For a brief historical skecth of each farm, click on the farm name.
James and Johnnie Lou
Vineyard
Established by Andrew Vineyard in 1818,
Andrew and Sally’s son, Green Berry Vineyard, inherited
151 acres upon his father’s death and he added wheat cultivation and cattle
breeding to the farm’s operations. Green Berry wed Diana Hawkins and they
raised ten children including Preston H. Vineyard who inherited 25 acres of the
farm in 1899.
James Preston Vineyard, the founders’ great great
grandson, gained full control of the farm in 1968. James, his wife Johnnie Lou
and their children have completely restored the family home, which dates to
1814. With 96 acres of land at his disposal, James specializes in the
cultivation of tobacco and corn while breeding a herd of registered Angus
cattle.
Richard Yates
Charles Yates
The twentieth century popularity of dairy farming is evident in the
history of the Big Maple Dairy Farm. Located in the Buffalo Springs Community
eight miles southwest of Rutledge, the farm initially consisted of 195 acres of
wheat and cron fields acquired by George W. Graham in 1868. George and his wife
Elizabeth West were the parents of six children. In 1887, their daughter Laura
Sarah Graham and her husband Luther L. Yates inherited 138.5 acres of the
property. Seventy-two years later, Mr. and Mrs. J. E. Yates inherited 155 acres
on which they specialized in tobacco cultivation and dairy farming.
In 1985, Richard and Charles Yates acquired their great grandparents’ land and they continue the farm as a major dairy and tobacco operation. The brothers also use the original two-story farmhouse, built by the founder George Graham, as one of the family homes.
Alice Creech-Moody
On December 10, 1900, Effie M. Phillips-Rucker established a farm
of 350 acres east of Rutledge on
In 1926, James Oscar Rucker, the founders’ only son, acquired the
farm. Married to Jessie E. McDaniel-Rucker, the couple had two children, Hazel
L. and John Frank Rucker. In 1929, the
house had the first electricity in the community installed in their home. In addition to installing electricity, the
company also encouraged the family to display Christmas lights on two tall
cedar trees in the yard. The family reports that people came from
During the ownership of Hazel L.
Rucker and her husband Benjamin A. Creech, Jr.,
the farm’s major cash crop was burley tobacco. In addition, the farm
supported cattle, hogs and sheep. Over the next two decades, Hazel and Ben made improvements to the
farm.
While the couple managed the farm, they also were active in the
community. Ben was a member of the Tennessee Livestock Association, the local
cattlemen’s association , the Farm Bureau and the local Farmer’s Cooperative.
He also served on the Board of Directors of the TVA & I Fair Association in
In 2003, the great granddaughter of
the founder, Alice Creech-Moody acquired the farm. She is the daughter of Hazel and Benjamin
Creech. A 4-H Club member from 1949 to 1958, her interest was raising and showing beef
calves. Alice, along with her husband, James R. (Rick) Moody, they managed the
farm but lease it to Donny Hixon. The main house, part of which dates to 1866, a
barn, a blacksmith ship, a spring house, a scale house, a cattle barn and a
smoke house that were built in the early twentieth century are some of the
buildings on this farm. This
well-documented farm is one of
Photo:
A view of the landscape on the Bowen/Creech-Moody Farm.
Walter William Harrell, Jr.
Located four miles
southeast of Bean Station,
Walter married Laura Ellen Harrell and they
had two children. Their son, Walter William Harrell, Jr. acquired the land in
1953. Walter and his family continue to live on the farm and they raise cattle,
corn and tobacco.
Photo: Early Corn Crop on the Harrell Farm.
Dale Kidwell
Carolyn Kidwell
On Christmas Eve of the first year of the twentieth century, W. O.
Kidwell became the owner of 56 acres south of Rutledge. He and his wife, Tennie, were the parents of Robert, Grace K. Creech, Letha K.
James and Bessie K. Murray. The family raised primary crops of tobacco, corn,
hay, pasture and cattle.
In 1928, Robert acquired the farm.
He and his wife, Effie (Baer) had six children.
Eugene, Lena Mae, Jesse W., Mary, Charles E., and James Leon and their
parents grew many of the same crops but also raised dairy cattle. Through the years of the Great Depression,
the farm provided food and the family’s only income.
The third generation to own the
property was the grandson of the founders, Eugene Kidwell and his wife
Allene. Their children are Dale, Donna,
and Anna K. Cabbage.
In 1976, the current owner and great grandson of the founders, Dale Kidwell obtained the farm. Today, Dale and his wife Carolyn work the land. Currently, the farm produces hay, pasture and beef cattle.
Photo: A front view of the original farm house on the Kidwell Farm.
Emily Dodson Cantwell
Willis Lyle Dodson
The Massengill Farm,
established in 1796 by Michael Massengill, is the oldest Century Farm in
Robert Massengill and his wife Elizabeth Paul, the second
generation owners, were the parents of four children. Together they managed a
farm of 1,600 acres and raised diverse crops and livestock while operating the
mill and a general store. The mill and
store were operated by the family until 1940 until the death of Will
Massengill, grandfather of the present owner.
Remembered as an important community leader in
The early nineteenth century mill was moved from the
property in the late 1990s to Townsend and rebuilt, but was destroyed by fire
shortly thereafter.
