Alvin and Gracie York’s home and farm in Pall Mall became the center of their family life and of Sgt. Alvin C. York’s efforts after World War I to serve his community. Contrary to the popular movie version, the Rotary Club of Nashville gave the Yorks 400 acres, an unfinished house, and a heavy mortgage that they had little means to pay, and they faced repeated financial hardship that nearly cost them the property. York returned home from the war despite opposition from local jealousies and bad blood, choosing to work for better lives in the region through education. He mortgaged the house twice to opponents in order to pay teachers at York Institute in Jamestown, and family friend Susie Williams helped prevent foreclosure. The house was known for its hospitality, welcoming everyone alike, and it remained busy with family, friends, and strangers, with much of the food raised and cured on the farm. York’s father, William, had been known as an excellent marksman before his death in 1911, and York himself became a skilled marksman early in life. In this home the Yorks raised two daughters and five sons, and York’s mother, Mary Brooks York, lived with them until her death in 1943. The deed to the home and farm was dated May 18, 1922, and included a ten-page record of York’s World War I awards and achievements. After a 1954 stroke left York bedridden for the rest of his life, the house became his world as visitors came from far away to see him, his children stayed nearby, and he continued to follow national affairs and celebrate Independence Day from the porch or beneath the trees. Following York’s death in 1964, Gracie remained in the home until 1984, when, following his wishes, she sold the home and farm to the State of Tennessee for use as a state park.