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.
Map courtesy of Carole Swann, Tennessee Department of Agriculture
Anne Norton Smith
The Alvin Smith Farm, which is located six miles west
of Rutherford, is the oldest Century Farm in
Between 1856 and 1866, W. R. Tyson obtained 700 acres
from his parents and became the farm’s second owner. W. R. and his wife Ann
Eliza were the parents of nine children. Together the family produced swine,
corn and timber commodities. In 1897, a portion of the family farm passed into
the hands of Mary Tyson Smith and her husband Louis Smith who, in 1935, willed
the land to their son W. E. Smith.
Acquiring 45 acres between 1943 and 1950, Alvin A. Smith became the next owner of the family farm. He managed the land until his death in 1981. Currently, his widow Anne Norton Smith supervises agricultural operations on the Smith Farm and lives in a farm dwelling constructed between 1880 and 1890. Anne’s son-in-law Frank Allen works the farm’s 230 acres, growing corn, milo and soybeans.
William T. Bledsoe, Jr.
Edna Bledsoe Smith
Mr. and Mrs. John
Franklin Smith
The history of the Bledsoe-Smith Farm documents the
impact of the Civil War on the normal patterns and activities of
Between 1872 and 1876, Robert Benjamin Bledsoe acquired
43 acres of the family landholdings. He and his wife Mattie A. King had five
children. The family grew corn, wheat, cotton and tomatoes and raised livestock
on their small farm.
In the twentieth century, the farm’s history reflects the
increasing importance of
In 1947, William deeded the farm to his children. William T. Bledsoe, Jr., bought the shares of two heirs and jointly managed the farm with his sister Edna Bledsoe Smith. In 1970, John Franklin Smith obtained 55 acres and joined his mother and uncle as farm owners. Six years later, William Bledsoe and the Smiths raised soybeans, swine, cattle, corn and cotton. At that time, the farm’s 1859 dwelling also stood on the property.
James E. Richards
In 1886, Stephen Carroll founded a fifty-eight acre farm near the
town of
Mallie Carroll and her husband J. W. Richards purchased the farm in 1942. In their turn, they owned and farmed the land for 55 years. Their son, James E. Richards and his wife Doris acquired the family acreage in 1997. Currently, James and his wife Doris manage the operation though much of the land is worked by Johnny Phillips. The farm produces corn, beans and wheat. A four-room farmhouse that was built in the 1800s still stands and water can still be drawn from a well that was dug in the 1940s.
Photo: This four-room farm house on the Carroll-Richards Farm was built in the 1800s.
Kitty Barnett Pulliam
Jane Moore Dickson was among the handful of
antebellum women to establish a Tennessee Century Farm. Her property, which
stands four and a half miles south of
The farm next passed through the hands of Luke C. Cooper and Sue E. G. Barnett before Kitty Barnett Pulliam, the great great granddaughter of the founders, received title to the 143 acres. Her land currently produces cotton, milo and cattle raised by James Champion. Of the farm’s original nineteenth century buildings, only the wheathouse remains.
Tom and Nancy Connell
The Crenshaw Christmas Tree Farm was founded in 1861 by John B.
Johnston and his wife Mary Ann Lynch Johnston five miles southwest of
Kate’s and James’s son, John B.
Crenshaw was the third generation to own the farm. John married Mabel Hope
Harris Crenshaw and they raised corn, cotton and beef cattle. John and Mabel
had three boys: James Harris Crenshaw, Thomas Macolm Crenshaw and John
Crenshaw. The sons attended schools in
In the early 1980s, Dr. Tom Crenshaw decided to rent the farm and
plant Christmas trees on the land that was hilly and badly eroded from use. For
many years, he planted as many as ten thousand Virginia Pines a year with the
help of farm workers and his sons, who were home from college in the summers.
Tom has sold several thousand trees a year by having choose and cut activities
on the farm. The families who come to the farm
during the Christmas season to find a tree of their choice, ride a wagon drawn
by a team of horses to the fields and to select handmade wreaths and garland.
Mabel died in 1982, and Tom and his wife Nancy Connell acquired
the farm. In recent years, Tom and
Landon and Ruby Hampton
The Dowland-Hampton Farm, established by Henry and Sarah Mits
Dowland in 1846, is east of
Little else is known about the farm’s history until the twentieth century. The great great great grandson W. E. Dowland worked the farm during the first half of the century, raising cotton, corn and cattle. The six children of W. E. and Myrtie Dowland did not want to farm, so in 1947 W. E. and Myrtie sold the land to their neice Mai Dowland Hampton, who is the great great great great granddaughter of the founders and her husband Odis Hampton. Today, the farm is owned by Odis' and Mai's son, Landon and his wife Ruby Hampton. Their son, Mark and his wife Delana continue the farming tradition.
