The History of Jack Huff's
It all started with a sawmill...
A young Andy Huff came to Gatlinburg in 1897. He established several sawmills in town. At first, he opened up his home to the lumbermen who came, and for those who worked in his mills. As the business grew, he felt it would be inhospitable to charge those who were guests in his home, so he built his first small hotel below his home. The hotel soon grew to a 100 room, three-story hotel, known as The Mountain View. The Mountain View was a true Gatlinburg icon until the 1980's.
In 1903, Jack Huff was born into this Gatlinburg family. As he grew, he witnessed the Mountain View become one of the finest establishments of its kind, and host to many celebrities of the day. As the Mountain View grew, Gatlinburg transitioned as well. It changed from a sleepy mountain town, to a robust sophisticated gateway to the Smokies.
As charming as Gatlinburg was, the mountains that surrounded it entranced Jack. His infatuation grew to a passion to live in a place where heavens and earth kissed. In 1926, Jack continued his family's hospitality tradition by building a lodge on top of Mt. LeConte, a 6593 feet peak that even today is accessible only by foot. For more than 35 years Jack and Pauline operated Mt. LeConte Lodge with the help of their children, Phillip and Cookie. Atop the mountain, the family lived a simple but abundant life, graced by the beauty and peace of nature and the companionship of travelers from around the World.
After leaving their mountain home, the family chose one of the most pristine, sought after areas in town to build Jack Huff's in 1959. Today, Cookie and her husband, Bruce, operate Jack Huff's. Jack's Mt. LeConte legacy also lives on today. The lodge, under the National Park Service's auspices, continues to host up to 50 guests each night in its rustic cabins. In 1990, one of Jack's grandsons proposed by the lodge, and in 1996, a second grandson proposed to his intended at Myrtle Point. The Huff charm and the mountain magic worked; both ladies said yes!