Map Courtesy of Carole Swann, Tennessee Department of Agriculture
For a brief historical sketch of each farm, click on the farm name.
Kristle and Stark
Mabel Corbin
Hollingsworth
Mary Ann Hollingsworth
Purviance
Dating to 1870, the Acworth Farm is eight miles north of
J. G. fathered ten children by two marriages and his son
J. S. Hollingsworth became the farm’s second generation owner. J. S. and his
wife Glena Holman Hollingsworth expanded the farm to well over 500 acres. They
operated a saw mill and a wheat threshing machine as well.
The land next passed into the hands of James Ewel Hollingsworth, who operated the farm until his death in 1979. He continued to modernize his operations, building new tobacco barns, a livestock barn and a poultry house and constructing a new farmhouse in 1927. Today his widow Mabel Corbin Hollingsworth and his daughter Mary Ann Purviance own a Century Farm of over 600 acres. Mary Ann’s husband, Alfred P. Purviance, and her son James A. Purviance till the soil, harvesting tobacco, soybeans, corn and wheat.
James D. Ayres
Over 100 years ago, Daniel Pinkney and Mary Ayres acquired just
over 80 acres in Cedar Hill. The parents
of three sons, Joseph, Jack and
William, the Ayres family raised tobacco and corn.
The second owner of the land was
Daniel’s brother, James Madison Ayres. He acquired the property in 1910. He and
his wife Mary Elizabeth raised five children -- Bessie Ellen, James Louis,
Willie Stephen, Samuel Lee, and Wallace. During this generation, the farm
produced corn, tobacco and wheat.
In 1931, James Louis Ayres became
the third generation to own the farm. James Louis married Virginia Ewing and
their three children were Clarence Edward, James Daniel, and Betty Ann. Growing up during the Great Depression, James Daniel remembers that
the family was reasonably self-sufficient.
Everyone worked hard to produce corn, tobacco, dairy cattle, hogs and
chickens for the family’s table and to sell.
He also recalls that though their house was small, “we always had room
for family or friends who had no other place to live.” In
1945, the farm received electricity and in the early 1950s, the family’s first
telephone was on an eight party line.
In 1981, James Daniel, married to
Billie Ann, became the fourth generation of the Ayres family to own the
farm. Their son Jeff produces corn,
tobacco, hay and beef cattle on the property that is this year celebrating a
century of family ownership and agricultural production.
In 1867, Robertson Murphey, Jr. obtained title to 288
acres of land and established the Browning Farm one mile northwest of
In 1881, Robertson willed the farm to
On 275 acres purchased for $548 in 1829, Henry and
Catherine Binkley Frey founded the Brown’s Fork Farm, located three and a half
miles west of
John married twice and had two children with his first
wife, Jennet Morris Frey. At his death in 1891, the farm passed to his second
wife Margaret Morris Frey, and his two children. William and Herschel Frey
cultivated the typical crops of the area-tobacco, corn and wheat.
In 1941, title to the family land passed to the two
surviving children of William Frey, Elizabeth Frey Draughton and Jeanette Frey
Dorris, the great great granddaughters of the founders. Jeanette Dorris and her
husband Houston bought
Jamie C. Dudiak
Jeffrey Warren Bowie
Robin Paul and Carol
Bowie
Between 1819 and 1830, Joseph Clinard received several four
In addition to obtaining 99 acres
from his father in 1845, Brown C. Clinard purchased additional acreage and
eventually accumulated around 300 acres of land. His first wife was Nancy Paralee Rawls and
they were the parents of Benjamin Boyd and Nancy Evaline. In 1861, Brown joined the 30th
Tennessee Infantry Regiment of the Confederate States of
In 1865, Brown’s estate was
dispersed to his second wife and widow, Eliza, and to his son and daughter from
his first marriage. Benjamin wed Sallie
Wilkinson in 1879 and they had five children.
Benjamin built a farmhouse, a large livestock barn and a corn crib. Cattle,
horses, mules, swine and chickens were raised by the Clinards and they also grew
corn, wheat, sorghum and tobacco.
