The farmhouse at the Stoker-Stampfli Farm Museum in Gruetli-Laager has a new outlook on life. Thanks to a $10,000 grant from the South Cumberland Community Fund, the farmhouse has received new custom-made windows by local craftsman Dean Lutz of Tracy City. Since the farm is on the National Register of Historic Places, the windows replicate the original ones. A crew has installed seven windows and Lutz is making six more.

The farmhouse, barn and outbuildings are unique in that they are among the four remaining houses and three remaining barns of the original Swiss Colony of Gruetli, established in 1869. The Stoker family was the first Swiss family to settle on the property in Grundy County. Later, the Stampfli family bought the farm and occupied it for nearly a century. Around 2000, Rose Marie Stampfli bequeathed the farm to the Grundy County Swiss Historical Society. She envisioned a museum to preserve the history of the colony.

The farm museum grounds are open to visitors, photographers and videographers. Tours of the farmhouse are available by appointment. The venue is a picturesque setting for rustic weddings and outdoor events. For reservations, call Jackie Lawley at (931) 235-3029. Her Swiss ancestors, the Suters, were part of the original colony.

The new window installation coincides with the Swiss Heritage Celebration on Saturday, July 31, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The farm museum is located at 328 Swiss Colony Cemetery Rd. The Grundy County Swiss Historical Society is excited to be resuming the gathering this year, after its cancellation in 2020 due to the pandemic.

You don’t have to be Swiss to attend the celebration. Guests are invited to tour the farm, dance and sing along with the Mountain Top Polka Band from North Carolina, see live edge tables and other woodwork made by Desi McDaniel of Gruetli-Laager, sample locally made wine and cheese, view historic documents and memorabilia about the pioneering families who created the colony, shop for crafts and handmade goods, and purchase food and beverages. Admission is $5 per person 12 and older.

For more information, visit http://www.swisshistoricalsoci....