Bush Brothers & Company

In 1904 A.J. Bush, founder of Bush's Bean partnered with the Stokely Brothers, located in Newport, TN, to open a tomato cannery.  The partnership was that  A.J. Bush would build a factory and Stokely would supply the equipment.  This was a huge success for Bush and in 1908 he bought out his partners and the Bush Brothers and Company began.  The company did well  and even during the rough times the country went through financially.  During the depression Bush canned more hominy and sauerkraut to keep the company going.  In 1934 they developed and canned Pork and Beans which became an inexpensive staple to the country.  During WWII Bush concentrated on the war efforts and after the war the first expansion was made by opening a canning plant in Blytheville, AR.
In 1946 A,J, and Sallie Bush passed away but two of their sons kept the company growing.  During the 50's a new line of canned green beans was developed which kept the plant operating all year long.  During the 60's the Showboat line was started featuring their own brand of Pork and Beans and canned Spaghetti.  The core of Bush Brothers & Company continued to be canning vegetables including green beans, spinach, southern peas, hominy & sauerkraut.  The company grew so much that they opened up production facilities in Wisconsin, Oklahoma and Louisiana and expanded their plants in Tennessee and Arkansas.
The biggest change for the company began in 1969 when Condon Bush (grandson to A.J. Bush) along with some fellow employees developed Bush's Baked Beans based on a secret family recipe.  This happened in Augusta, WI.  During the 70's & 80's Bush continued canning the vegetables  but it was the Baked Beans that really made the company grow, regionally.  In the 1990s Bush Brothers changed the whole focus of the company from a regional cannery to a national brand featuring Bush's Baked Beans and the great grandson of A.J. Bush, Jay Bush did the first national TV commercial in 1994 and in 1995 Duke was added to the commercial.  The new label and current branding of Bush's was created in 1998 and during this time created several different flavored baked beans.  In 2008 Bush developed the Grillin'  Beans line (our favorite) and opened up the Visitor Center in Chestnut Hill, TN across the street from the Bush's Baked Beans plant.  About 80% of canned baked beans consumed today is produced by Bush's. 

Max Patch - We Did It!

I know that I said today's blog would be more of the Bush's Bean Visitor Center and Plant but on a whim George suggested we go to Max Patch yesterday thinking if we went early enough we would beat the crowd because it was a cold morning but a clear day and it was going to warm up.  So we decided to do just that.  So we got into the car and drove into North Carolina and headed up to Max Patch Mountain.  Max Patch is a bald mountain where the Appalachian Trail crosses and at the top it is 4629 feet in elevation.  Once at the top there is a 360 degree view of the Smokey and Blue Ridge Mountains.  Now that we have been there I can confirm that is does have spectacular views.  What we didn't anticipate was that there would still be snow at Max Patch.  That did not stop us it just made the climb a little more challenging.  The parking lot at Max Patch is very small and when we pulled into it we were one of four cars.  There are two trails that you can take to the top of Max Patch one is 2.4 miles and circles the mountain before reaching the top.  The other trail is 1.4 miles and goes directly to the top.  Either way you climb another 350 feet in elevation before reaching the top.  We took the more direct route especially since we had to deal with snow and mud on the trail.  When we started our hike it was a cool 32 degrees, the snow was still firm  which made hiking and climbing a little easier.  We brought Shadow with us since dogs are allowed on the trail.  He had a ball running around and when he found his first snow drift his expression was great.  He kind of looked at us like he was saying "what the heck" but then it became a game.  The hike up with the views was beautiful but once we got on top the views were breath taking.  It was not a perfectly clear day, we had some haze, but even so it was beautiful and you could see for miles in every direction.  We spent some time just enjoying the views and walking all over the top.  Max Patch was originally cleared for pasture land in the 19th century.  The one thing we noticed at the top, when we were not talking, was how quiet it was.  There was no sound just peace and beauty.  We met some very nice people while we were at Max Patch.  Some were just day hiking like we were but we also met some that were hiking the Appalachian Trail.  One girl, who took our picture for us, had been hiking the trail for three weeks; she started in Georgia and was on her way to Maine.  She had started with her brother but he got hurt and had to leave the trail so she was on her own.  We spent quite a long time on the top and the sun was melting the snow.  When we decided it was time to leave the real challenge began for us; getting down the trail without getting hurt.  Lisa and I had terrible traction with our hiking boots so Tim and George were there to help us out.  With the sun melting the snow and the ground thawing the trail turned to mud which made it very slippery.  Tim and George did great, they have good boots, and even Lisa did good with the little traction she had with her boots.  I, however, decided to get one with the trail and fell several times.  Even in the snow I could not grip the ground on parts of the trail as we hiked down.  I would not of minded sliding down the side of the trail on my bottom except that there are pricker bushes on both sides.  At one point I did not care and slid down just to get off a part of the trail.  The rest of my descend was walking in the snow drifts and making my own trail down.  We finally got down to the parking lot and the temperature was balmy 50 degrees.  I am so glad we had the opportunity to hike to the top of Max Patch and be able to take in the beautiful views.  We will be returning to Max Patch several more times so we can enjoy all the seasons.  If you are ever in the Max Patch area please take the time to hike the trail to top you will not be disappointed. 