In 1919, Benjamin died and his farm
was inherited by his four surviving children, Paul,
Robin and his wife, Thelma, farmed the land until Thelma passed
away in 2001 at the age of 91. Robin and Thelma’s son, Robin Paul Bowie and his
wife Carol, purchased the adjacent farm in 1994. While managing the farm, Robin
also worked with the Soil Conservation Service. On the farm, they raised beef
cattle, wheat, alfalfa and native warm-season grasses. Robin Paul and Carol had two children, Jeffrey
Warren and Jamie Bowie. Over the years,
Jeff and Jamie were very active in 4-H and FFA. They showed a variety of beef cattle, sheep,
and horses at fairs and other agricultural related events. Jeff graduated with
a degree in soil conservation/agriculture and followed his father’s footsteps
by taking a job as a Natural Resources Conservationist in Maury County,
Tennessee. Jamie graduated with a degree in Magazine Journalism from MTSU and created
the Busy Bee Antique Trader, a
monthly antique magazine for the southeast.
In 2005, Jeffrey Warren Bowie and Jamie Bowie Dudiak received a
portion of the original family farm. The original Clinard house and farm
buildings were included in the part of the farm given to Jamie. After trying to restore the old homestead, she
and her husband regretfully decided to tear down the late 1800s farmhouse and
build a new one. Today, the family farm
mainly operates as the B & W Cattle Company which specializes in
Angus/Simmental beef and portions of the farm are set aside for wildlife
conservation. The Clinard, Warren, and
Dudiak families continue the tradition of farming that began with their
ancestors nearly 190 years ago, yet
study, learn, and implement best practices in agriculture as they face
the demands of farming in the twenty-first century.
Mr. and Mrs. James
Emmett Cook
Dating to 1869, Cooks Seldom Rest Farm is fourteen miles
northeast of
George’s wife was Johnnie Tennessee Deweres and they were
the parents of twelve children. In 1938, their daughter Etta Cook Belt and her
husband C. J. Belt acquired 95 acres of the family land. While the Belts and
their six children planted no new varieties of crops, they did introduce a
major change in daily farm operations by digging a well nearby the house.
Before the well, the family had carried water uphill from an adjacent spring.
In 1943, James Emmett Cook acquired the farm from his
sister, Etta Belt. The grandson of the founders, James owned 115 acres in 1976
and his crops were tobacco, corn, wheat, cattle and swine.
Michael J. Ellis
Catherine Byrne Ellis
The Ellis Farm is located seven miles north west of
The second generation to own the land was James Joseph
Byrne. During his ownership, the farm produced the same livestock and crops as
the previous owner. Along with his wife, Ellen Hagerty, the couple had six
children. Their daughter, Catherine Byrne Ellis and her husband Kenneth Ellis
were the next owners of the farm. While managing the farm, they also raised
five children.
In 1984, the great grandson of the founder, Michael J.
Ellis became a co-owner of the land. In 1992, most of the foundation of the
orphanage was removed to the grounds of St. Michael Catholic church, the oldest
Catholic church in
Mr. and Mrs. Gill Henry
Nine miles east of
Gill Henry, the great grandson of the founders, obtained
97 acres of the family land in 1938. As of 1976, he farmed a total of 242
acres.
David Edmond Gunn
In 1904, nine years after remodeling the farm’s 1845 log, dog-trot
house into an L-shaped design, carpenter John Edmond Gunn and his wife Lena
Orndorff Gunn bought Green Hill Farms.
On their 192 acres, the Gunns raised corn, wheat, tobacco, oats, rye,
broom corn and sorghum cane, cattle, horses, mules, cattle, Duroc hogs, sheep,
turkeys, chicken, and ducks. The family
became known for its prize-winning livestock.
John participated in planning roads, served on the School Board, and
assisted in building a school house. The
Gunns also provided room and board for school teachers in the Barren Plains
community.
Two of their four children, Henry David Gunn and Julia Gunn, were
the next land owners. They purchased an
adjoining 448 acres, adding
David Edmond Gunn, grandson of the founder, and his wife, Melanie,
acquired the land in 2001. Four
generations of the Gunn family presently reside on the farm: David’s mother, Ruth King Gunn; his sons,
Jonathan David and Josh A.; and Josh’s wife, Kathy, and their daughter, Morgan
Eve. The Gunns now farm 227 acres in
addition to 189 acres of the original plot, and raise
In addition to the original farmhouse (modernized in 1956), two
other pre-1900 structures remain in use -- the hen house and the granary/buggy
shed. The farm is recognized by the
Robertson County Antiquities Foundation.
