More than 100 years ago, William and Ruth Oehmig moved to Chattanooga and established a two-and-a-half-acre estate at 1416 Winding Way as one of Riverview’s first homesteads. Over the last century, members of the Oehmig family have contributed much to the city’s culture and economy. They continued to call the magnificent, European-inspired residence at Winding Way home until early in this century when it passed into the capable hands of Todd and CoCo McCain.
Todd is the founder and owner of Cumberland Title & Guaranty Company on Broad Street, and CoCo recently founded VivVere, a company that makes fine candles sold online, locally and in boutiques scattered from Manhattan Beach, California to Kennebunkport, Maine. With each candle purchase, VivVere donates one serving of milk to an orphanage child.
When the McCains found the home at Winding Way, they were looking for a place where their three sons, ages 12, 11 and 5 “could be boys,” says CoCo, and they found it. “Without a doubt our favorite thing about this property is that it is the ‘boy whisperer.’ All weekend long, the neighborhood boys stream in, and they stream out.” Watching the boys, the McCains often encounter neighbors who share with them memories of playing football in the yard with the Oehmig children or being welcomed into the late Mr. Oehmig’s den.
Slowly, the grounds have become revered by the entire McCain family. They find peace and renewal while walking through nature after a busy day. “I love the gardens,” says Todd. “We’d heard stories of the great gardens that had been here, but it was fun for us to discover them.” Their sons working alongside them, the McCains uncovered the original layout and hardscapes of the grounds including rock walls, a pond in the front lawn and many paths and beds.
Before planting anything new in the gardens, the McCains waited two years, watching carefully for each existing plant to emerge or bloom. Among the many plants on the estate, they discovered a “Secret Garden” with English and American boxwood where at Christmas the women of the Garden Club gather evergreen branches for wreath making. The estate’s Lenten roses have been used in countless weddings.
When the family adds to the garden plants, they do so purposefully, following the example of the Oehmigs who planted an enormous oak, “Will’s tree,” to commemorate the passing of their young son. They added thirteen boxwoods on their thirteenth wedding anniversary, a tree as a memorial to their niece Olivia and a cherry tree to commemorate their homestead date. First Lady of Tennessee Crissy Haslam planted irises at a ceremony held in the gardens, and she was presented with one of Winding Way’s roses to plant in the refurbished grounds of the Governor’s Mansion.
Many of the garden’s plants were given to the family by special friends, including purple hydrangeas from “The Purple Lady” and the state wildflower, the passionflower, given to them by Paige Patterson, who also made planters and annual beds for the grounds.
Todd’s goal has been creating a flow of gardens that connects the property’s four corners, while keeping the grounds historical and functional. A European-inspired hydrangea garden, a kitchen garden, a vegetable garden, an asparagus patch, a zinnia garden and a rose garden are among their additions. The couple also extended the patio and laid new walkways that matched the existing concrete.
Inspired by the plant collecting tradition popular during the founding of the estate, the McCains are working with John Creasey of Creasey Horticultural to develop proprietary plant specimens. Together, they want to create a plant museum for the estate, which CoCo calls “the green cathedral.”
“This yard is a gift and we give thanks for that. But this dirt is special because it gives so much more to boys than just beauty or oxygen or greenness or a tree arm to house a swing. This soil has given my boys freedom which has in turn yielded a quiet but solid confidence and I will always be grateful for that,” says CoCo.
After housing generations of the original owners’ descendants, the historic home was finally due for major repairs when the McCains acquired it. Throughout the massive restoration process, they emphasized maintaining the home’s historic integrity, holding on to its original footprint and striving to recondition rather than reinvent the home. “Anything we added, we 100 percent wanted it to be period correct,” says CoCo.
The couple recovered a decorative original screen door and heavy wooden ceiling beams from the basement and hung them again. Anywhere that doors or cabinets needed to be replaced, they had a talented carpenter, Dick Edgerton, replicate the originals. “It was fun to bring the old back, refinishing hardware, restoring old lights,” says Todd, who was involved in the complete replacement of the electrical wiring and plumbing systems from the street to the house.
They kept most of the original light fixtures, sometimes changing their location to suit a modern family’s needs, and added about 50 light fixtures, all of them period correct. Eloise Pickard of Sandy Springs Galleries supplied most of the added lighting and even created a rectangular crystal chandelier to light the rectangular stairwell to the second story. The most unusual light fixture in the house is the Lady Berry Lüsterweibchen chandelier in the den, dating back to the turn of the twentieth century when the style was in vogue. It combines antlers with a carved female figure. One of CoCo’s favorites, the small foyer chandelier is original and in its original location.
With its woodburning fireplace surrounded by vivid green marble tile, Mr. Oehmig’s den is Todd’s go-to indoor retreat. Edgerton added wood paneling to the walls, heightening the room’s intimate coziness. Above the mantel are antique ship lanterns that bring to mind Todd’s years as a merchant marine, and in the fireplace are andirons whose shape mimics ship anchors.
The house is filled with a combination of family heirlooms and furnishings slowly acquired throughout the couple’s marriage. Each item has a story and a meaningful place in the family’s life. Esteemed interior designer and family friend Beverly Baribault brought together the McCains’ furnishings with purpose, helping them achieve a comfortable and elegant environment. “Beverly wants you to be comfortable. She wants it to work for you,” says CoCo.
CoCo and the boys made some of the family’s most cherished artwork that shows up here and there throughout the house. Above the living room mantel is a Ray Klenden painting the couple purchased at Spectrum depicting stacked red books including the Bible and other Christian texts. The fireplace andirons below are reclaimed from an historic Cameron Hill residence.
One of Beverly’s many contributions was the idea to paint the basement walls a bright color as they were done in centuries past to brighten up the darker space. Turquoise walls hung with antique sconces lead to a more traditional wine cellar that opens to a patio where the couple would eventually like to make their own wines from grapes on the property.
With the restoration of the home and grounds complete, the family is looking to other projects. In addition to the museum of plants and wine production, they may eventually add a reflection pool and a car barn to the grounds.
The McCain family’s tenacious spirit, love of nature and commitment to the preservation of their home makes them ideal stewards of the Oehmigs’ historic homeplace. While they give of themselves to the estate, it gives back to them. “The best thing about home is that it is home, but the thing we love most about our home is that it provides a place for us and for our boys to be close to our community and close to nature and close to our Creator,” says CoCo.