04/24/2026
A SAFE RETURNS HOME!
Following the chartering of Tellico Plains on July 4, 1911, W. H. Heffelfinger, general manager of the Tellico River Lumber Company (Babcock), was appointed the town’s first mayor. The first official city election was held on August 4, where Heffelfinger, representing the “Progressive” party, faced N. Giles Carter—founder of the Tellico Bank and Trust Company in 1908.
Originally from Pennsylvania, Heffelfinger began his career as a schoolteacher before working his way up in the lumber industry. He was transferred to Tellico Plains by the Babcock Lumber Company to oversee their operations as general manager of Tellico River Lumber Co. Alongside him, W. S. Keirn was also brought from Pennsylvania to serve as acting superintendent when the mill began operations in 1906.
By 1911, Babcock’s impact on the region was substantial—owning more than 100,000 acres in Monroe County, operating a band mill with a daily capacity of 100,000 feet, and employing over 500 workers. In just five years, Tellico Plains grew from a small community into a thriving town of approximately 2,500 residents.
Heffelfinger did not complete his first term as mayor. By July 1912, N. Giles Carter had assumed the role. Sometime before 1920, Heffelfinger relocated with his family to Niagara Falls, New York, where he owned and operated a hardware store for the remainder of his life. Meanwhile, W. S. Keirn remained in Tellico Plains until the Tellico lumber operations closed in 1925, after which he moved to Athens, Tennessee.
A remarkable piece of this shared history has come full circle. Before leaving Tellico Plains, Heffelfinger’s safe—embossed with his name—became the property of Superintendent Keirn. The safe remained in the Keirn family for generations, eventually passing to Ted S. Keirn, grandson of W.S. Keirn and son of Ted R Keirn, of Cleveland, Tennessee, who has now graciously donated it back to its original home.
Today, this historic 120-year-old safe is part of the collection at the Charles Hall Museum & Heritage Center, preserving not only the story of Heffelfinger and Keirn, but the legacy of the families and the lumber industry that shaped Tellico Plains.
We extend our sincere thanks to donor Ted Keirn for recognizing the importance of this contribution to the museum’s mission of preserving and sharing the rich history of Tellico Plains.
The safe is now displayed alongside his grandfather, W. S. Keirn’s woodworking tool chest—also donated by Ted in 2002—which was used during and after W. S. Keirn’s tenure as superintendent of the Tellico Plains mill (1906–1925).
Manufactured by the Victor Safe and Lock Company of Cincinnati, Ohio, the safe features the “Victor Patent” eagle seal and proudly bears recognition from the 1904 World’s Fair Grand Prize. It includes a three-tumbler combination lock, interior lockbox, and classic craftsmanship representative of its era. The safe has a painted steel exterior and a concrete filling for fire resistance.