Photo: John
Gunn’s wife Lenna and their son Henry David feeding the turkeys.
Gus Henry Elliott, Jr.
Lillian Maxine Elliott
The
Gus Elliott Farm has the distinction of being part of the Wessyngton Plantation
that was begun by Joseph Washington who came to
In
1899, Gus Henry Elliott, Sr. founded the Gus Elliott Farm. Located six miles
south of Adams,
As time moved on, Gus and Lillian became the second generation
owners of the farm. During his ownership, he cultivated wheat, corn, tobacco
and hay and raised cattle. According to the family, the road nearby the farm
was changed from gravel to blacktop during this time.
Today, Gus, his wife Margaret and his sister Lillian
still own the farm and work the land that produces wheat, corn, tobacco, hay
and cattle. A farm house, a smokehouse, a servants’ house, a stable and a crib
that were constructed in the nineteenth century still stand on the property.
Photo: The farmhouse on the Gus Elliott Farm.
Paul and Martha Hobdy
The changing agricultural production of the Hobdy Farm,
which is eleven miles northeast of
At the turn of the century, in 1901, John Robert West
inherited the entire farm. John, a Baptist who was the founder’s grandson, wed
Fannie Fisher and fathered two children. His son R. Orman West served four
terms in the Tennessee State Legislature. In 1925, his daughter Lottie West
Barry inherited a portion of the family land and three years later, she and her
husband John M. Barry bought the remainder of the property from R. Orman West.
The Barrys specialized in tobacco cultivation and produced both air cured and
dark varieties. Together with their eight children, they also grew corn, wheat,
hay and vegetables and raised swine and dairy cattle.
In 1962, Martha Barry Hobdy and her husband Paul Hobdy
inherited the family’s original 90 acres. The family is active in the
James W. Long
One Robertson County Century Farm established in the
Reconstruction period is the James W. Long Farm, founded by John R. and Adeline
Batts Long in 1869. John and Adeline, together with their six children, hoed
rows of tobacco and corn and grew wheat on their 523 acres located four and a
half miles north of
Jeremiah wed Carrie Bell and they were the parents of two
boys. In 1943, the entire farm of 508 acres passed to John R. Long. John made
no changes in the farm’s everyday activities. Married to Sarah Sadler, he
fathered four children.
The founders’ great grandsons, James W. Long and John R.
Long, Jr., jointly inherited the family property in 1948. They introduced the
breeding of quarter horses to the farm business. Twenty-one years later,
however, James W. Long purchased his brother’s share and obtained full control
of the family land. As of 1976, his crops and agricultural products were wheat,
corn, soybeans, hay, beef cattle and quarter horses.
Gilford D.
The 14th District of Robertson County is home
to the Balthrop family farm, established in 1836 by John Christian Balthrop of
In 1930, Jordan C. Balthrop inherited the farm. Jordan,
his wife Della Hudgens and their four children cultivated tobacco, corn and
wheat on their 117 acres. They also managed herds of cattle and swine. Jordan
and his son Jesse worked the farm for five decades. Nannie W. Walker, the granddaughter
of the founders, owned the property and sold the land to her son Guilford D.
Walker.
Kristle and Stark
Annie L. Stark
An important late nineteenth century
Upon John’s death in 1907, the farm passed into the hands
of his son’s widow, Sarah Moulton Stark. The mother of six children, Sarah
managed the property for the next 25 years, raising tobacco, corn, wheat and
livestock. In 1932, at a foreclosure sale, her son William Leonard Stark and
his partner Charles S. McMurry purchased the farm. William Stark and his wife
Charlotte Fyke had three children. Their son, Harry Vaughn Stark, bought the
McMurry portion of the farm in 1942 and over the next fifteen years, he
inherited and purchased the remaining family acreage.
Harry Stark eventually owned over 300 acres of land. In
1976, he and his son-in-law Earl Krisle planted crops of tobacco, corn, wheat
and small grains. They bred registered horned
David B. and Barbara H.
