Upland Chronicles: Tin Roof Cafe in an historic Sevierville building

by CARROLL McMAHAN

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John Alfred and Nettie Seaton with six of their seven children; Winfred,
Charles, Elizabeth, William and Anna.

Diane Sims Rogers of Greenback was overwhelmed the first time she visited the Tin Roof Café
on Apple Valley Road in Sevierville.

All of her life, she had heard stories about the house, which Summer Smith converted into a chic
cafe. Her mother, Wilda Seaton Kerley, lived in the home as a child and her grandfather, Charles
Seaton, grew up on the farm.

In order to get a complete picture of the Seaton family, one must go back to a Revolutionary War
soldier named Benjamin Seaton, whose family was originally from Scotland. After the
Revolutionary War, Benjamin migrated from Pennsylvania to Greene County. He and his wife,
Polly, raised a big family and lived there the remainder of their lives.

Out of 12 children, five of Benjamin Seaton’s sons moved to Sevier County. One of them, Phillip,
established the farm on the west prong of the Little Pigeon River, four miles south of Sevierville.
At one point Phillip Seaton was a postmaster. He is listed in Durwood Dunn’s Cades Cove book
as having set up a mail route to Cades Cove in 1837.

According to a Civil War Claims file, the farm consisted of 185.5 acres at the time of the Civil
War.

An incident took place at the farm during the Civil War. On Sept. 4, 1863, a union regiment
under Col. Felix Graham passed by the farm en route to dislodge Col. Thomas’ troops in
Gatlinburg. Graham asked Pinkney to guide them to Gatlinburg.

Pinkney, riding his father’s horse, departed, but when news was received that Col. Thomas had
fled, the regiment turned back. Graham falsely accused Pinkney of being a Confederate
supporter, and confiscated the horse.

In spite of the incident, Pinkney enlisted in the Union Army under Capt. John Sevier Trotter of
Sevier County. He served as lieutenant in Company H of the 9th Cavalry.

Throughout the war, Pinkney kept a journal in which he documented details of major events and
day to day action. The journal is now in the King Family Library History Department and
portions have been published in the Smoky Mountain Historical Society Journal.

When the war ended, He returned to the Sevier County farm and married Sarah Inman. Once
wed, the two began a family.

According to Phillip’s will, Pinkney Pleasant Seaton purchased part of the farm before his
father’s death. By 1900; Pinkney had deeded part of the farm to his son John Alfred Seaton.

In addition to farming, Pinkney became a successful merchant in downtown Sevierville. He and

Lewis S. Trotter were co-owners of Trotter and Seaton Hardware.

The hardware store was operated out of several different buildings over the years. After Trotter
died, his heirs sold their interest. By 1914, the business was owned by Seaton, M.P. Thomas Jr.,
Paul Murphy and Ed Emert.

They were the partners who constructed a new building across the street from the Sevier County
Courthouse and changed the name to Sevierville Hardware.
After 96 years in business, Sevierville Hardware closed in 1986. A florist, D Garden owned by
Dustin Manning, is currently located inthe building.

During part of the time Pinkney was a downtown merchant, he lived on Cedar Street in
Sevierville. The Seaton home was located across the street from Murphy College (now used as an
office for the Sevier County Board of Education). He purchased the property in 1891 and built a
house there.

In 1907, he sold the home to Dr. Z.D. Massey.

The old soldier died in 1918, and John Alfred Seaton and his wife, Nettie Butler Seaton,
eventually moved out of a small house on the property into the big house and the couple finished
raising their family there. Family members are not sure exactly when the house was built though
it is possible the house was constructed when Pinkney moved back to the farm from town in
1907.

John Alfred Seaton lived on the farm all of his life. He is remembered by his grandchildren as a
very thrifty individual. He was known for the delicious molasses that he made on the farm.

John outlived Nettie by three years and passed away in 1959 at the age of 84. Their son, Charles
Inman Seaton, who lived in Bounty County and worked at ALCOA, inherited the farm and
decided to sell the property at public auction.

On the day of the sale, J.B. Waters Sr., a local auctioneer and real estate developer, sold the
property to a bidder who was unable to raise the full amount of money he had bid. Therefore,
Waters negotiated a deal to sale the property to Dock Teague, a local barber and motel operator.
Dock and his wife, George Ann, eventually divided the property into lots and sold them.

Smith Family Partnership is the current owner of the house.

After making necessary alterations to the interior while remaining true to the historic farmhouse
look of the exterior, Summer Smith opened the Tin Roof Café on June 25, 2008. Specializing in
panini sandwiches, gourmet salads and desserts, the trendy cafe is a popular luncheon
destination for tourist and locals alike. To add further ambiance, Summer attend barrister
school in Seattle and offers superb coffee selections.
Another great-granddaughter of John Alfred and Nettie Seaton, Sandy Gardenhour of
Clarksville, Md., visited the cafe recently and Summer put Sandy in touch with Diane Rogers.
The second cousins, who had never met, exchanged stories and photographs of the Seaton
family.

In an area where rental cabins and tourist attractions is commonplace, the Tin Roof Cafe is a
unique blend of historic country charm and sophisticated dining. It is a place where longtime
residents may enjoy reminiscing while first time visitors have a unique dining experience.

— Carroll McMahan is the special projects facilitator for the Sevierville Chamber of Commerce.
The Upland Chronicles series celebrates the heritage and past of Sevier County. If you have
suggestions for future topics, would like to submit a column or have comments; please contact
Carroll McMahan at 453-6411 or e-mail to cmcmahan@scoc.org; or Ron Rader at 604-9161 or e-
mail to ron@ronraderproperties.com

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