Last updated: April 22, 2026
- Type: Water-powered grist mill, wool carding mill, and former blacksmith shop
- Founded: 1824, by David Ketner in Ketner's Cove at the base of Suck Creek Mountain
- Current site: 1868, when Alexander "Pappy" Ketner bought the Sequatchie River site
- Present brick mill completed: 1882
- National Register: Listed 1977 (NRHP 83000417)
- Location: Approximately 1.5 miles east of Victoria, on the Sequatchie River
Ketner's Mill is the oldest continuously operating water-powered mill in Marion County. It began in 1824 when David Ketner, an orphan who had arrived in the Sequatchie Valley with his two siblings, built a grist mill and blacksmith shop at the base of Suck Creek Mountain in what is now Ketner's Cove. In 1868 his son Alexander Ketner bought the current mill site about a mile and a half east of Victoria, and the family completed the present brick structure in 1882. The mill was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977, the same year its descendants launched the Ketner's Mill Country Fair that now draws roughly 20,000 people to the valley each October.
David Ketner in Ketner's Cove, 1824
David Ketner arrived in the Sequatchie Valley in 1824 with two siblings, among the earliest settler families on the Marion-Sequatchie Valley stretch. He built his first mill at the base of Suck Creek Mountain in the cove that still bears the family name. The original operation combined a grist mill for grinding corn into cornmeal with an on-site blacksmith shop. The mill's oldest surviving section, the wool carding house, also dates to 1824 and remained in operation until 1930.
Alexander Ketner and the Sequatchie River site, 1868 to 1882
David Ketner's son Alexander, known affectionately as "Pappy" in family records, bought the current mill site on the Sequatchie River in 1868. Construction of a brick mill building began in the years following the purchase and was completed in 1882. The new site gave the Ketner operation both a stronger head of water and better road access than the original cove site. In the early 1880s the family moved the wool carding mill from the original Ketner's Cove location to the new site, and it was restored to working order. It is reported to be one of only three such working wool carding mills still operating in the United States.
Restoration and the country fair, 1974 to 1977
A 1974 Ketner family reunion at the mill set in motion a three-year restoration project led by Alexander Ketner's descendants. The effort was anchored by Frank W. McDonald and his cousin Clyde Ketner, who wanted to preserve the mill as a working site and introduce it to a new generation. In 1977 the first Ketner's Mill Country Fair was held on the grounds to celebrate the completed restoration, and the mill was listed on the National Register of Historic Places the same year.
The fair has grown into one of the largest craft and folk-art gatherings in southeast Tennessee, held each October on the third weekend and drawing roughly 20,000 visitors over two days. Vendors emphasize traditional crafts, heritage foods, and regional music. The proceeds help maintain the mill itself.
Present day
Ketner's Mill remains private property, owned by descendants of Alexander Ketner. The family welcomes visitors to walk the grounds during daylight hours throughout the year and opens the buildings more fully for the fair and occasional events. The mill sits on the Sequatchie River, a short drive east of Victoria along Ketner Mill Road, and gives the river stretch its most recognizable public access point; the river here is a destination for smallmouth bass and longear sunfish fishing.
Related
Industry landing page →
Victoria community →
Whitwell →
Sequatchie Valley →
Folklore and local history (Nonie Webb's The Story of Ketner's Mill, 1987) →