Franklin County

            Franklin County was established in 1807 and named in honor of Benjamin Franklin. The county seat is Winchester and was named after General James Winchester. The railroad has played a significant role in the county’s history by serving as a transportation route between Nashville and Chattanooga. The county is also home to the University of the South at Sewanee and Tims Ford State Park, where many residents do recreational activities. Franklin County has twelve Century Farms and the oldest is the Williams Cove Mountain View Farm that was established in 1813. For more information on Franklin County, please go to the Tennessee Encyclopedia of History & Culture website.

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

Atkinson Farm

Richard S. Atkinson

As Tennessee recovered from the Civil War, William Utey Sherrill bought 200 acres southwest of Winchester in 1868.  Williams, who cultivated wheat and corn on his property, never married, and in the 1870s, the land passed to his sister Alanson Isabella Virginia Sherrill Atkinson.  Married to Mahlon Currier Atkinson, the couple had three children. During their ownership, they continued to produce grains and added row crops.

            Over the years, the land passed through several generations of Atkinsons. The farm is now owned by the great grand nephew of the founder, Richard S. Atkinson. Currently Richard, his wife, their two children and Richard’s mother, Elizabeth R. Atkinson live on the farm.  The family continues to raise the traditional grains of corn, wheat as well as soybeans.  The two-story house constructed in 1900 continues to be the center of the family farm.

Photo: The Atkinson Farm house was built in 1900.

Breezy Knoll Farm

Jeffrey M. Gamble

Sharon Gamble Warmbrod

The Warmbrod family of Franklin County traces its roots to Switzerland.  John Warmbrod II immigrated to America  in 1852, first settling in Ohio.  He and his wife, Anna Kurt, moved to the Belvidere community in 1892 and two Century Farms originate from this tract.   The Warmbrods had four sons, Charlie, Henry, John II, and Alfred.  Henry and Alfred acquired a portion of this farm that continues in their line under the East View Century Farm that was certified in 1975. 

            John Warmbrod II also acquired a part of his father’s property.  Married Ida Ruch, the couple had four children --Roy, Frank, John and Grace.  They raised corn, sheep, hogs and horses primarily.

 In 1950, Frank became the third generation to own the farm. Wed to Marie Knapper, they were the parents of Eleanor, Bettye and Donald. Frank raised registered polled shorthorn cattle and first named the farm Breezy Knoll.  Frank died at the age of 91 in 1990.  In 1997, Sharon Warmbrod Gamble, the great, great granddaughter of the founders, and her husband Jeffrey M. Gamble acquired the farm from her “Aunt Marie” and her children.  Today, the Gambles continue to manage and work the land.  Currently, they raise hay, cattle and are avid breeders of bird dogs such as Brittany Spaniels, Setters, and Pointers.  Breezy Knoll Farm was selected to host the 2007 Dixie Regional Championship Birddog Festival Trial.

Crownover Farm

 Ethel G. Crownovover

Founded in 1880 by John H. Clark and his wife, Jane Crownover Clark, the original parcel consisted of 59 acres. On the farm, they cultivated corn, pasture and hay. In addition, they raised cattle and hay. The couple had four children and their daughter Hessie Clark Gilliam acquired the farm in 1928. Under her ownership, she raised the same livestock and crops as the previous owner. When Hessie died in 1937, her husband Allen Gilliam and her children inherited the farm. The present owner, Ethel Gilliam Crownover, the founder’s granddaughter, acquired the property from her father, Allen Gilliam, in 1945, and lives in the house her grandfather built in the late 1800s.  Denney Swann farms the land that now includes an additional 52 acres.  Like the farm founder, he raises corn, wheat, hay, cattle, and hogs.

Photo: This farm house on the Crownover Farm dates to the late 1800s.

Crownover Cove Farm

Wilma Dale Crownover Williams

            A concise record of farm development and prosperity is contained in the history of the Crownover Cove Farm, which is located seven miles southeast of Dechard. William Crownover and his wife Hannah Barry established the farm in 1837. The founders faced the same challenges previously encountered by so many Middle Tennessee families. Probably assisted by slave labor, the first “cleared rocks and trees” and then the family “hand dug water wells and built fences from rails hewed by hand tools.” The Crownovers also hand hewed logs for both the barn and farmhouse. To increase their crop yields, they “dug a huge lime pit, so to burn limestone for sweetening croplands” and they “built a rock wall along the creek to stop erosion.”

