Tennessee Hunting Lodge of ‘How-DEE!’ Country Comedy Queen Minnie Pearl Lists for $14 Million

The Tennessee hunting retreat of Country Music Hall of Famer Minnie Pearl, the “queen of country comedy,” is listed for $14 million. 

The 109-acre estate dates back to a 1778 Revolutionary War Land Grant, according to the listing by Tom Sullivan of Covey Rise Properties. The property, CannonGate Farms, includes a smaller cabin built in 1788 and a five-bedroom Colonial Georgian-style home built in the 1830s. Minnie Pearl and her husband used the estate as a hunting and farming retreat, according to Nashville Lifestyles. Pearl died in 1996.

Pearl, whose real name was Sarah Cannon, was a household name in the world of country music during the mid to late 20th century, famous for her comedic country singing acts. Donning a straw hat with a $1.28 price tag, she was known for greeting her crowds at Nashville's Grand Ole Opry with a "How-DEE!" She performed at the Opry for 50 years beginning in the 1940s and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1975. During her time as a star performer, she and her husband Henry hosted a number of celebrities at the house including Frank Sinatra, according to The Tennessean. 

The home was updated beginning in 2013, The Tennessean reported, and it is currently owned by a couple, James and Lisa McNabb, who run a sustainable farm on the property. 

“It was very important to us to complement the existing cabin as it is, keep the history, decorate accordingly, but do an addition that would be appropriate,” said Lisa McNabb in an interview with Covey Rise Properties.

Beyond CannonGate’s main home and cabin, the estate also includes a two-bedroom guest cottage, smokehouse, tobacco barn, chicken coop and equestrian barn, according to the listing. The property includes an “excellent trail system for riding and hiking,” according to the listing.