When some of the earliest settlers
in the Cashiers area arrived, one of the families located
their farmhouse on what is now known as the Cedar Creek
Racquet Club property. The abundant fish and wildlife,
fertile soil and mild climate attracted the settlers.
Not far behind the settlers came the timber companies.
Interested primarily in Hemlock trees, they bought land
and set up logging camps near the original dirt road
from Cashiers to Rosman. Many of the logging trails
can be recognized on or around the present Racquet Club
property.
When the first option for 730 acres was turned down
in the late 1920’s, Mr. and Mrs. Fred Lupton,
from Chattanooga, purchased the property and named it
“Sleepy Valley.” The property included the
early settler’s farmhouse and surrounding fields
as well as previously timbered land.
Mrs. Lupton wanted to build a summer home on the east
side of Highway 64 near Rochester Creek. The clearing
had begun for the damming of the stream and for construction
of the house, but at the last minute, Mr. Lupton decided
he wanted the main house where it is presently located.
At the new homesite, The Lupton Lake was created in
the early 1930’s by damming the Horsepasture River.
An architect from Chattanooga, Mr. William Crutchfield,
was hired to design a classic southern style house for
the Luptons, as well as to design a caretaker’s
cottage, and to help Mrs. Lupton landscape the lawns.
The homes were completed in the mid-1930’s. Mr.
Lupton removed the native brown trout from the lake
and stocked it with rainbow trout.
Mr. Lupton died in 1938. In later years Mrs. Lupton
married Mr. Eugene Thomasson, also from Chattanooga.
Although the Thomassons traveled the world in the winter,
their summers were always spent at Sleepy Valley. They
were well loved in Cashiers and entertained lavishly.
Each month throughout the summer, they had a large buffet
either down by the lake or in their home. The honeymoon
cottage was often the center for ghost stories after
dark.
After Mr. Thomasson’s death in 1977, Sleepy Valley
was sold to a group of several gentlemen concerned with
preserving the integrity of the property. This group
was interested in selling the property, but not unless
the right buyer submitted a proposal which suited the
standards set by the group. The developer of the Cedar
Creek Racquet Club met those standards and purchased
150 of the original 730 acres on October 1, 1981.
Excerpts from The Cashiers Area. Yesterday, Today and
Forever
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