Help the Old Gruetli Post Office Project
The Old Gruetli Post Office has been given to the Grundy County Swiss Historical Society. This structure at the corner of Highway 108 and 20 Avenue North in Gruetli-Laager has been a community focal point dating back more than a century. The post office has been a part of the Swiss Colony of Gruetli which was started in 1869 when many Swiss families chose to come to America and make new homes. The condition of the gift is that the building be moved to the Stoker-Stampfli Farm. Once there, we will undertake a restoration of the building to its original style and maintain it as part of Grundy County history. In addition, we are asked to place a commemorative plaque at the current building site. We hope to be able to acknowledge the family of the donors and prior postmasters with a plaque.
We are pleased and excited about this gift; however, as a community, we will need to work together to accomplish this. New footings and a foundation must be prepared at the Farm, a house moving company must be hired to shore-up and move the building. Finally, the building will need internal and external restoration. The final product will be a valuable example of Grundy County life in generations that came before, and a Farm tour highlight.
The first $5,000 has been pledged in a grant from the philanthropy class at the University of the South in collaboration with the South Cumberland Community Fund. As you know, Grundy County and the Farm are increasingly a tourist destination. A special stop for many is the Stoker-Stampfli Farm Museum and the Annual Festival (Swiss Celebration) the last Saturday of July each year.
Please consider joining us with your gift to: Grundy County Swiss Historical Society, a 501(c)(3) organization, P.O. Box 496, Gruetli-Laager, TN 37339. On the memo line: “Post Office Move.”