            The Crownovers and their eight children lived on 1,000 acres of land which yielded feed grains, cattle, swine and timber. Acquiring the farm in 1889, William Crownover, Jr., continued farming “in the same way his father did.” Married to Laura Montgomery, he fathered eight children, several of whom played important roles in the county’s education system.

            When William Crownover, III, inherited the property in 1946, it had grown to 1,400 acres. William and his wife Pearl Collins modernized the place, introducing electricity and the first motor-driven farm machinery. In two transactions between 1962 and 1967, Wilma Dale Crownover Williams, the founders’ great granddaughter, obtained the entire farm of 1, 425 acres. Her brother, William Crownover, IV, and Mr. and Mrs. Clifford Williams work the land, producing cattle, soybeans, feed grain and timber.

East View Farm

Fred V. Warmbrod

          Upon acquiring 168 acres in 1875, John and Anna Kurt Warmbrod established the Eastview Farm one mile north of Belvidere. Warmbrod, a native of Switzerland who moved to Franklin County for his wife’s health, produced wheat, corn and beef cattle.

            In 1900, the founders’ sons, Henry and Alfred Warmbrod, obtained the farm. Eleven years later, Henry acquired full ownership of the property. In 1950, Henry and his wife Lena Warmbrod left the farm to their son George, one of eight children. Fred V. Warmbrod, the founders’ great grandson, received title to the farm’s 168 acres in 1967. In the nineteen years, Fred has added soybeans and swine to the farm’s products. He has also purchased 64 additional acres of land.

Ikard’s Dogwood Acres

 Lorraine Ikard Baskin

            Elijah Harrison Ikard and his wife Marticia Duncan founded this farm in 1858. On their farm they supported hogs, cattle, and grain. During the Civil War, Elijah served as a captain and he died at Corinth, Mississippi following the Battle of Shiloh. Elijah and Marticia’s marriage produced seven children and their son, W. G. Ikard, was the next owner of the farm. He produced cotton, corn, hogs, wheat, Irish potatoes, and supported cattle. Lorraine Ikard Baskin, the current owner and great granddaughter of the founders, acquired the family land in 1961.  The farm produces beans, wheat, corn, hay, and cattle.  The original house of W.G. Ikard is still standing and is currently occupied by her son and his family. 

Mountain Cove Farm

Glenn Thomas Wilkerson

Paul Edward Wilkerson

Mark Alan Wilkerson

Located four miles South of Winchester is the Mountain Cove Farm that was founded by T. A. Roberson in 1902. This farm, advises the family, is a portion of a tract of about 1000 acres that was earlier homesteaded by David Roberson.  T. A. and his wife Maggie had one child, Mable Roberson.  On 116 acres, the family produced corn, hay, wheat, oats, cattle, horses and hay.

            The next owner of the property was the grandson of the founder, John Thomas Wilkerson. Married to Alma Wilkerson, they were the parents of two children, Glenn Thomas and Kenneth James.  John and his family cultivated corn, wheat, hay and soybeans and raised cattle, horses, mules and hogs. In the 1940s, the farm experienced many improvements and acreage was added to the operation.  Electricity came to the area in 1944 and a county road was built in 1948.

            In 2004, Glenn Thomas Wilkerson, the great grandson of the founders, acquired the property. Today, Glenn and his sons, Paul and Mark, produce cattle, hay, corn, wheat and soybeans. A granary that was constructed in 1910 and a tenant house dating from 1906 are used for storage.

Photo: The granary on the Mountain Cove Farm was constucted in 1910.

Natural Springs Farm

Mr. and Mrs. A. L. Hayes

            Established in 1861 by James M. Morris of Kentucky, Natural Springs Farm is eighteen miles east of Winchester. The father of eight children, Morris was a typical Middle Tennessee farmer who sold beef cattle and timber. He began farming with 88 acres, but expanded his property to 144 acres.

            In 1878, G. W. Morris, a veteran of the Civil War, acquired 127.5 acres from his parents. He continued to sell beef cattle and timber products and, together with his brothers Lewis and Asberry, built the Morris School.

            In 1910, the farm passed to J. M Morris, the founder’s grandson. The daily patterns of farm operations remained the same during his ownership and in 1918, the property came into the possession of his daughter Edith Morris Hayes and her husband A. L. Hayes. They have farmed the family’s 127.5 acres for the last 68 years and currently raise hay and cattle.

