For a brief historical sketch of each farm, click on the farm name.
The following map is for a general geographical understanding. It does not provide the specific locations of the farms because of privacy reasons.
Andrew H. Turner
Located east of Crossville, the B. A. T. Angus Farm was
established in 1898 by Isaac Beeson. On 700 acres, Isaac and his wife Alice
Shipp Beeson, raised cattle, hogs, mules, horses, sheep, corn, hay, apples and
potatoes. The couple had four children. In 1922,
Today, Andrew Turner owns the land
founded and worked by his great grandparents. He farms 440 acres of the
original tract of land and an additional 330 acres on which he raises cattle,
corn, hay and timber.
Maggie G. Brady
Thomas Majors established a farm of 600 acres in Grassy Cove in 1854. Here he and his wife Martha Brown worked the land and raised their daughter, Mary Frances Majors. She acquired the farm in 1862. Married to Samuel Houston Brady, the couple had nine children. Their son, Charles Smith Brady, Sr. became the next owner of the farm in 1910. Under his ownership, the farm raised corn, hay, cattle, hogs, sheep and chickens. Charles and his wife Mabel Grace Andrews had four children and their daughter Maggie Grace Brady became the owner of the farm in 2003. Today, Maggie Brady raises cattle, hay and pasture on the land. Two barns that are over 50 years old continue to support the farming operation.
Harold L. Agee
Larry and Helen Warner
Violet Elcess
One of a number of settlers who received land grants, Greenberry Wilson, of Irish descent,
came into the area in 1797, then began farming in 1808. Located 15 miles southeast of Crossville,
Tennessee, the 150 acres produced cattle, sheep, corn, hay, chickens and geese. Greenberry and his wife Temperence had eight
children and their son Charles Bradshaw Wilson (born in 1800), became the second owner of the land in 1830.
Married twice, Charles fathered nine children, three with his first wife,
Martha also called Patsy, and six with this second wife, Lourassey
McKinney. It was to this second
marriage that Charles Bradshaw Wilson, Jr. was born. As the next owner, he raised much the same
livestock and crops as the previous generations. Charles, Jr. also married twice. His first wife was Nancy Swafford with whom
he had three sons. Ellen Robinson was
his second mate and mother of five children, among them Elijah Gore Wilson.
In 1908, his son Elijah Gore Wilson acquired the farm. Along
with his wife, Mattie Matilda Manning, they had seven children. Today, the farm
is owned by Lindell Agee, Larry Warner, Violet Elcess, Helen Warner, Ronnie
Parham, Bobbie Parham and Carolyn Sweeney who are the great great grandchildren
and the great great great grandchildren of the founder. Today, the farm holds
the distinction of having the oldest home in
Photo: This drawing depicts the farmhouse on the Greenberry Wilson Farm.
Hattie Clarissa (Rickie)
Hendrix Turner
In 1801, John Ford and his wife Elizabeth England
founded the Hendrix Farm, located twelve miles south of Crossville. It is
possibly the oldest farm in
The second family owner of Hendrix Farm was Dr. John
Ford, Jr., who married Nancy Loden. All five of their sons served in the
Confederate army under the command of General Nathan B. Forrest. Dr. Ford
practiced medicine but continued to operate the family store at Grassy Cove. In
1863, according to the family, a Union soldier killed Dr. Ford at his home.
The farm passed through the hands of three generations until Hattie Clarissa (Rickie) Hendrix Turner, the founders’ great great great granddaughter, acquired 68 acres of the original farm in 1983. Today, Rickie Turner manages the farm’s daily operations while her three boys work the property, which now totals 838 acres. The Turners specialize in beef cattle production.
Homer Taylor
The Homer Taylor Farm was established in 1899 by David C. Taylor.
During his ownership, the farm produced corn, potatoes, apples, hay, cattle,
sheep, hogs and mules.
