Davidson County

            Davidson County was founded in 1783 and was named in honor of William L. Davidson, a Revolutionary War officer who died at Valley Forge. Its county seat, Nashville, is the oldest permanent white settlement in Middle Tennessee, founded by James Robertson and John Donelson during the winter of 1779-1780. In addition to serving as the county seat, Nashville also is the capital city of Tennessee. Davidson County has many historic sites and attractions such as the Hermitage where Andrew Jackson lived, Radnor Lake State Park, and the Ellington Agricultural Center. In addition, the county is home to many famous educational institutions such as Belmont, Fisk, Lipscomb, Tennessee State, Trevecca and Vanderbilt universities. Davidson County has four Century Farms and the oldest is the Cleveland Hall Farm that was established in 1788. For more information regarding Davidson County, please go to the Tennessee Encyclopedia of History & Culture website.

For a brief historical sketch of each farm, click on the farm name.

Cleveland Hall Farm

County Line Farm

Smith Farm

Stenberg Cattle Farm

The following map is for a general geographical understanding. It does not provide the specific locations of the farms because of privacy reasons.

Cleveland Hall Farm

Leonard Hooper Donelson
Mary Hooper Donelson Stevens
William Stockley Donelson, II 

            One of the oldest Century Farms in Middle Tennessee, Cleveland Hall has made many significant contributions to the early settlement and agricultural history of the region. Captain John Donelson established the farm in 1788 with 640 acres located ten miles northeast of Nashville along the Cumberland River. A veteran of the Revolutionary War, John Donelson was an important early settler in Davidson County. He was a surveyor and owned a store in partnership with Andrew Jackson and John Coffee. He was also an enterprising farmer and raised several types of livestock in addition to growing corn, cotton, wheat and fruit.

            John married Mary Purnell and they raised thirteen children. In 1830, their son Stockly inherited the farm’s 716 acres. Stockly managed a successful plantation, but also helped build several significant Davidson County homes. In the 1830s, he supervised the rebuilding of the Hermitage after that house burned. He also directed the construction of neighboring Tulip Grove and, from 1835 to 1838, built his own family house, Cleveland Hall. In fact, local businessmen so widely appreciated Stockly’s construction skills that they contracted with him to build a portion of the original Nashville to Chattanooga railroad.

            The third generation owner of Cleveland Hall was William Stockly Donelson, one of Stockly and Philia Ann Lawrence Donelson’s six children. In 1895, John Donelson inherited the land, which in turn, he passed to his children, Mary Donelson Stevens, Leonard Hooper Donelson and John Donelson, Jr., in 1952.

            John, Jr., died in 1975 and as of 1976 Mary Donelson Stevens, the great great granddaughter of the founders, managed the farm’s daily operations. The family noted that “different members of the family occupy the land during the year” with the farm “run as a partnership.” In 1976, the farm’s operations specialized in breeding beef cattle and Tennessee Walking Horses and growing soybeans. The farm also retained much of its antebellum agricultural landscape, with Cleveland Hall and a two room log house still in use.

Photo: Bill Donelson and Judith Ann Orman receive a certificate, booklet and letter of congratulations from (Left) Terry Oliver, Deputy Commissioner, Tennessee Department of Agriculture at the Farmland Legacy Conference on October 10, 2008.

County Line Farm

Lloyd Anderson Linton
Frances Elizabeth Linton
Mary Luretta Little

            The County Line Farm is located fifteen miles from Nashville in western Davidson County. In 1869, Silas Linton and his wife Katie Anderson Linton established a farm of 75 acres that produced corn, wheat, oats, hay, cattle and mules. Silas and Katie had seven children and their son Joseph Hooper Linton was the next generation to own the farm. Under Joseph’s ownership, he raised corn, wheat, hay, cattle, sheep, goats, chickens and turkeys. In addition to cultivating crops and raising livestock, Joseph made some improvements to the farm by constructing a new barn in 1918 and a new farm house in 1927.

            Joseph and his wife Ida McPherson Linton had one child named Lloyd Anderson who became the next owner of the farm in 1973. Today, Lloyd, his wife Frances Elizabeth Linton, and his daughter’s family, Mary Luretta Little, Ben Little and their child Britt live on the farm. The farm primarily raises a herd of beef cattle. A barn that is over 120 years old and a log house are still being used today.

Smith Farm

Mary E. Smith

            The Smith Farm in Davidson County is a significant Century Farm in Middle Tennessee’s history because of its association with a family of rural Davidson County merchants who operated country stores in the communities of Pasquo, Una, and Brush Creek for over 170 years and through four generations of Smith sons.

            James Hyphen Smith, the son of a merchant, came to the Middle Tennessee area fifteen miles southwest of Nashville known as Pasquo around 1815 from Virginia. On this land, he built a 1 ½ story, single-pen log house atop a hill and a general store at the hill’s base, facing Richland Turnpike, that eventually became known as Highway 100.  On 108 acres, James and his wife, Lucy raised corn, wheat, tobacco, hay and livestock. The general store, which became known as the Smith Brothers General Store, was operated by James until his son Washington George was old enough to run it.

            The next owner of the business and homeplace was another of James Smith’s sons, Walter Sparel. Walter’s son Charles Benjamin Smith took over operating the store in 1902. Charles had five children and his daughter, Mary E. Smith became the owner of the farm in 1976. Mary and her son Charles R. Mungoran currently manage the farm and raise Angus cattle and donkeys. Today, the farmhouse that was built by the founder in 1815 still stands. Although urban growth from the city of Nashville has occurred nearby and around the farm, it still maintains an isolated rural character and setting. In addition, the Smith Farm still conveys its significance as the homeplace of the industrious Smith family who played central roles in the lives of their neighbors and passersby by supplying groceries, farm implements, clothing and social contact. The rural, self-sufficient way of life for the Smith family and other farmers is depicted through the house, the smokehouse, outhouse, hen house, cellar, carriage shed, barns and family cemetery that all remain intact.

Stenberg Cattle Farm

Frank and Lucille Stenberg