Map courtesy of Carole Swann, Tennessee Department of Agriculture
Alvin K. Waterman
David and Letitia Waterman were the founders of the Waterman Farm, which
lies adjacent to the city of
In 1908, Samuel D. and Liddie Waterman acquired title to
the land. These second generation owners specialized in hay and cattle
production. They left the property to their only surviving child, Alvin K.
Waterman. Today,
John Phillip Torbett
Brothers John and Hugh Torbett began their journey from
As the farm passed to each generation, the owners raised grain,
hay, cattle, horses, hogs, chickens, and sheep. Eli Anderson Torbett, operated a sawmill and
began raising flowers and plants, pioneering the greenhouse industry in the
Piney Flats area. Eli’s son, Farrell J.
Torbett, was a charter member of the Piney Flats Ruritan and with his wife,
Anna Jane, started the F.J. Torbett Plant Farm Greenhouses.
John Phillip Torbett, current owner of Cedar View Farm, is the
sixth generation to farm the land his ancestor purchased. Building upon the family’s agrarian
tradition, he participated in farm-related clubs throughout his school and
college years, obtaining a B.S. in Agriculture from the
Photo: Eli Anderson Torbett’s House was built in 1899 and was the birthplace of Farrell J. Torbett.
Everette and Doris
Denton Trivette
The Denton Farm borders the
William Earhart
The Earhart Farm is the second Century Farm in
Robert & Sheila
Earhart
The Elm-Circle Farm takes its name from a historic elm tree where
The farm’s founder was a former merchant in
In 1896, Joseph Preston Earhart inherited 260.5 acres
from his parents. He married Sarah Ann Boy and was the father of four children.
A cattle trader, Joseph also cultivated tobacco on his land. His son Philip was
the farm’s third generation owner and in 1967, he left 125 acres of the
original family land to the current owners, who are the great grandchildren of
the founders. In 1976, Charles and Robert Earhart and their cousin Sidney Pratt
worked the land, breeding registered
C. Rita Groseclose
Ruth G. Land
Grass Dale Farm has played a significant role in the agricultural
history of
Josiah Wythe Groseclose, the founders’ son, acquired 335
acres of the family’s property in 1892. An 1882 graduate of
Josiah wed Lizzie Lee Aldridge and one of their four
children. Murry Clyde Groseclove, operated 103 acres of the farm from 1920 to
1975. Clyde and his brother Joseph operated a creamery that supplied milk to
Upon his death in 1975,
Mary Louise Hall
Elmo and Sue Hall
Elizabeth Hall
In 1882, Alex acquired land from his father Thomas Hall.
On 207 acres, the farm produced tobacco, corn, rye, wheat, barley and cattle.
In addition to producing crops and livestock, some of the land was used for the
community. According to the family, a school known as
The next owner of the
farm was Alex’s and Sarah’s son, Alexander Doak “Doc” Hall. During his
ownership, he operated a grist mill and a saw mill on the farm. In addition to
operating the mills, Doc constructed a house and many outbuildings on the
property. Along with his wife, Vertie Adams Hall, they had ten children.
In 1982, the great granddaughter of the founder, Mary
Louise Hall acquired the farm. Today, Mary’s nephew William Alexander Hall
works the land that mainly is used for dairy cattle and growing sweet potatoes.
Many of the outbuildings such a barn, a crib and a hog pen that were built by
Doc still stand on the property.
Photo:
A corn crib and barn on the Hall Rockhaven Farm.
Linda Rhea Dail
The
operations of Century Farms established early in the nineteenth century often
involved more than agriculture. Many took the community lead in commercial and
industrial development, producing goods that would be distributed in the
immediate region. The Hatterdale Farm, founded by Edward B. and Eleanor Rhea
Anderson in 1825, made several unique contributions to the antebellum economy
of
From 1862 to 1902, William R. Anderson maintained and
operated his parents’ farm. Although he never owned formal title to the land,
he worked it “for what he could make on it.” When William died, the county
chancery court held a public sale “for the purpose of settlement among all the
heirs.” Hugh Ella Spurgeon Anderson, William S. Anderson’s wife and the
founders’ granddaughter, purchased the entire farm, keeping it in family hands.
Hugh Ella and William were leading citizens in early
twentieth century Sullivan County. William was the county’s circuit court clerk
“for a number of years, rendering courteous and efficient service.” Parents of
eight children, the Andersons raised foodstuffs, livestock and fruit on their
land.
In 1950, John E. Dail and Margaret Anderson Dail acquired
246 of the farm. Margaret was the founders’ great granddaughter. John, a
graduate of the
Photo: The
Near the historic Piney Flats community, Charles D. Deakins purchased a farm of 206
acres in 1903. He and his wife, Mary Isabelle Cole, had seven children and the
family raised sheep, dairy cattle, horses, pigs, chickens, corn, wheat and hay,
along with peach, pear, and apple orchards.