Photo: Emily Dodson Cantwell accepts the Century Farm sign.
Catherine Clark Morgan
Joel Hammer and his wife Polly Cannon established the Morgan Farm in
1798. The farm passed through several generations of the Hammer family until
the early twentieth century when Dora Hammer and her husband Henry Clark
acquired 56 acres. The Tennessee Valley Authority featured Henry Clark’s
farming successes in a promotional movie which, according to the family, “has
been shown in many parts of this nation as well as in many other nations of the
world.”
In 1953, the founders’ great great great granddaughter
Catherine Clark Morgan and her husband
Charles S. Renfro
Mrs. James Garfield
Renfro
Directly affected by post-war railroad construction, the
Renfro Cattle Farm details the impact of modern transportation on the fortunes
of a typical family farmer in
James H. Renfro, the founders’ son, acquired the family
property in 1858. Expanding the number of acres under cultivation, he also
purchased about 100 additional acres. But the Civil War “ravaged the farm” and
James’ wife Nancy Jane Mitchell fled the farm with the children, seeking safety
with neighbors some miles away.
George Washington Renfro, one of James and Nancy’s six
children, inherited 500 acres in 1887. Twelve years later, the Renfro Farm
became one of the most valuable in the community when the Southern Railway
decided to locate a portion of its
In 1938, the founders’ great grandson James Garfield Renfro inherited 102 acres of the farm. James has passed away, but today his widow and their son Charles S. Renfro live on the farm. Charles works the property’s 290 acres, producing hay, tobacco and beef cattle. His mother lives in a two-story log home that dates to the nineteenth century.
Martin F. Roach
Brenda J. Roach
Related to its history, as
the 19th century came to a close, John Spoon purchased 27 acres in
The next generation to own the
property was Sam Spoon, who acquired the land in 1909, two years before his
father’s death. His and wife Amanda had nine children. In 1913, Amanda passed
away and Sam later married Susie Bridgewater. During Sam’s ownership, the farm
produced wheat, oats, corn, sheep and cattle. According to the family’s
records, Sam had a goose that he sold for a pound of meat, and then traded his
meat for an acre of land, and soon began accumulating more land. Sam lived to
be 93 years old and his family remembers that he “loved to sit on his front
porch and watch his cattle.”
In 1927, Claude Spoon and his wife
Ella Hodge purchased some of the property from his father and became the third
generation to own the land. Claude and Ella children were Hazel, Helen and
Claude Jr. Under their ownership, they made many improvements to the farmhouse
such as putting a cinderblock foundation underneath, adding more rooms and
putting in wooden floors, walls and new ceilings. The family did not have
electricity until 1953 and Ella cooked on a wooden stove all her life. They
raised cattle, swine and chickens, and Ella took her eggs to the store to trade
for meal, sugar, coffee and other goods. Claude died in 1957 and the farm passed
to Ella.
Only a few short years later, in 1959, Ella split the farm into
two tracts and gave them to her two daughters, Helen and Hazel. Hazel, married
briefly to Clinton Roach, had one son, Martin.
Hazel and Martin lived with her parents on that farm. Helen, who did not
marry, was very active in the farm’s work and management as well. Helen, who
stripped most of the tobacco by herself, raised potatoes, Irish and sweet,
cornfield peas, and had “lots of chickens and cats,” according to the family’s
records. The sisters loved the farm and enjoyed having friends, neighbors, and
family visit.
In 1991, Helen’s health deteriorated and she passed her part of
the land to her nephew, Martin. The sisters, always close, died within seven
months of one another. When Hazel died in 1998, she bequeathed her acreage to
her son. Today, Martin and wife Brenda
Lawrence Roach own the property, where they have lived on since the 1960s.
Martin and Brenda’s children are Robin, Mark and Jamie.
The owners report that Mark seems to have his great-aunt Helen’s
love of growing vegetables and raising animals, including chickens. Active in
the 4-H when in high school, he and his family live on the farm. Robin and her
husband, Gary Yardley, also live on the farm. Jamie has worked on the farm
since high school. Although employed by Ross Meter Co., he handles most of farm
workload with his father and also lives on the farm.
The Roach family has worked hard and maintained their acreage
while also making many improvements to the farm over the years such as putting
up new barbed-wire fences all around the borders and purchasing a bush hog to
help them keep their fields clean.
Recently, they added two more ponds and a new water-tank system. Also, they run around 40 head of cattle, and
while Martin manages the farm that he has lived on since a child, he also
pastors
Wilbur Jackson Hickle
During
the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the construction of railroad
spur lines which served heretofore isolated farming communities often brought
about a transformation of the rural landscape. Farms whose management
techniques remained those of 50 and 100 years earlier suddenly became more modern
commercial enterprises. A good example of this transportation phenomenon in
In 1907, Carrie Kinsland Hickle and her husband A. C.
Hickle inherited 185 acres of the original farm. The Hickles practiced general
farming and managed a store, which also served as the community post office.
When the Southern Railroad established the
In 1967, Carrie and A. C.’s only child Wilbur Jackson
Hickle inherited the farm. Today, Wilbur farms over 300 acres, specializing in
cattle, hay and tobacco. He still uses Rolling Acres original ten-room
farmhouse, which features a stone foundation.