Tessentee Bottomland Preserve

Macon County

Acreage: 70 (total acreage from three acquisitions)

Year: 1999-2009

Mainspring acquired the original 64-acre tract of bottomland and river bluff land at the junction of Tessentee Creek and the Little Tennessee River in November of 1999. In 2009, a bargain sale by Margaret Parks, in honor of her late husband, James (Jim) Parks, Jr., allowed Mainspring to add another 5.6 acres to the preserve. Purchasing the Tessentee Bottomland Preserve launched an extraordinary river corridor conservation initiative, and created a laboratory for land restoration and stewardship in the valley, including a rivercane management and harvest collaboration with Cherokee artisans. Tessentee is a rich mosaic of wildlife and plant habitats, and it serves as a microcosm of Mainspring’s stewardship and restoration work.

Visit Tessentee Bottomland Preserve.

See artisans harvest trees for traditional Cherokee basket weaving at a Tessentee White Oak Harvest

See Tessentee from a dog’s point of view, as Hershey Visits Tessentee.