Durham
The La-Z D Farm reflects the impact of the Great
Depression on the extended agricultural businesses of many Tennessee Century
Farmers. The depression was the deathblow for many small agrarian businesses
and the early twentieth century operations of the La-Z D Farm proved to be no
exception. The farm, which is seven miles east of
The grandson of David and Martha Jones, David Jones
Johnson, acquired over 92 acres of the family property in 1915. David and his
brother W. H. Johnson “owned and operated a saw mill and prosperous lumber
business in
David Johnson’s wife was Rosa Pitt, the mother of three children. In 1944, their daughter Bonnie Johnson Durham and her husband Otis Durham inherited the La-Z D. The Durhams managed over 170 acres of the original family farm, raising cattle and producing soybeans, tobacco and corn.
In 2000, Otis and Bonnie's son, David Bruce Durham and his wife Barbara Hays Durham retired on the family farm. David was raised on the farm and still manages it today. In 2007, David's daughter, Sheree Durham Totten and her husband James "Todd" Totten moved to the farm with their two boys, making the La-Z D Farm home to seven generations of Jones family descendents. Today, the La-Z D Farm is also home to approximately 200 head of Black Angus cattle on over 185 acres.William Edward Osborne, Sr.
The Osborne Doss Road Farm was founded in 1867 by G. C. “Conley” Tate.
On 226 acres, he produced corn and tobacco. Married to Priscilla Ellison, the
couple had five children.
The next owner of the property was William Swann who was
the son-in-law of G. C. William married G. C.’s daughter, Bertha and they had
three children. Their names were Earl Swann, Priscilla Swann Glidwell and Mary
Velma Swann Osborne. During his ownership, the farm produced tobacco, corn,
sheep, wheat, dairy cattle, beef cattle and hogs. In addition to raising crops
and livestock, Will made some changes to the farm by tearing down the old “Tate
Home” and building a large bungalow in its place. William also built several
barns, a chicken house with a concrete floor, a corn crib, tenant houses and a
saw mill. After William died, the land was inherited by Earl and Velma because
Priscilla only wanted money and no land.
In 1962, Earl Swann sold his part of the land to
Velma’s son, William Edward Osborne, Sr.. Today, Will Ed Osborne continues to own the
property and raises tobacco, corn, soybeans, polled Herefords, pumpkins, wheat
and burros. In addition to maintaining all the buildings, Will Ed has built a
large building for storing equipment and a stripping room for the tobacco.
Photo: This
barn on the Osborne Doss Road Farm was built in the mid 1800s.
James Harold Padfield, Jr.
The Padfield Farm dates to 1885 and is located two miles
from
The second generation to own the farm was Mattie Maude
Mantlo Holland. Married to Boyd Henry Holland, they had two children, Henry
Franklin and Venita Gladys Holland. Under Mattie’s ownership, she cultivated
dark tobacco, wheat, corn and hay.
The next owners of the land were Henry Franklin “Frank”
Holland and James Harold Padfield, Jr. On 398 acres, they raised dark and
burley tobacco, wheat, corn, lespedeza seed and hay. In addition, Frank Holland
was a breeder of
In 1960, James Harold Padfield, Jr. acquired the land. Today, James and his wife Helen Moore Padfield continue to own the property. Currently, the farm produces dark and burley tobacco, wheat, soybeans, corn and grain sorghum.
Photo:
This farmhouse was built in 1906 on the original 225 1/2 acres. It was
a wood frame structure with a metal shingle rood and designed along the
Gothic lines of the period. It was destroyed by fire in 1970.
Robbye Patterson Holmes
Throughout the generations, the Patterson Farm has
steadily decreased in size from a large antebellum plantation to a modern small
farming operation. Patrick and Polly Patterson founded the farm during the
early nineteenth century, purchasing 1, 239 acres located two miles north of
Cross Plains. Like many early settlers, the Holmes family managed a diversified
farm. Their crops included flax, tobacco, corn and cotton. They also raised
cattle, mules sheep and horses.
The plantation’s second owners were Robert Crabtree and
Elizabeth McMurry Patterson, who acquired 694.5 acres probably upon Polly
Patterson’s death in 1857. The parents of ten children, Robert and Elizabeth
continued to produce many different kinds of crops and livestock on their land.
