Campbell County

Campbell County was established in 1806 from land taken from Anderson and Claiborne counties. It was named after Colonel Arthur Campbell, a Revolutionary War soldier. The town of Jacksboro was founded in 1807 and it became the county seat. The most prominent resource that transformed the economics of the county was coal mining and many men in the county found employment in the coal mines, while women worked in the growing textile industry. Campbell County has three Century Farms and the oldest farms are the Sharp-Condry Farm and the Sharp-Hunter Farm that were both established in 1841. For more information on Campbell County, please go to the Tennessee Encyclopedia of History & Culture website.

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

Black Bill Baird Place

Sharp-Condry Farm

Sharp-Hunter Farm

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

Map Courtesy of Carole Swann, Tennessee Department of Agriculture

Black Bill Baird Place

Carl Winston Baird

The Black Bill Bird Place was established east of Stinking Creek in 1873 by William Baird. Baird, a veteran of the Civil War and the western Indian Wars, saved his army pay to buy about 250 acres of land. He and his wife Sally Trammell and their seven children grew corn and raised beef cattle and swine.

            D. W. Baird, William and Sally’s son, inherited the family farm in 1935. He continued to produce the same crops and livestock as his father. D. W. and his wife Laura were the parents of three children and their son Carl Winston Baird acquired 100 acres of the land in 1967. As of 1976, Carl and his family still used part of the original farmhouse as a room in their home. The farm yielded swine, beef and corn.

Sharp-Condry Farm

Jerry Lee Sharp

          The Sharp-Condry Farm is located 2 ½ miles east of LaFollette in Campbell County. In 1841, Laban Sharp and his wife Anna Myers established a 100 acre farm that cultivated corn, wheat, hay, potatoes and livestock such as hogs, chickens, cattles, horses and sheep. Laban and Anna had eight children and their son Henry Sharp became the next owner of the farm. Henry raised the same crops and livestock as the founder Henry was married to Sarah Kincaid and they had two children. Their son, Casper was the third generation to own the farm. Casper, his wife P. Emma Condry and their fourteen children raised the same foodstuffs and animals as the previous owner.

            Casper’s and Emma’s daughter, Sara Sharp became the next owner of the land. Although she never married, she raised her nephew, Jerry Lee Sharp after his parents died. In 1979, the great great grandson of the founder, Jerry Lee Sharp became the owner of the land. Jerry and his daughter’s family own the land today and they primarily raise timber and hay.

Sharp-Hunter Farm

Anna Sharp Hunter

            Like the Sharp-Condry Farm, the Sharp-Hunter Farm was founded by Laban and Anna Myers Sharp in 1841. This farm followed the same history as the Sharp-Condry Farm until 1876, when Laban’s and Anna’s son Silas Sharp acquired the property.

            Silas was married to Anna E. Hutsell and they had six children. On 150 acres, they raised corn, hay, wheat, sheep, cattle, hogs, and chickens. In 1906, Silas’ son, Robert H. Sharp, became the third generation to own the farm. Robert and his wife, Lena Smith Sharp, cultivated the same crops and livestock as the previous owner. In addition to managing the farm, Robert also served as the director of LaFollette’s First National Bank and worked in real estate.

            In 1948, Robert’s daughter, Anna Sharp Hunter, became the fourth generation to own the farm. Today, Anna’s son, Jerry Hunter works the land and raises cattle, hay, sheep, corn and chickens.