Upper Photo : Odis and Mai Hampton with a combine many years ago on the farm.
Lower Photo: Mark, Delana and their two boys with the farm's sign.
Sandra Hall
The Dowland-Hall Farm was founded by J. W. Dowland in 1890.
Located in the
The next generation to own the land
was the founder’s daughter, Ida Dowland, who purchased the other interests from
her siblings. During her ownership, Ida’s brothers-in-law, Emerson Shivers and
Martin Benge primarily farmed the land. Some of the crops and livestock that
were raised on the farm included cotton, corn, cabbage, strawberries, peas,
horses and mules. According to the family, the two-story residence was
destroyed by fire. The family story of the fire is that son-in-law Emerson
Shivers, in an attempt to retrieve honey from a hive inside the walls of the
house, constructed a torch to drive away the honeybees. Unfortunately, the
house caught on fire and burned completely. Not long after, a new smaller farm
house was built on the property.
The third owner of the farm was
James Wilson Hall, the grandson of the founder. Married to Jo Young Hall, they
had four children. Their names were Sandra Hall Arnold, James Wilson Hall, Jr.,
Richard Gene Hall and Robert Barker Hall.
The family produced cotton, soybeans, corn and cattle.
Sandra Hall Arnold became the next
owner. She and her husband, John Richard
Arnold, had two children, Melissa JoNell Arnold and John Richard Arnold,
Jr. Over the years, the small farm house
began to deteriorate. In
2004, Sandra
and her brother Robert remodeled the house and tried to retain as much
of the
original construction as possible. Today, Sandra lives in the house.
The farm which over the years has expanded to 150 acres, currently
produces cotton, soybeans and corn and the land is worked by Bob
Holder, a longtime neighbor and family friend.
Photo: Sandra Hall Arnold, the current owner of the Dowland-Hall Farm, picking cotton with her neices and nephew.
Eddie McClellan
Nancy Hudson McClellan
Ruth Kilzer Hudson
Located in the 4th Civil District, Houston Ezell
established a fifty- acre farm in 1892.
Corn, tomatoes and cotton as well as cattle and mules were raised. Married twice,
Lois and Willie Shanklin
Located five miles east of Dyer, the Gibson Boys Farm
initially contained 67 acres, established by James and Betsey Battles Gibson in
1837. The parents of seven children, the Gibsons “were honest, hard-working
people that believed in caring for their own.” In this family, “courage, love,
loyalty and pride were as much a part of the heritage as the land.” Working
together, the family raised wheat, corn, cotton, sorghum, swine and cattle.
The children of the founders inherited the property and
became the farm’s second owners. They produced the same crops and livestock as
their parents had raised. In 1930, the farm passed to Lois Barron Shanklin, the
great granddaughter of James and Betsey Gibson, who now manages 70 acres. Her
spouse Bill Shanklin tills fields of soybeans, corn and wheat.
Gibson Boys Farm retains two of its original buildings: a log barn and a log cabin residence in which the Shanklins lived until 1941.
Ben Primm Hazlewood
Eulalia Jane Hazlewood
Another West Tennessee Century Farm founded
immediately after the Civil War is the Hazlewood Farm that lies just north of
Humboldt. Established by Ben Franklin and Eliza Sharp Hazlewood in 1866, the
farm contained 347 acres. The founders cultivated two typical crops of the
region: corn and cotton. They and their four children managed herds of cattle
and swine as well. In 1871, title to the land was transferred to Eliza
Hazlewood.
The second family owners were the children of the
founders, who acquired the farm from their mother in 1889 and 1890. Working the
land together, the children produced corn, cotton, cattle, swine and
vegetables.
In 1943, Ben Primm Hazlewood acquired his initial 141 acres
of family land from Margaret Hazlewood Duffy. Ten years later, he obtained 96
more acres and in 1978, he inherited 80 additional acres. Today, Ben owns 600
acres and operates a dairy. He, his wife Jane and their daughter Eulalia Jane
Hazlewood also raise livestock. In 1970, Ben and Jane established a trust from
82.6 acres of the farm that has been used “to provide scholarships for advanced
training in agriculture (at the
Wilma W. Holt
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The Holt Farm was established in 1860 by William L. Holt. On just over 105 acres the Holt family
produced corn, cotton, and mules. Within
a year of the farm’s founding, the country would be at war and the landscape of
The second owner of the farm was the
founder’s son, Brennah Holt, who acquired acreage in 1896 and 1910. Married to Anna B. Holt, the couple’s
children were Roy R. and A. Vance. The
family raised corn, cotton, mules, cattle and strawberries. A. Vance Holt acquired the farm in 1919. He and his wife, Mary Lyda, along with their
sons, William E. (Billy) and Bobbie Jean
grew corn and beans and raised cattle.
