Grinder's Stand was a stand, or inn, located on the historic Natchez Trace. A replica can be visited today at the Meriwether Lewis Park, located on the Natchez Trace Parkway in Lewis County, Tennessee, south of Nashville, southwest of Columbia, and east of Hohenwald, Tennessee.
The inn is known as the place where Meriwether Lewis died, by suicide (as suspected by his friend and colleague, Thomas Jefferson) or murder (as suspected by his family).[1]
The tavern is believed to have been established in 1807. Its proprietors were Robert Evans Grinder and Priscilla Knight Grinder. The original stand consisted of two rough log cabins adjoined at right angles with a dogtrot between them. Both rooms had doors facing the Natchez Trace, and one room also had a door facing the detached kitchen behind the stand. A barn and stable were also located on the property, although the original locations of these two buildings have not been determined.
According to tradition, Robert Grinder sold whiskey to the Indians, whose lands came within a few feet of the cabin. The proper use of the stand was to provide food and lodging to travelers passing through the Natchez Trace.
In the 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps built a replica cabin less than 20 feet from the remains of the original stand. However, the current cabin does not authentically match the design of the original.