Joe Miller Sublett was born and reared in Craig County, Virginia. He left his beloved family home in 1935 and joined the U.S. Navy. During his travels, he met and later married a Tennessee belle named Erma Maness—his sweetheart for life—on February 14, 1948. From this union, six children were born.
After retiring from a distinguished career in the Navy, Joe brought his family (Erma and 4 children—the two youngest children were born in Craig County) home to Craig County and began operating a country store, Sinking Creek Store, in 1959. The Sublett home was built by Joe and Erma in 1968. The cottage was added in the early 70′s as a home for their daughter Judy.
Joe initially began planting Christmas trees as a 4-H project. Soon the trees became a lucrative source of income for the Sublett family. In 1988, Joe had open heart surgery and died from complications. Erma continued to run the farm and live in the home until 2008. Upon her death, the Sublett home and surrounding acres were left to Judy Sublett Lane in 2009.
After inheriting the property, Judy began renting the Sublett home place to a family for 2 years. During this time, she considered coming “home” to live. After much thought, consideration, and research, she decided to share her home place with others. Her research revealed that rental property is definitely needed in this area. Judy hopes friends, family, and soon-to-be friends will love the home where she and her family lived and the area she still remembers fondly.
Judy hopes her guests who stay at The Sublett Place will enjoy these great “feel-at-home” rentals whether they spend two nights or a full week, especially those guests who come back year after year.