Robbye Patterson Holmes, the farm’s current owner
obtained 132.6 acres of the original family land in 1971. Robbye is the great
granddaughter of the founders and she supervises an agricultural operation
which yields tobacco, corn, soybeans and wheat. Dennis Bush harvests the farm’s
grain crops and Jim Thomas Groves cultivates its tobacco crop.
Hugh Gill
Acquiring his first
tract of
Hugh Gill and his wife Lillian Lyne owned 340 acres and
raised three children. At his death at the age of 93 in 1985, Hugh left the
farm to his son Hugh Gill, Jr. Today, Hugh and his family produce tobacco,
grain and livestock on their 340 acres of land. A nineteenth century dwelling,
smokehouse, and log tenant house are physical reminders of
Photo: The farm house on the Riverside Farm was built in the 1870s.
Robert and Margaret
Elliott
William and Cheryl
Elliott
Joe and Anne Elliott
The history of the Eliott Century Farm is a reminder that
several large antebellum plantations produced diverse agricultural commodities.
Colonel Benjamin and Suasan Rosson Elliott established the Elliott property,
located in the southwest corner of
The Elliotts raised four children and their son Thomas
inherited 640 acres in 1842. Married to Anne Langford and the father of six
children, Thomas planted crops of tobacco and corn and managed herds of cattle,
horses and swine. The third and fourth generation owners were, respectively,
William Elliott and William Bennett Elliott, who operated the farm through most
of the twentieth century. The Eliott family sold land for the construction of
U.S. Highway 41 A in 1934 and acquired electricity for the farm in 1946.
Robert Elliott, the great great great grandson of the
founders, inherited the family land in 1961. Twenty-five years later, Robert
works the property in partnership with his sons, William and Joe, both of whom
graduated from the
Wayne and Linda Ellis
In 1845, James Berry Baggett and Mary Crawford Baggett of
In 1917, the youngest of the founders’ ten children,
Albert Boyd Baggett, inherited the entire farm. The family remembers Albert as
an extremely hard worker who kept the farm profitable during the hard times of
the Great Depression. Albert and his wife Lula Broadrick had one son, Connie C.
Baggett, who inherited the land in 1941. Connie managed the farm for
approximately 40 years, raising beans, wheat and livestock. His daughter Bonnie Baggett Heard and her
husband Maurice Heard, together with his granddaughter Linda Ellis and her
husband Wayne Ellis, owned the property for some time. Today, Wayne and Linda
Ellis own the farm.
Julia Biggers Smothers
The farm passed to Mary Ann Sprouse Ramer and her husband
Dr. D. W. Ramer in 1899. Their daughter Vertees Ramer Edwards obtained the land
in 1943. She and her spouse Amos L. Edwards managed the farm for the next 31
years. In 1974, Mary Porter Baggett Bigger and her husband Sam T. Bigger
acquired Sprouseland Manor and within two years, they transferred title to the
farm to their daughter Mary Julia Bigger. Julia, the great great granddaughter
of the founders, owns 171 acres devoted to the cultivation of tobacco and corn.
Since the original Century Farm survey in 1976, Julia has married and now lives in
George E. Stainback
The Stainback Century Farm lies in the 17th
District of Robertson County, four miles north of
In 1961, George Stainbeck obtained 147 acres of the farm.
George, the grandson of the founder, managed a herd of cattle in addition to
planting crops of wheat and tobacco. Today, Mrs. Edwin Stainbeck owns and
manages the family farm.
Richard and Anita
Dillard
Established by W. J. Dillard in 1858, the Stately Oaks
Farm is nine miles southwest of
Edgar A. Dillard, the grandson of W. J. Dillard, inherited the farm’s 89.6 acres in 1946. He has worked the land for the last 40 years, raising tobacco, small grains and beef cattle and expanding the farm to over 400 acres of land.
Wesley C. Pepper
David L. Pepper
In 1903, Henry C. Strickland established a farm that is located
three miles west of White House. Along with his wife, Susie Eidson Strickland,
they had one child, Mary Elizabeth Strickland Ford Pepper. On 110 acres, the
farm produced tobacco, corn, fruit and Black Angus cattle. During the late
1920s, Henry built a country store named Strickland Mercantile that sold a wide
variety of goods including groceries, tools, radios, refrigerators and even
automobiles. While managing the farm and store, Henry, his daughter Elizabeth
and son-in-law, Winsor Ford also developed an airstrip on the farm and flew
airplanes. According to the family, they would take community members on
flights on Sunday afternoons for 50 cents.