The Deakins’ operation also
included a cider business, blacksmith, gunsmith and cobbler’s shop. Roads led
from the farm to the Holston River and to the Piney Flats and Bluff City
communities.
After the death of Charles D.
Deakins in 1918, daughter Virginia Pet Houston and her husband, James William
Houston, acquired most of her parents’ farm. Through buying out her siblings’
shares, the Houstons obtained 160 acres of the original 206. They and their three children, Charles Wayne,
Mary Frances and Frank Helms, raised dairy cattle, horses, mules, bees, wheat,
corn, hay, chickens, pigs, tobacco, fruit orchards and kitchen gardens.
According to the family’s reports, Mary Frances was quite active
in her school athletics program and was on the state championship basketball
team in 1938 at Mary Hughes High School.
Charles was a magistrate of the county court and served on the state
election commission for 20 years, and for a short time was president.
Mary Frances and her husband, Audra Malone, became the third
generation to continue family ownership of the farm. They acquired 143 acres of
the farm in 1983 and raised dairy cows, Black Angus cattle, corn, wheat, hay,
tobacco, orchards, pigs and kitchen gardens. The Malones, as well as the
Houstons before them, were members of the Farm Bureau and were involved in the
Home Demonstration Club and 4-H Club either as leaders or members.
In 2008, the current owners, John N.
and Patsy Starnes, acquired the land that is now called Houston Farm. Patsy is
the great-granddaughter of the founder through her father’s side of the family.
At age 93 her mother, Frieda Houston, is the widow of Charles Wayne Houston,
the grandson of the founder.
A brick home, built in 1903, and other buildings, including a tool shed, smokehouse, granary, corncrib and barn remain on the property. Patsy Starnes said she remembers many stories from her grandmother, Virginia Pet Houston, including the one about her father, Charles D. Deakins, saving his money in several boxes to pay for the two-story brick house.
Photo: Patsy Starnes with hre daughter, Jennifer Scrugham, and her sons Daniel, Andrew, and Matthew Scrugham - the sixth generation of family farmers.
Elsie O’Dell
In 1833, William O’Dell and his brother Thomas O’Dell
established the Kanah’s Place Farm that is located six miles west of
Since
his son passed away, William divided his farm among his grandchildren. As time
moved on, all of the land was acquired by Alice Catherine (Elsie) O’Dell.
In
1925, Alice’s and Nathan’s child, Elkanah M. Morton bought out the other heirs
and became the sole owner of the land. During his ownership, Elkanah made some
improvements by clearing away brush and developing ditches that made swampy
pasture land suitable for farming.
In
1965, Elkanah died and he left his farm to his niece Elsie O’Dell. A few years
later, Elsie moved to the farm and she remodeled the farm house by having
electric heat installed and aluminum siding put up. Today, Elsie still owns the
farm and rents the land to Wayne Smithson who has no relation to the family.
Currently,
Emma Eads Kreger
Located two miles east of
Mary Porter Massengill, the founder’s daughter by Martha
Mauk, inherited 107.5 acres of the farm in 1895. She and her husband L. Joseph
Eads practiced general agriculture. In 1966, the land passed into the hands of
their daughter Mrs. Emma Eads Kreger. As of 1976, Mrs. Kreger and her daughter
Jane Kreger Fain managed the farm’s daily activities.
Sarah Lou Masengill-Bell
More than a year before Thomas Jefferson penned the
Declaration of Independence, Henry Masengill, Sr. and his wife, Mary Cobb,
established a farm in what was then a distant part of the British colony of
By the mid-twentieth
century, John Michael Masengill, the great great grandson of the founders, and
his wife, Annie Lee, were operating a farm of over 700 acres. They raised Polled Herefords, mules, grains,
tobacco, and the white plank fences surrounding the farmstead were “a beauty to
behold!” writes their daughter and current owner Sara Lou Masengill-Bell. Annie
Lee Masengill inherited the property in 1958 after her husband’s death. During her ownership she installed a silo and
feeder system to care for the cow and calf operations. In 1959, the Cobb and
Masengill descendents agreed to sell a portion of the farm, which included a two-story
log house and outbuildings, to the State of
On the Masengill Century Farm, the late eighteenth century brick
residence, known as the Davault-Masengill Home, is listed on the National
Register of Historic Places. Mrs. Masengill-Bell is an active manager on the
family farm, also known as Mary Lou Farms, which is worked by brothers Osler
and J. D. Feathers. Wild turkeys as well as deer are abundant on the farm today
just as they were when the first Masengill and Cobb settlers began farming this
land that would become part of a new nation in 1776 and a new state in 1796.
