent the side yard.

Stuart Worden is particularly impressed by this stone chimney. If you look closely, you will see one stone shaped in the form of a triangle and another in the shape of a house. Worden said the triangle was meant to convey that the builder of the chimney was Christian; the house indicates he was a Mason.

Note the triangular stone near the top and the house-shaped stone near the bottom of photo.

Big containers of colorful flowers accented the terraces on the property.

An example of the beautiful, casual container gardens.

After cocktails, it was down, down, down to the main house.

Starting down.

Yes, I'm watching you, Jack! Put your hands back on the rail!

Near the house is a pretty waterfall.

Jack Rose and Susan Brown pose near the waterfall.

Finally, after 66 steps, we arrived at the main cottage.

The Worden house

This tram is used to go up and down an incline to deliver groceries and other items from the garage to the main house. Unfortunately, it broke down as Knox Heritage volunteers were preparing for the dinner.

The tram car

The house is literally built around boulders. So there’s a rock running through a powder room as well as this bedroom.

The bunk bed, which is just an upper bunk, is perched atop a big slab of rock.

Dinner, provided by Bayou Bay restaurant on Chapman Highway, was a shrimp boil.

Wes Goddard goes through the buffet line.

Diners fanned out across the house’s large terrace.

Dinner on the terrace

Jeannie Dulaney, left, and Sara Rose were two of our table mates.

Susan Brown poses in front of a beautiful background. (The foreground's not bad, either!)

The house has a hot tub and a boat dock.

Aren't these fun toys?

The view of Sequoyah Park from this level was stunning.

The Tennessee River and Sequoyah Park at dusk

Photo credit: Jack Rose took the photo of the diners on the terrace. Thanks, Jack!