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In 1996, Wesley sold part of the
property that included the 1914 house built by the founder to his son, David.
Since that time, David and his wife Carolyn have been restoring the house which
is a rare example of molded and rusticated concrete. Hay is the main crop produced on
Photo (Top): The homestead of the Strickland Place in 1915.
Photo (Bottom Left): The Pepper's General Store replica on the Strickland Place farm.
Photo (Bottom Right): The Rock City Barn on the Strickland Place farm.
Ben R. Alford
Located
near
Photo: The
farm house on the Sugartree Farm.
Edward Irvin Tilley
Louise A. Tilley
Edward A. Tilley
Located
north of Sadlersville is the Tilley Farm that was founded by A. F. Tilley, Sr.
in 1894. On 300 acres, he raised grain, tobacco and livestock. Married to
Maggie Hill Tilley, the couple had three children. Their names were
The next owner of the land was A. F. Tilley, Jr. During
his ownership, the farm produced grain, tobacco, hogs and cattle. Along with
his wife, Kathleen, they had two sons, Albert Lee and Edward Irvin Tilley.
In 1970, Edward Irvin Tilley acquired the farm. Today,
Edward, his wife Louise and their son Edward own the land. Currently, the 259
acres is worked by Edward and his son and they raise tobacco, hay and cattle. A
farm house that was constructed by the founder still stands on the property.
Photo:
The farm house on the Tilley Farm.
Charles and Morris
Bidwell
Purchasing 620 acres in 1849, Abner and Mary Justice
Bidwell established the Walnut Hill Farm on land three miles south of Pleasant
View. The parents of seven children, the Bidwells produced tobacco, corn and
livestock. Mary inherited the farm upon Abner’s death in 1908 and supervised
its activities for the next seven years. Her son Paul B. Bidwell, in 1915,
assumed ownership of the 350 acres of family land.
Bernard Bidwell, the grandson of Abner and Mary Bidwell,
received 179 acres of the farm in 1962 and worked it for the next two decades.
Since the original Century Farm survey in 1976, Bernard has passed away and today
his sons, Charles and Morris Bidwell, own the property.
Paul Wolf
With roots in
Emil’s and Lillian’s son Paul became
the owner of the farm in 1968. Along
with his wife Ruby and their son Paul, Jr. and daughter-in-law Stacie, the Wolfs live on the family land and produce corn, wheat, soybeans, hay and beef
cattle.
Photo:
Herman Wolf with the hogs on the Wolf Farm.
Joe and Kay Baker Gaston
The Woodard Hall Farm is the
oldest Century Farm in
Siding for the frame house came from a sawmill on Beaver
Dam Creek operated by Thomas Johnson. Further up the creek, Thomas Woodard
began a distillery that processed corn into whiskey, and peaches and apples
into brandy. After his death in 1836, his son Wiley Woodard, born in 1810, expanded
the distillery operation and increased the size of the farm to approximately
2,000 acres. He married Elizabeth Henry and had six children who lived to
maturity. Wiley was a colonel in the state militia and a representative in the
Tennessee General Assembly. He also sponsored the construction of the
Prior to the Civil War crops were grown and processed
with the help of a few slaves and hired hands, and an Irish distiller. Commodities included corn, wheat, orchard
products, tobacco, cattle, and a large number of hogs that consumed the mash
from the distillery and filled the log smokehouse with country ham and bacon. After
the war the farming operation continued with the help of tenants, some of them
former slaves.
Upon Wiley’s death in 1877, his son George Rogers
Woodard, known as “Larkin,” inherited 408 acres that included the home place.
