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- [S106] The Mountain Press, 6 Dec 2014.
History, nostalgia helps Wilson Glyn tree farm
Jason Davis
Hal and Sandy Wilson are enjoying their new endeavor on Wilson Hollow Way, just minutes from Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg.
The small, friendly goats at Wilson Glyn great visitors.
A pathway winding through Wilson Glyn takes visitors on a nostalgic trip back in time and through the two historically-inspired structures.
SEVIERVILLE —
Wilson Glyn is Sevier County’s only Christmas tree farm.
Stretching over the hills of the longtime family farm, the new source for many local families’ yuletide centerpieces started its life as an idea eight years ago.
And it began, fittingly, as Christmas gift.
“My daughter bought me a Christmas tree farm book for Christmas one year,” Hal Wilson, owner of the tree farm said. “And I thought, ‘I can do that.’”
It would have probably been an unfathomable idea for the Wilsons who first came to the land nearly 150 years ago, but sure enough, it worked.
After a test plot of tough-to-grow Fraser firs was successful, Hal Wilson said he knew he was on to something.
“We’re at the border (for growing the trees),” he said. “We should not be able to grow them, but we have a cold hollow, with a north-face, so they grow.”
Still, Wilson Glyn isn’t limited to Frasers alone.
“(Species include) Norway Spruce,” Wilson said. “I have White Pines, Colorado blue spruce; and Canaan fir, which is almost a Fraser fir.
“I’m trying them all. I’m actually about to order some Turkish fir. I’m right at the borderline, so I need to find the best (for the local environment).”
After six years of growing trees, the farm — and selling trees to the public — has become a way of life for the Wilson family.
It’s something Hal Wilson says he believes was divinely-guided.
“It was just kind of an ‘a-ha’ (moment) to us,” he said.
“Those kind of moments don’t come much in life. But sometimes I think God expresses the path he wants you to take and you fall into it.”
His wife had an interesting take on that part.
“I said ‘I wished the Lord had given you this dream when we were 30-something, not 50-something,” Sandy, a welcoming host with friendly smile, said with a deep laugh.
It’s a lot of work, she said, but the payoff is worth it.
“One of the best things is the little children that come around,” she said. “All of ours are grown and away from home, so we just enjoy the little kids coming around.
“They get really excited. We had a little 10-year-old yesterday saw down his own tree, so we enjoy that part. It puts a little spark back in you that you lose, maybe, when you’re older.”
The farm has also presented a unique opportunity for her husband.
“He’s always wanted to be a farmer, and we got four kids raised and through college building (the Wilsons also operate Allied Building and Construction), so we’re going to try farming for a little while.”
Currently, Hal said, the majority of his trees are too small to be harvested, so he’s supplementing with pre-cut trees from Roan Valley Tree Farm in Johnson City, which helped the Wilsons get their start.
He believes Wilson Glyn will be fully self sufficient in three years or so.
The farm is located at 950 Wilson Hollow Way, Sevierville, just off Boogertown Road. Hours are Thursday through Saturday from 11 a.m.-5:30 p.m. The farm will also be open all three days prior to Christmas.
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1956 - (67 years)
, d. 1 May 2009 (Age 87 years) 
