History of Wolf River Valley Growers
Family owned and operated for over 20 years

In the late 1770's, this part of the state was a rich hunting ground. Daniel Boone and other lone hunters were part of a brave band of mountain men who first explored this area. Conrad (Coonrad) Pile was one of these hunters who discovered this valley. He returned to Virginia and brought his wife and made this valley his lifelong home-the first white settler in the valley.

Our short history lesson doesn't end here. An even more famous Pall Mall civilian was Sgt. Alvin C. York, the most decorated war hero of all the Allied forces in World War I. According to official U.S. Army reports, on October 8, 1918, then Corporal York captured 132 German soldiers, took about 35 machine guns, and killed no less than 25 of the enemy. He is buried in the church graveyard within sight of the greenhouses. His son Andy York still lives in the valley and is a greenhouse customer.

Now about the greenhouse business. Bob Pile is an Agricultural Engineer and worked for several years in the Agricultural Development Division of the Tennessee Valley Authority at Muscle Shoals, Alabama, evaluating several alternative energy sources for agricultural enterprises. One of Bob's projects was to design greenhouses that could be heated with low-temperature hot water discharged from electric power plants. Bob's long-range plan was to return to the family farm in Pall Mall to raise his family.

With the help of some of his economist and agronomist co-workers at TVA, Bob began evaluating ways to make a living in his hometown Pall Mall. A wholesale greenhouse operation seemed to be the best alternative, and the Wolf River Valley Farms Greenhouse concept was launched in 1981.

Bob Washburn is a licensed Tennessee attorney who grew up 150 miles southwest of Pall Mall. After trying cases for the Government for 15 years, Bob and his wife Linda (Bob Pile's sister) decided that they also wanted to raise their family in the country, away from the stress and strains that go with city life.

The last hurdle was to ensure some income and benefits as Bob and Bob made these drastic career changes. The only way for this dream to happen was if their wives could become the primary breadwinners until the greenhouse business got established. Bob Pile's wife Margaret began seeking employment in Fentress County in 1982 and was hired for a University of Tennessee Extension position there in 1984. Bob Washburn's wife Linda was employed as a school teacher in the Fentress County system in 1986. Bob and Linda's brother Mike and his wife Connie have operated the family farm since 1975, and they were also ready to give the greenhouse business a try.

Wolf River Valley Farms became a reality when they built a small 30 x 48 greenhouse next to Connie's house in 1982. Connie ran the business until Bob Pile moved back in 1984 and Bob Washburn came in 1986. Each year afterwards, a few more greenhouses were added until the current 50+ houses sprawled across the valley.