KYLES FORD – Friday, August 28 marks one week since River Place on the Clinch became a Tennessee State Park, fulfilling a long-held dream for the Kyles Ford community in Hancock County.

The visitor center, a prominent feature at Tennessee’s newest state park, began as a country general store in the 1940s. At that time it’s unlikely much thought was given to the surrounding land, or the river running through it, as a means of enticing visitors to generate revenue. Instead, store owners Elmer and Jewell Wallen offered those things people living in the area most needed.

Groceries, dry goods, live chickens, animal feed, clothing, shoes and more were offered at Elmer Wallen Grocery. The building housed the Nolichucky Library and served as a location for dry cleaning pickup and delivery for a business out of Tazewell. The store offered delivery for those who were unable to get out to the store to shop. A doctor’s office and beauty salon operated upstairs.

When Elmer died from a massive heart attack in 1964, the store building was purchased by Walter and Alice Willis. The couple operated the store as Willis Market until 1983. After the store closed, the building stood dormant for more than two decades, until Clinch-Powell RC&D CEO Lindy Turner saw the old building’s large “For Sale” sign and imagined what it could become.

Turner saw the kudzu-covered, dilapidated building surrounded by an overgrowth of weeds and trees encroaching against its sides and contemplated its potential. The building came with 20 acres and an old c. 1850 house that had never had plumbing installed.

“I thought we could open a store, build cabins on the hill, and we could do canoeing and kayaking,” Turner said.

She took the idea to the Clinch-Powell Board of Directors and asked them to consider investing in Kyles Ford to create a sustainable ecotourism development to bring employment opportunities and revenue into the community. They agreed, and in 2005 Clinch-Powell purchased the property. The long process of clearing the decades of growth from the property and restoring the building began. Appalachia CARES AmeriCorps members got to work cleaning, painting and clearing brush, and members of the local community pitched in to help.

The old building was cleared of its overgrowth and renovated, and in 2008, River Place on the Clinch held its grand opening with more than 300 people attending the event. The old store once again sold grocery essentials, and a taste of nostalgia, with old-fashioned candy and bottled soda. Improvements to River Place on the Clinch continued and new features were added, including a restaurant with seating for up to 150, with decks where people could dine while taking in the scenery. A stage was constructed for live music performances and four new cabins were built on the hill overlooking the river. About a year after its opening, Clinch-Powell renovated an old farmhouse and launched it as a retreat center on Earth Day. Three or four months after that, an outfitter was opened with canoes, kayaks and tubes.

The restaurant offered authentic Appalachian cooking, with real pinto beans, biscuits and gravy and other homemade dishes on the menu. Visitors from all walks of life came to visit and experience the natural beauty of the area. From farmers on their tractors to bikers on their motorcycles, snorkelers and kayakers to bicyclists and hikers, River Place on the Clinch offered a common ground.

Despite the popularity of the destination created in Kyles Ford, the seasonal nature of the business made earning a profit difficult. Turner said, “We didn’t have the money to do advertising, and the question became ‘how long can we, as a nonprofit, sustain this?” In the warm seasons business was great, but it was a long, cold winter.”

She said she thought if River Place on the Clinch could become a state park it would be in a system where more often than not, people are signed up on a waiting list to visit. The jobs created would create opportunities for locals and would likely pay more.

“It would just check all the boxes,” Turner said.

She said they began working on a plan and advocating for turning the property into a state park in 2018. The interest was there, with support from the Hancock County government, The Nature Conservancy and other stakeholders, but state funding was unavailable. In 2022, when a frequent customer whose ethical standard regarding conservation aligned with that of Clinch-Powell expressed interest in purchasing the property, an agreement was reached and the property was sold.

It continued to operate as River Place on the Clinch, and in 2025 when the new owners expressed an interest in selling the property, the State of Tennessee purchased it with the intent of turning it into a new state park. Turner, Clinch-Powell Executive Director Trenna McCauslin, Executive Operations Assistant Stephani McCarty and Board Members Sheldon Livesay, Bill Rhea, Cody Brown, Robert Ripley, and Joe Woody were in attendance when Clinch River Valley State Park opened with a dedication ceremony Friday, August 28.

In a seemingly full-circle addition to the happy occasion, Park Ranger Jordan Fraley has been appointed to manage Clinch River Valley State Park. Fraley previously served four full terms through Clinch-Powell’s Appalachia CARES AmeriCorps program with Tennessee State Parks before beginning full-time employment with the park system.

Turner said the dedication event was an emotional one.

“I struggled a bit with my feelings. (When we started) I didn’t take a day off for three years. I drove back and forth across that mountain to work that cash register. We put everything into it,” she said. “So for me to stand there and remember the day I saw that giant ‘For Sale’ sign, and could see the puzzle pieces fit together for the greater good, and then to stand there the other day and see it move into something in perpetuity – as I looked around it was all the things we built. The decks, the sign young people painted, and the vision that we saw and that we shared that helped others to see, was incredibly validating. It was moving.”