Slack says the couple ended up in Pikeville back in 1996 because of a desire to visit Graceland in Memphis, an inability to read a map, a Cracker Barrel in Chattanooga and a beautiful cabin on Dayton Mountain.
"They flew to Atlanta, rented a car and ended up at a Cracker Barrel in Chattanooga and found an A-frame cabin in Pikeville in a HomeFinder magazine and decided to check it out ... on their way to Memphis."
They bought the house and never made it to Memphis, staying in the area for a little over two-and-a-half years.
According to Slack, the couple said they liked the anonymity, the beauty, the space and the people.
"He loved going to the Walmart and just wandering around," she said.
Goddard also seemed to like the historical aspects of the area.