Another son, Daniel Woodard, built his home on adjoining land and operated the
distillery until 1903. Upon Larkin’s death in 1920, his sister Josephine, who
was the widow of banker-distiller J.S. Brown and the mother of 11 children,
bought the home place tract of 228.5 acres. In 1932, she sold that land to her
son, Edwin Hart Brown, who owned the farm until his daughter Josephine Brown
Cervantes inherited it in 1970. Ed Brown briefly experimented with sheep, and
during Josephine Cervantes’ tenure, soybeans were added to the traditional
crops. Tenant farmer Jack Cook cultivated these crops from 1942, first with
mules and then with tractors until he took his last crop of tobacco of the farm
in 1992. He remained on the farm as caretaker for several years thereafter.
Today, Joe and Kay Baker Gaston, representing the sixth
generation of Woodard descendents, own Woodard Hall Farm. They have expanded it
to 416 acres and live in the farmhouse which dates to the late eighteenth
century. Other historic structures include tobacco barns and a corn crib,
tenant house, guest house, brick kitchen, and log smokehouse. There is also a
walled cemetery where Thomas, Wiley and Daniel Woodard and their families are
buried. In 1992, the Gastons revived the annual family barbeque, last held in
1935, to celebrate Josephine Woodard Brown’s birthday on August 1, 1848.
Text provided by Kay Baker Gaston
Photo (top): A view of the farm house at Woodard Hall.
Photo
(bottom): Kay Baker Gaston and Joe Gaston receive a certificate,
booklet, and letter of congratulations from (Left) Terry Oliver, Deputy
Commissioner, Tennessee Department of Agriculture and Governor Phil
Bredesen at the Farmland Legacy Conference on October 10, 2008.
William Woodard
Located two miles north of
By the turn of the century, the three children of the
founders, Robert, William and Addie Woodard, had inherited the farm. They
worked the land in partnership until 1901 when Addie Woodard conveyed her
tracts to her brothers. While Robert never married, William wed Mattie Pitt and
they raised two children, William and Lucy Woodard.
All of the family land passed into Robert’s hands at his
brother’s death and in 1920, Robert deeded the farm’s remaining 106 acres to
his nephew, William Woodard. For the next six decades, William managed the
property, expanding the farm to over 370 acres and growing crops such as
tobacco, corn, soybeans, wheat and clover. By 1976, he and his sons also raised
a herd of registered
In 1980, the family land passed into the hands of
William’s widow and his sons, William W. and Bob Woodard. The brothers work
about 750 acres, growing dark and burley tobacco, soybeans, corn, hay and
pasture and breeding registered
Sowell Jeff Yates, Jr.
Over 102 years ago, Walton Yates and his wife Lucy Groves Yates
founded a ninety-one acre farm near the Cross Plains community. The couple’s
four children were Alice, Sowell, Inez, and Paul. The family grew tobacco, corn and wheat and
raised hogs and dairy cattle. The farm was also the site of
In 1942, the founder’s son, Sowell
J. Yates, Sr. became the farm’s owner. He and his wife Ruth Neely Yates were
the parents of Sowell Jr. (Jeff), Mary Alice, Ernest and Stephen. Sowell and Ruth and their family raised many
of the same crops and added soybeans.
Fox hunting was a sport enjoyed in Cross Plain from the 1940s through
the 1960s. Sowell Yates raised fox
hounds and was a professional judge of the breed. Also for many years, on the first day of Dove
Season, the Yates Farm hosted its annual Dove Hunt and picnic at the cave.
The current owner of the property is
Sowell (Jeff) Yates, Jr. who acquired the property in 1983. Today, Sowell
manages and works the land that yields tobacco, corn, wheat, soybeans and
cattle. The family reports that a tobacco barn that is used for dark fired
tobacco, a part of a log barn and a hay and livestock barn are some of the
outbuildings. The cave and the large
room that was constructed for gathering remain, but the family reports that
time and storms have worn away some of the wooden structures near the cave.
Ernest Yates Farm
Ernest
W. Yates
The Ernest Yates Farm is a parcel of the original farmstead
founded by Walton and Lucy Yates in 1906 and follows the same line of ownership
until 1983 when Ernest, the son of Sowell and Ruth Yates, and his wife Maria
acquired 34 acres. They are the parents
of four daughters, Candace, Alisha, Maresa and Courtney. The land is worked by Ernest’s brother Sowell
J. Yates, Jr. who cultivates hay and
corn. Their sister Mary Alice lives on a
part of the farm while their brother Stephen owns a separate tract that was
purchased by Walton Yates in 1919.