In 1990, Billy purchased nearly 130
acres and he and his wife, Wilma, continued to grow row crops. When Billy passed away in December of 2007,
Wilma became the owner of the farm. The
land is worked by Tommy Finch who grows corn and beans on the land. Mrs. Holt reports that quail have been hunted
on this farm since the late 1800s.
Photo (top left): A view of the barn and landscape on the Holt Farm.
Photo (top right): The farm house on the Holt Farm.
David and Polly M. Hunt
Located 4 ½ miles east of Dyer and Highway 185, the Hunt Farm was founded in 1901 by E. D. Barron and his wife Annie Barron. The 22 ½ acres yielded cotton, corn and hay, and also supported hogs. The couple had a son, F. M. Barron, and a daughter, Evra Barron Hunt. The grandson of the founders, David Hunt, is the current owner of the land. He and his wife, Polly M. Hunt, live on the farm and raise beef cattle and hay. The Hunts are the parents of two daughters, Lisa Bickerstaff and Tracy Garner.
Annie Laurie Porter
James
The crossroads general store of Southern lore is a
historical reality in the story of the James Farm of
In 1884, Martha Moore inherited 86 acres of the farm.
Martha’s husband, Edward D. Harris, planted fields of cotton and corn. Everyone
in the family, including the thirteen children, helped manage the farm’s swine
and cattle.
Mrs. Annie Porter James, the great granddaughter of
Johnny Sample
The Johnny Sample Farm, located near
Emerson T. King
In September 1909, William James King purchased about 100 acres of
land in Gibson County. He and his wife, Molly Elizabeth Taylor King, had 10
children. The family grew cotton, corn and beans and raised cattle, mules,
chickens and pigs.
In 1922, William deeded the land to his wife though he lived until
1929. Molly died in 1954 at the age of 93. During her ownership, she
established the Taylor family cemetery on the property, where her parents are
buried along with other members of the family. Also in the 1920s, Kings Chapel
School was built on the property. In 1947, the community school, which served
grades one through eight, was closed.
In
1942, William and David Bailey King, along with David’ wife, Ozell, were the
next generation to acquire the land. David and Ozell had 11 children and the
family continued to raise many of the same crops David’s parents had grown on
the farm. In 1953, the land passed to the current owner, Emerson T. King, who
is the grandson of the founder, William James King.
In the 1950s and 1960s, Emerson had a small herd of Jersey cattle
and sold to Pet Milk. He and his daughter, Margaret King Valentine, and
son-in-law, Albert Valentine, live on 57 acres of the original land, with
Emerson owning an addition 30 acres and Albert and Margaret another additional
30 acres.
Today, Emerson and Albert work the land, where they raise beef
cattle and hay. Active in agricultural organizations, the family reported that
Alene King was chairwoman of the Gibson County Women’s Farm Bureau for a number
of years and Emerson King has served as one of the directors of Gibson County
Farm Bureau for several years.
Helen Louvenia Roberts
Lancaster
Organizations that promote the techniques of
progressive farming have been important to many
In 1894, John Francis Roberts acquired 90 acres of his
parents’ land. A traveling salesman and notary public, John also managed
agricultural operations that produced cotton, corn, wheat and livestock. He wed
Phedoria Louvenia George and they raised two children.
The third generation owner of the Lancaster Farm was
Francis Ewell Roberts. He introduced new crops such as soybeans and sweet
potatoes to the farming landscape. An elder in the Davis Chapel Church of
Christ, Roberts also served as a local magistrate. In addition, he worked for
the AAA and ASCS offices in
In 1959, Woodrow Wilson and Helen Roberts Lancaster bought 44 acres of the original Roberts farm. Woodrow served in both the local ASCS office and with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. A modern progressive farmer, Woodrow produced swine, cattle, corn, cotton, wheat, soybeans and hay on 141 acres of land. He died in 1975 and left the farm to his widow Helen Roberts Lancaster. For the last eleven years, she has supervised the farming operations. A 41-year veteran of Home Demonstration club work, Helen manages annual harvests of milo and soybeans.