Bush's Visitor Center

Bush's Visitor Center is located and in Chestnut Hill, Tennessee about 24  miles from Parrottsville, TN. just across the street from the Bush's Baked Beans plant and homestead of A.J. Bush.  The Visitor Center is located where the old Bush's General Store once stood and houses the Bush's Museum, General Store and Bush's Family Café.  It is opened six days a week, Monday through Saturday and although you cannot take a tour of the Bush's Baked Bean factory there is a short film that shows the operations of the factory.  We had passed Bush's Visitor Center back in September on our way to Pigeon Forge and have wanted to visit it since.  Well the wait ended yesterday and we finally spent the morning and early afternoon at Bush's.  It took about 1 1/2 hours to tour the visitor center seeing the film, the museum and general store.  The staff at Bush's are very friendly and knowledgeable.  We then had lunch at the Bush's Family Café and we are really happy we did.  The food was delicious, very reasonable and the service was great. We even splurged on dessert where Tim, Lisa and I had their homemade pies and George enjoyed a Banana Split.  Lisa was the adventurous one and tried Bush's Pecan Pinto Bean pie.  She said it was good and got the recipe for it.  She also tried to get the secret recipe of Bush's Baked Beans but was not successful in doing so.
It may seem strange to have Bush's Visitor Center in the middle of nowhere but it is a popular tourist destination and shows just how popular Bush's Baked Beans are.  A.J. Bush, the founder, started a business in 1904 when he partnered with the Stokely Brothers to open a tomato cannery.  By 1908 A.J. Bush bought out his partners and the Bush Brothers and Company was born.  His home is located right across the street from the Visitor center and is used for meetings.  The Bush's plant has been expanded throughout the years and has kept the area's residence with jobs.  If you are ever in the Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge area take a couple of hours and visit Bush's Visitor Center and Family Café.
Check back tomorrow for more Bush's pictures and history.

Quail Way

 Quail Way is the private road that takes us home and at times is a challenge to maneuver but there are some interesting things along the road that I see when driving in the car but the other day I drove the road in the Golf Cart for the first time and the things can now be seen up close at a slower pace.  The first thing that I noticed, whether you are in the car, cart or walking, is the small barn or building.  The interesting thing about this building is that it leans towards the road and it looks like it could fall over at any minute but the truth is that this building has been leaning this way at least 25 years or more.  Along the road side there is a small stream that runs just to the right of the road.  Next to the stream are some small buildings or remnants of some buildings that at one time were useful.  About half way up the road there is a large barn that also looks like it could cave in at anytime but it won't because it was reinforced just last year.  There is also some old farm tools that were placed as decoration, I think, by the barn owner.  After passing the barn if you look up and to your left you see a large old log cabin.  This cabin has been there for years and the owner only uses it every once in awhile.  The interesting thing about this cabin is that it can only be seen in the winter and early spring because it is camoflauged amongst the trees.  There is a barn on the right that is in good shape that houses the horses and donkeys of our neighbors that also live on top of the hill.  There is also two ponds one large one and one small one. The large one is on the left just as you approach the big hill that takes us home.  So now when I drive the road, especially in the golf cart I appreciate the things that are along it just a little more.  Don't ask me why!

An Afternoon On The Deck

We have officially had our first visitors come and spend time on our new deck.  George and Lisa were the first friends to sit on the deck with us  but Larry and Linda were the first friends that does not live on the property to come and enjoy the deck.  Of course while on the deck you cannot miss the beautiful view.  It was a warn and sunny day (about 75 degrees) with a breeze so it was very comfortable on the deck even with the sun still on it.  After a while we took Larry and Linda for a ride on the golf cart (they gave us the top for our golf cart) and then we headed down to George and Lisa's to see the new wood floor in their bedroom.  It was not a long visit but it was still nice to get together again.  I even receive a long distance hug from my friend Sharon delivered by Larry; thanks Sharon.   At the end of the visit I sent one back to her!  The weather has changed from yesterday and so far it is cold and rainy and we might even get a little snow tomorrow.  I  just hope that it does not freeze and ruin all the budding trees. Thanks Larry and Linda for coming by, we always enjoy our visits together.

The Clean Up Process

Now that the trees have been cut down the task of cleaning up has begun.  The downed trees had to be cut up for firewood and all the brush, small limbs and branches were gathered into piles so they could be hauled over to an area to be burned.   A burn permit is required so George obtained one.  The trees were cut up for firewood and then placed into storage bins where the wood will age and be ready for George and Lisa's wood stove next fall.  Tim spent all day yesterday burning up the piles of tree limbs and brush and it took all day to get the debris burnt.  So the clean up process from downing the trees is almost complete which leads to the next project for Tim; building the driveway for the Golf Cart. 
Meanwhile, George and Lisa began laying down the wood flooring in their house.  They started in the bedroom and what has been laid so far really looks good.  It took awhile for them to decide what kind of wood flooring they wanted but as George puts it "patience grasshopper" and that patience paid off because their wood floors look great so far.  
I spent the day working in the Crafty Cottage on door prizes for my sister's next SAS in May.  I am doing it early because I will not be able to work on anything while we are traveling. We will be on the road in 11 days!  Wow, there is a lot to do to get ready; I better get busy!

The New Views

Now that the Widow Maker has come down Tim and George started looking at other trees in and around the area of the RV.  The two of them decided to take down some more trees and in doing so two things have happened.  The first is that we now have a new view a little higher up that is really beautiful.  I know I say this a lot about our view but when you have a great one you tend to talk about it a lot.  With the higher view we can see more of the rolling hills of the surrounding farms and see more of the mountains too.  I know with in the next month the trees will have leaves on them again and the view will be different but right now we are enjoying the new green grass and budding trees.
The second thing is that George has always felt we should have another driveway near the front of the RV and now that we have the golf cart the two of them began to create one.  The trees and brush have been cleared and now the area just needs some cleaning up and preparing the ground.  The driveway will lead right to the golf cart garage, okay canopy.  It will be nice to have the driveway so I no longer have to drive on the grass especially now that it is getting nice and green again.  So, weather permitting, in the next few days we should have golf cart driveway. Check back and see!