A nonprofit organization will have its monthly meeting at the Freels Bend Cabin on Thursday, a rare opportunity to see the oldest structure in Oak Ridge.
The regular monthly meeting of the Oak Ridge Heritage and Preservation Association is not unusual, but the location this week is.
The ORHPA will meet Thursday at Freels Bend Cabin, providing a rare opportunity to see the oldest structure in Oak Ridge.
Built in 1844, the cabin is on U.S. Department of Energy land, and access to it is normally restricted.
The Thursday meeting starts at 7 p.m., and the public is invited. An ORHPA press release said family member Louise Freels, who once lived at the cabin, will speak at the meeting.
“Louise will enthrall you with the stories of her youth at the wonderful old cabin,” the press release said. “You will be envious of her experiences there.”
The release said the Freels Bend Cabin has “stood the test of time and remains strong and well-preserved today.
“It is one of our most precious historic preservation structures.”
To get to the cabin from central Oak Ridge, follow Scarboro Road across Bethel Valley Road and go exactly one mile on the road to Clark Center Park (Pumphouse Road and Bull Bluff Road) and turn left on the gravel road (Freels Bend Road.) The cabin is just over the hill on the left past the pond.
Jim Evans, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Officer responsible for this area, will provide a driving tour of the Freels Bend area, the press release said.
For more information, call (865) 481-0542 or visit www.orhpa.com.
Susie Williams Taylor says
Oh how I wish I could be at this meeting…never knew the Freels Bend Cabin existed….would love to hear the family member’s memories. Maybe she’ll join in again at a later time. I hope so…
Also hopefully, there will be a report on this meeting…
John Huotari says
Susie, we hope to cover the meeting Thursday. I don’t think the Freels Bend Cabin is real well-known in Oak Ridge because I don’t think the public is normally able to access it.
Susie Williams Taylor says
As a 1962 graduate if ORHS, I never knew it existed….what an exciting experience going there and visiting with an ancestor…wonder why this place was such a “Secret”?