Hagy's Catfish Hotel Restaurant

This restaurant, on the banks of the beautiful Tennessee River, has been run by generations of the Hagy family and is one of the oldest family-owned restaurants in the country. In 1825, Henry Hagy and his wife, Polly, claimed several acres here and began to build a farm. Later their son John built a log shack next to the river to store items to be shipped by steamboats. The shack was occupied by Union soldiers during the Battle of Shiloh. The shack earned the name "Catfish Hotel" during the early thirties when Norvin Hagy entertained friends at cookouts. He became well known for the delicious catfish, hushpuppies, and hospitality he served. Guests who had arrived by river were often forced to spend the night after becoming engrossed in yarns spun, and darkness made it unsafe to travel the river, giving the place the nickname of Catfish Hotel. During a political campaign gathering for Governor Gordon Browning, Browning encouraged Norvin Hagy to open a resaurant, which he did in 1938.