The next owner of the land was his
son, Spencer Zachary Taylor, who acquired the farm in 1947. Married to Siddie
Taylor, the couple had nine children
Homer, Dorothy, Raymond, Kenneth, Roscoe,
In 1955, the grandson of the
founder, Homer Taylor obtained the farm. Homer served in the U. S. Army and was
stationed in 
Homer continues to work the land and lives on the farm with his
wife Doris. Currently, the farm produces corn, potatoes, apples, cattle, hogs,
hay, beans, pepper, watermelons and tomatoes.
According to the family, the watermelons produced on the farm have won
blue ribbons at the county fair for the last three years.
Photo (Top Left); David C. Taylor, founder of the Homer Taylor Farm.
Photo (Bottom Right): Homer Taylor with his blue ribbon winning watermelon.
James S. Kemmer
In 1906, John C. Kemmer established the James S. Kemmer Farm
in Grassy Cove. On 28 acres, John and
his wife, Salissa Kemmer, raised corn, hay and beef cattle. During the 1930s,
the Kemmers acquired their first tractor for the farm. The family had
previously used six teams of mules to do the farm chores, so the tractor
changed life on the farm considerably.
John and Salissa had five children and their son, James A. Kemmer,
became the next owner of the land. He and his wife, Nannie Jane had nine
children. Under his ownership, the farm raised the same livestock and crops as
the previous owner, with the addition of sheep and hogs. According to the
family, the “hog killing day” occurred on Thanksgiving Day because that was a
day when the children could help. On this day, ten hogs or more would be
dressed and hanged to cool. The ham and sides of the hog would be cured for
many good meals during the winter and summer until the next hog killing.
George E. Kemmer, became the third owner of the farm, and James S.
Kemmer, the great grandson of the founding couple, continues the agricultural
tradition. James and his wife, Valerie
H. Kemmer, raise cattle, corn, hay and sheep on the farm.
Photo: A herd of sheep graze in the pasture of the James S. Kemmer Farm.
In 1937, the Grassy Cove community had a
homecoming for former students and teachers of the
Photo: A family reunion
at the Community Center in the Grassy Cove community.
John C. Kemmer, IV
Located in Grassy Cove is the John C. Kemmer Farm, established in
1879 by Andrew R. Kemmer. From Tales of the Civil War Era, compiled by
Mrs. Stella Mowbray Harvey (1963), comes
a story about Andrew Kemmer, a veteran of the Civil War, who helped to make
gunpowder for the Confederacy in a small cave in the community. During the
Civil War, many farms in the area were looted by soldiers looking for supplies
and food. Andrew devised and built a
false wall on one side of his living room to create a vault where he could
conceal and store corn to feed his family and livestock until the next crop was
harvested. However, a neighbor named John Cox came begging for some food and
when Kemmer opened a slit in the false wall, Cox saw where Kemmer hid his corn.
The next day, about a dozen Union soldiers appeared at the Kemmer home,tore out
the false wall, and took the corn.
Kemmer believed that Cox was the informant.
Andrew
and his wife,
Today, the great great grandson of the founder, John C. Kemmer, IV owns the land. He and his wife Sue and daughter Katie live on the farm and raise cattle and sheep.
Hattie Clarissa (Rickie)
Hendrix Turner
The family of Rickie Turner owns and operates a
second Century Farm in the old Grassy Cove community. Little Cove Farm dates to
1866 when William and Catherine Brown Bristow acquired 528 acres of land.
William was a tanner and during the Civil War he made shoes for Confederate
soldiers. Catherine and the ten children also helped William manage a
successful farm, producing livestock, corn, wheat and oats.
William and Catherine’s youngest son, Mark Bristow, was
the second family owner of Little Cove Farm. He and his wife Mary Ford had
eight children and the family produced the same types of agricultural
foodstuffs as the founders. Vera Bristow Hendrix, the granddaughter of the
founders, and her husband Delmer Hendrix were the third generation owners of
the farm. Both Vera and Delmer taught school for 37 years.