Photo:
The farmhouse on the Massengill Farm.
Sue Pemberton Vaughan
Patsy Pemberton Clark
Thomas Pemberton Vaughan
Located seven miles southeast of
The next owner of the land was Benjamin’s son, Thomas
Dryden Pemberton, Sr. According to the family, Thomas served in the Civil War.
Thomas also married twice and he fathered five children. His son, Thomas Dryden
Pemberton, Jr. became the third generation to own the farm.
Under Thomas, Jr.’s ownership, the farm produced corn,
wheat, rye, tobacco and hay. In addition, Thomas raised cattle, sheep, hogs and
chickens.
In 1961, Sue and Patsy became the owners of the farm. Today, Sue and Patsy still own the land that now produces tobacco, hay and cattle. A log spring house, a log smoke house and a brick farm house that were constructed in the nineteenth century are still being used today.
Photo: A large oak tree on the Pemberton Farm.James Sidney Patton
The
In 1902, the Boys deeded the farm to their daughter
Martha C. Boy Dettor and her husband Warren Dettor. Operators of a traditional
early twentieth century farm, the Dettors participated in many community
activities; once they helped construct a swinging bridge across the
James Sidney Patton, the founders’ great grandson,
inherited 160 acres of the family land in 1973. Mr. Patton and his mother Mrs.
J. B. Patton, as of 1976, both lived on the property. The Pattons raised corn,
hay and cattle and used two nineteenth century outbuildings-a crib and
granary-for grain storage.
Tony Webb and Pamela Blakely Webb
Freeda Blakley Garland
Elizabeth Blakley
The Hite family, who founded the Shady Lawn Farm, trace their
lineage to ancestors who participated in the American Revolution. According to
family tradition, one of the their relatives, Abraham Hite, was an aide to
General Washington during and Abraham’s journal provides accounts on the siege
of Yorktown and the final British surrender.
In 1880, John Hite and his wife
Polly Trivette Hite founded the Shady Lawn Farm located in the
On 215 acres, a
Their son, Theopolis Nelson Hite,
inherited part of the farm which was divided among the heirs. Married to Hanna Eliza Howard, the couple had
2 children and the family continued to grow a variety of crops and livestock. Their daughter, Venus, acquired the property
and then her sister, Ella Mae and husband, Virgil Blakley, became owners in
1928. Their children, Heston and Freeda
received the deed and Ella Mae continued to live on the farm until her death,
which was not long after the death of her son, Heston.
In 2003, Pamela Blakley Webb,
daughter of Heston and Elizabeth Blakley, acquired part the family farm. Pamela, her husband Tony live on one side of
the road. Freeda Garland owns and lives
on her half of the farm on the other side of the road. Cattle and hay are the primary products of Shady
Lawn Farm, a place rich in farming traditions and family history.
Photo:
Cattle is a primary product for the Shady Lawn Farm.
Don W. and Diane Droke
The Strawberry Ridge Farm is located ten miles North East
of Johnson City and was founded by Jacob Droke, Jr. in 1839. Jacob was a
tobacco farmer and he maintained an orchard where he processed the fruit into
brandy. Married to Catherine Droke, the couple had one child, James Droke, who
became the next owner of the land.
Under his ownership, James continued the same type of
farming as his father. James and his wife Elizabeth had five children. Their
names were John M. Droke, David A. Droke, William C. Droke, Eliza Droke and
Mary Droke. As time moved on, the farm was divided to the five children. During
the Civil War, David, W.C. and John fought for the Confederacy in the
William
C. married Agnes Webb and they had eight children. Although they had many
children, Julia Francis Droke was the only one that had a child. His name was
Deward William. Eventually, the land passed to Deward and he raised tobacco and
dairy cattle on the farm. Along with his wife, Dorothy, the couple had one son,
Jimmie D. Droke. Over the years, Jimmie and D. W. farmed together raising milk
cows and tobacco.
Today,
the farm is owned by the great, great, great, great grandson of the founder,
Donald William Droke. Although Donald now owns the land, his grandfather, D. W.
and his father, Jimmie continue to farm as well. According to the family, the
farm raises Angus cattle, two acres of tobacco and around 1,800 square bales of
hay each year. In 1998, the farm received first place at the Appalachian Fair
for Orchard grass hay and Oats. In addition to these accomplishments, Donald’s
wife, Diane cans many of the farm’s vegetables and she won first prize for her
Dill pickles at the Appalachian Fair. While canning vegetables is one of her
chores on the farm, she also enjoys roses and she takes care of nearly 200 roses
on the land.
Photo:
A view of the barn yard at the Strawberry Ridge Farm.