Harold J. Norman
James Edwin Norman
Robert Norman and his wife Jamima and their four children came
from
John Judson Norman was the second generation
owner. Married to Dora Ann Norman, they
had seven children. John also served as
mayor for the
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Today, Harold J. Norman, James Edwin (Ed) Norman, and Patricia Norman Givens own the property that has been in their family for 160 years. Currently, the farm is cultivated by family friend, Travis Landrum, who raises cotton, corn, soybeans and wheat.
Photo (left): Herbert and Elsie Norman in the 1930s.
Photo (right): Harold and Ed Norman in the 1930s.
Marilin R. Howell
Carl D. Howell
The ancestors of the Browning family moved from
According to the history of the Old Browning Place Farm, Matt
purchased 51 ¼ acres in 1873, where the family raised sheep, cattle, mules and
horses. Matt was especially known for his registered saddle and harness
horses. Browning also had a thriving
business renting mules for cotton planting. These mules were bred from wild
Matt and Susan’s son, Samuel Spencer
Browning, acquired the property after the death of his father in 1912. He and
his wife, Audrey Lee, had one daughter, Martha Katherine Browning Newbill.
Today, Martha’s daughter, Marilin Rose Newbill Howell, the great-granddaughter of the founders, is the farm’s current owner. The property is leased by the family to Philip Crocker, who raises corn, soybeans and timber. The family also reported that a large spring known as Browning Springs has furnished fresh water for travelers, livestock and the people who lived on the farm throughout the years.
Sarah F. Haney
Located five miles west of
John Paris came to
In 1940, Dr. John Paris died. Senator E. D. McKellar wrote to his family
that John Paris, “was one of the most honorable men in our state of
On January 27, 1968, the granddaughter of the founders, Sarah Fisher Haney, became the owner of the farm. She and her husband, Carmon Haney, they continue to manage the farm, producing corn, wheat, soybeans and cotton. A two-story house, built in 1902, has been the home descendents of the founder continuously since that time.
Photo: Sallie Middleton Paris and her four daughters pose in front of their house.
Mrs. Joe F. Penn, Jr.
Carol Penn Romine
Joe F. Penn, III
Alan Penn
Acquiring 100 acres of land, located four miles east
of Kenton, Josiah F. Penn established the Penn Farm in 1870. On a farm that
eventually grew to 135 acres, Josiah worked with black sharecroppers who had
been former slaves of the property. Their labor yielded crops of cotton, corn
and wheat and livestock including swine, cattle, horses and mules. Josiah, who
married three times and fathered ten children, was active in the local
In 1873, James Hardin Penn acquired 196 acres, to which
he later added 254 acres of land. James, his wife Annie Wade and their six
children operated the farm through the late nineteenth and early twentieth
centuries. Crops and commodities produced at the farm during these years
included cotton, corn, wheat, strawberries, blackberries and livestock. The
founder’s grandson, Joe Ferris Penn, acquired 82 acres of the family property
in 1920. Joe and his spouse Lilly Couch expanded their initial landholdings to
361 acres and produced diversified farm crops and livestock. A leading
progressive farmer in
In 1972, Lilly Couch Penn acquired the farm’s 361 acres. In 1976, she supervised the labor of her sons, Joe F. Penn, Jr., and William C. Penn, who produced the farm’s corn, soybeans, swine and cattle. Today, the farm is owned by Mrs. Joe F. Penn, Jr., her two children, Carol Penn Romine and Joe F. Penn, III and their cousin Alan Penn.
Joe and Anne Pope
In
tracing the history of artificial breeding in
Sallie A. Bradley Pope, the wife of William M. Pope,
acquired 46 acres of her parents’ land in 1890. Sallie and William were the
parents of three children. Together the family worked the farm, raising cotton,
corn, cattle, swine and poultry. In 1919, Opie B. Pope obtained title to this
small farm. “One of the founders of the Yorkville Jersey Cattle Show (and) of
the West Tennessee Artificial Breeding Association,” Opie specialized in dairy
cattle production. He also raised swine and poultry and cultivated fields of
cotton and corn. Wed to Juanita Baker, he was the father of two children, Anne
and Joe, who are the current owners of the property.
Anne and Joe Pope inherited the property, which totaled 156 acres, in 1967. Within nine years, they had increased their landholdings to 265 acres and produced cotton, corn, soybeans, hay and beef cattle. Anne and Joe ceased the family’s dairy operation in 1973.