In 1983, Rickie Turner, the great granddaughter of the founders, inherited the entire original farm of 528 acre. Rickie and her sons, Richard, Andrew and Anthony, manage both the Hendrix and Little Cove farms as one agricultural unit.
Orme Farm
Charlie T. Orme
The Orme Farm dates to just after the Civil War when J. M. Miller
acquired 176 acres southeast of Crossville in 1866. The farm produced cattle, sheep, hay and corn. J.
M. and his wife Mary J. Miller had five children. Their son-in-law T.A. Orme, who married their
daughter Eva Lista, acquired the farm in 1914.
The couple raised six children. In
1943, their son, Fred Hobert Orme,
became the third generation to own the farm. Under his ownership, the
farm supported cattle, hogs, sheep, hay and corn. Fred and his wife Bessie Burgess Orme also had six children and their son, Charlie Orme acquired the property in
1971. Today, Charlie Orme, the great
grandson of the founders, raises cattle and hay.
Photo:
A tractor plowing a field on the Orme Farm.
Mary E. Kemmer Hamby
The R. E. Kemmer Farm
history dates from the time when Andrew R. and Elizabeth Kemmer established a farm of 1137 acres in 1860 (see
also Tommy and Rebecca Kemmer Farm).
In 1906, their son, Robert E. Kemmer, Sr. acquired the farm on which he
raised cattle, hogs, sheep, hay, corn, cherries, apples and vegetables. During
the 1940s, a number of German and Italian Prisoners of Wars from the local
Prisoner’s of War camp near Crossville were employed to chop corn at the Kemmer
Farm. According to the family, one of the German men remarked to R. E. that the
corn was the “best [he] had seen since he left home.”
In 1955, Robert E. Kemmer, Jr.
became the third generation to own the land. He and his wife, Carrie Barnes
Kemmer, had two children, Walter and Mary E. Kemmer. In 1985, Mary became the
owner of the farm. Along with her husband, James V. Hamby, the farm supports
hay, grapes and vegetables. In addition, they rent some of the pasture land to
family members for raising cattle.
Tommy and Rebecca Kemmer
In 1860, Andrew R. Kemmer founded the Tommy & Rebecca Kemmer Farm. The history of the farm is similar to the John C. Kemmer Farm until 1906 when Andrew’s son, Robert E. Kemmer, Sr. acquired the farm. Under his ownership, the farm raised cattle, hogs, hay and corn. Robert and his wife Eva Parham had nine children and their son, Robert E. Kemmer, Jr. became the third generation to own the farm in 1955. Robert, Jr. and his wife Carrie Barnes had two children and they supported the same livestock and crops as the previous owner. In May of 1985, the great great grandson of the founder, Tommy L. Kemmer and his wife Rebecca Gibson became the owners of the farm. Today, Robert Jr., Tommy, his wife and their two children manage the farm.
Robert Lavern Wheeler
In October of 1869, Charles J. Wheeler, Sr. and his
wife Pamelia established a 1,639 acre farm in the center of the Crab Orchard
community. Running through the original tract was the Cumberland Turnpike, an
important early East/West route for travelers. Nearby the farm was a lodging
facility known as the “old Brick Inn” where weary travelers could stay
overnight.
Charles
and Pamelia had six children and raised cattle, grain and timber on the land.
Their son, Charles J. Wheeler, II and his wife Lida, were the next owners of
the farm. They had eight children and raised cattle, hay, grain and swine. In
addition to managing the farm, C. J. Wheeler, II owned and operated a store
called C. J. Wheeler General Merchandise in the community.
According to the family, during the Great Depression,
much of the land was lost and the acreage shrunk to 165 acres. In 1938, Robert
L. Wheeler, the grandson of the founder, acquired the farm. Over the next
twenty years, Robert acquired an additional 170 acre tract making a total of
335 acres. He and his son continue the farming traditions by raising cattle,
hay and vegetables.