P. H. Glaus Farm

Paul Henry Glaus
Mr. and Mrs. Edwin F. Glaus

            The immigrants who streamed into the United States in the nineteenth century have been recognized for their many achievements and contributions to American history. They also made their mark on the Tennessee farming landscape. Michael Glaus, a native of Switzerland, founded the Glaus family farm in 1869. Glaus acquired 90 acres of land and later purchased 150 additional acres two miles northeast of Belvidere. As a farmer, he raised cattle, swine and mules and grew wheat, hay and corn. Glaus also worked as a rock mason throughout the county and helped establish the German Reformed Church of Belvidere.

            Glaus’ spouse was Anna Schurch and they were the parents of nine children. In 1908, their son W. Henry Glaus acquired the farm and soon expanded it to 565 acres. A member of the county Farm Bureau, Henry was a model progressive farmer who generated many types of farm products including corn, small grains, alfalfa, crimson clover, buckwheat and sheep. He married Annie Bauer and fathered three children.

            In 1946, Paul H. Glaus inherited the farm from his parents and today he shares the land with his sons Edwin and Paul Henry. The Glaus family operates 680 acres and continues to raise diversified crops.

Photo: This harvest scene in Franlin County illustrates the importance of power-driven machinery to farmers.

Scharber Farm

Nadine Scharber
David Scharber

            Upon arrival in the United States, many immigrants of the nineteenth century immediately sought work. No task was too demeaning and the immigrants agreed to work in low-paying factory jobs. With the pittance they earned each week, some hoped to build a better life. The Scharber family, whose farm lies two and a half miles south of Winchester, represents the immigrant struggle in Tennessee. Martin and Margaret Dean Scharber established the farm in 1866. They initially immigrated to Tennessee to work in a factory, but the economic distress of the Civil War period forced the factory to close and the family decided to purchase a farm. The Scharbers and their eight children owned 223 acres and raised corn and livestock. Family tradition also credits Martin with founding the St. Martin Catholic Church.

            Martin Scharber willed 159.5 acres of the farm to his son Joseph Franklin Scharber in 1910. Joe was active in several agricultural organizations in the community, including the local creamery and the county fair association. He and his wife Annie Bell raised five children and everyone on the farm kept busy growing corn, wheat and crimson clover and raising swine, horses and cattle.

            In three separate transactions between 1941 and 1949, Nadine Scharber, the widow of James Floyd Scharber, obtained 110 acres of the farm. Her son David currently works the land, producing corn, wheat, soybeans, alfalfa and beef cattle while operating a grade A dairy business.

Schwartz Farm

George H. Schwartz

            The Schwartz Farm, which dates to 1868, lies in northern Franklin County. Its founder was George M. Schwartz, a German immigrant who initially came to Tennessee “to demonstrate New Steel Moleboard plows for the Avery Plow Company of Canton Ohio.” He liked this Franklin County farmland so much that he quit his job, purchased 95 acres and began farming. George and his wife Rozena, the parents of ten children, managed a profitable farm of grain, fruit, cattle, swine and horses. Their productivity allowed them to expand the property by thirteen acres.

            In 1920, Peter H. Schwartz and his wife Martha Hoyser acquired 96 acres of the family land. At an unspecified later date, they purchased 65 additional acres but then sold this tract to their son Arthur. By planting cotton and potatoes, Peter and his family of six initiated some changes in the farm’s operations. George Schwartz inherited his first seventeen acre tract of family land in 1968; four years later he acquired 74 additional acres of the old farm. The founder’s grandson, George currently grows hay, soybeans and grain.

Williams Cove Mountain View Farm

John C. Young
Crawford Clint Young
Emily C. Young

            The founders of the Williams Cove Mountain View Farm were Sherrod and Polly Looney Williams, who in 1813 purchased 460 acres of land seven miles southeast of Winchester. Sherrod moved his family of nine (he eventually fathered 18 children) and three slaves to Franklin County to establish a new homestead. A veteran of the War of 1812, Sherrod raised cattle, swine, horses, corn, grain and sugar cane.

            In 1850, Josiah C. Williams acquired 910 acres from his parents. He did not change the crops or livestock produced on the farm. He too was the father of a large family; he and his wife Cynthia Vaughan raised twelve children.

            Josiah C. Williams, Jr. and his wife Annie Seargeant took possession of 150 acres of family land in 1906. Their daughter Mabel Williams Young inherited 243 acres in 1944 and managed it for the next 34 years. During her ownership, the property produced wheat, hay, soybeans and cattle. In 1978, her son, John C. Young, acquired 125 acres of the farm. Today John and his two children Crawford Clint Young and Emily C. Young own the farm.  The 353 acre farm specializes in corn and beef cattle production. Except for a log smokehouse, none of the farm’s early buildings remain intact.