Many of the components of a modern progressive
farm-fruit production, new hay crops, soil conservation and breeded
livestock-can be found in the history of the Raines Farm. Hugh Y. Bone and
Martha Robb Bone purchased 400 acres and established the Raines Century Farm in
1848. Located one mile south of Rutherford, the farm produced typical
In 1897, the farm passed into the hands of Hugh Y. Bone,
Jr. Married twice and the father of eight children, Hugh raised common
Terrence wed Mallidine Halliburton and they had four
children. Their daughter Alice Bone Raines acquired 54 acres of the farm in
1960. Alice and her husband Venice P. Raines owned 79 acres in 1976.
Robert S. Reed
In the 21st district of Gibson County and 1.5
miles south of Dyer,
In 1908, John Lafayette (Fate) Reed, one of the sons of
Samuel and Rachel, acquired the farm. John, his wife Carrie Elmo Smalley Reed
and their three children cultivated wheat, corn, cotton and soybeans. In addition,
they raised hogs and cattle. Like many rural families during the 1930s and
1940s, they experienced a dramatic change in their life as a result of efforts
from the Rural Electrification Administration who brought electricity to rural
areas. By having electricity, the Reeds could purchase some modern amenities
such as electric lamps. During the years of World War II, the Reed’s son John
Smalley Reed participated in the war by serving as an Air Force Pilot.
John Lafayette and Carrie’s son Robert Samuel Reed became the owner of the land in 1978. Today the farm produces cotton, soybeans and corn.
Charles E. Robinson
Patty Holt Robinson
Just south of Dyer is the Robinson Farm that was founded by W. L.
Holt in 1894. Married to Martha Holt, the couple had two children, W. L., Jr.
and J. A. On the 81 acres, the family
raised cotton, strawberries, corn, cattle, grass seed and horses.
In 1905, the founder’s sons, W. L.
Holt, Jr. and J.A. Holt, whose wife was Fannie, became the owners of the
farm. Family history records that in
1926, the house that Fannie and J. A. lived in was moved to the new US 45 W
Highway. The house was moved by mules
and “tied down to trees to keep it from running down the hill.” The house was remodeled after the move and
was home to the family which included W. C. known as Carl, Louise, and
The third generation owners were
Louise Holt Smith Walker and Carl Holt.
Louise had two children, John Holt Smith and Linda Smith. Carl and his wife Sadie (McKinnon) had two
children, Patty Holt Robinson and Betty Holt Redmond. In addition to his
farming duties, Carl taught in the
In 1976, Patty Holt Robinson and her
husband Charles acquired the farm.
Charles and Patty work and manage the farm where they raise corn, wheat,
soybeans, timber and hay. In addition, the couple has a two- acre English
garden on the farm that was inspired by their visit to
Leon Tosh
In 1874,
After his parents’ deaths,
Photo: The farmhouse on the Tosh Century Farm.
James Wilbur Vaughan
Virginia C. Vaughan
Physicians, politicians and agricultural innovators
have tilled the rich land of the Vaughan Farm throughout the decades. In 1841,
Dr. James and Melvina Harris Bone founded the
The founders’ grandson, Frank Bone Vaughan, was the third
generation to work the family farm. Frank, who owned 40 acres, was a leading
progressive farmer in
Frank wed Annabel Phillips Vaughan and they had two boys,
James and Hugh. In 1961, James Wilbur Vaughan obtained the family land.
Twenty-five years later, he and his wife Virginia Clark supervise the
cultivation of 75 acres. Raising soybeans, cotton and alfalfa, Jack Zarecor
works the property for the
Photo: A barnrazing on the Vaughan Farm.
Beverly B. Youree
In 1827, William Wade moved from
In 1919, James Lewis acquired the property. James married Unity
Beulah Simmons and they had two sons, John Perry, Jr. and Frank. The family
grew strawberries, cotton, hay, sorghum, wheat and corn. They also raised
cattle, hogs and chickens. The family recalls that strawberry picking was a
community event and people came from various parts of the community to pick the
berries at two cents per quart.
John Perry Wade Jr. was the next
owner of the farm. He and his wife Bertha Dodson were the parents of Beulah
Rebecca Wade. Primarily, they raised
horses, cattle, hogs, cotton and corn.
In 1990, Beulah inherited the property from her parents. She married Beverly Durwood Buford they named
their daughter Beverly Wade. This
generation continued to produce cattle, hogs, cotton, corn and soybeans.
In 1998, Beverly Wade Buford Youree
obtained the farm. She is actively
involved in the management of the farm which is worked by Joe Don and Lawrence
Harden. Cotton, corn, wheat and soybeans
are raised on the WBY farm that has been a part of the farming landscape of