For a brief historical sketch of each farm, click on the farm name.
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
Anne Norton Smith
The Alvin Smith Farm, which is located six miles west
of Rutherford, is the oldest Century Farm in
Between 1856 and 1866, W. R. Tyson obtained 700 acres
from his parents and became the farm’s second owner. W. R. and his wife Ann
Eliza were the parents of nine children. Together the family produced swine,
corn and timber commodities. In 1897, a portion of the family farm passed into
the hands of Mary Tyson Smith and her husband Louis Smith who, in 1935, willed
the land to their son W. E. Smith.
Acquiring 45 acres between 1943 and 1950, Alvin A. Smith became the next owner of the family farm. He managed the land until his death in 1981. Currently, his widow Anne Norton Smith supervises agricultural operations on the Smith Farm and lives in a farm dwelling constructed between 1880 and 1890. Anne’s son-in-law Frank Allen works the farm’s 230 acres, growing corn, milo and soybeans.
Sarah Hall
In 1894, Jasper J. Baker acquired over 200 acres from his father
Issac Newton Baker. The Baker family has a long history in the county and is
credited, along with the M. M. Warren family, with founding the community of
Warren Town, the forerunner of Tigrett.
Jasper and his wife Jane Pennington Baker had two children, James Drury
Baker and Jasper Newton Baker. The
family grew cotton, corn and wheat and raised Black Angus cattle,
The next owner of the land was James
Drury Baker who obtained the property in 1898. James married Loujean Hassell
Baker and they were the parents of five
children. Their names were Eudora Baker
Young, Georgia Baker Chambers, James Thomas Baker, Issac Hassell Baker and
Allie Maie Baker Pigue. The farm produced cotton, corn, wheat, cattle, hogs,
chickens, mules and horses. Known for
her well-ordered household, Loujean even
raked the chicken yard almost daily. About
1911, the railroad was constructed through the Baker and Warren land and at
this time, the name of the town was changed to Tigrett in honor of Mr. I. B.
Tigrett of
The third generation to own the farm was Eudora Baker Young. Eudora’s husband, Warner Eugene Young, owned
and operated an automobile repair shop/Mobile gasoline station on a small
corner of the property. In addition, he served as the community blacksmith with
his smithy facilities located inside the automobile repair business. The large
blacksmith’s fire pit was the site of numerous community fish fries. Eudora and
Warner had four children. Their names were Jo Young Hall, Elizabeth Young
Farmer, Wana Baker Young and Nancy Coleen Young Claybrook and the farm eventually
passed to these children.
Today, the land is owned by the great, great granddaughter of the
founder, Sandra Hall Arnold. She and her husband, John Richard Arnold have two
children, Melissa JoNell Arnold Nichols and John Richard Arnold, Jr. Currently,
the farm is worked by Thomas Rice, a successful local farmer, who mainly raises
cotton. Recently, Rice began negotiating with Ducks Unlimited regarding a
wetlands project whereby the land could be drained and farmed during the spring
and summer months and restored to wetlands during the autumn and winter
months. Sandra Hall Arnold is also the
owner, along with Melissa Arnold Nichols and John Richard Arnold, Jr. of the
Dowland-Hall Century Farm, a 150 acre farm of which 20 acres is from the
original 1890 farm. She is among a very
fortunate but few Tennesseans who own Century Farms from both their maternal
and paternal families. Mrs. Arnold has
researched family and community history and comments, “I am so blessed and
eternally grateful to my ancestors for their hard work and their wisdom in
‘holding on to the land.’”
William T. Bledsoe, Jr.
Edna Bledsoe Smith
Mr. and Mrs. John
Franklin Smith
The history of the Bledsoe-Smith Farm documents the
impact of the Civil War on the normal patterns and activities of
Between 1872 and 1876, Robert Benjamin Bledsoe acquired
43 acres of the family landholdings. He and his wife Mattie A. King had five
children. The family grew corn, wheat, cotton and tomatoes and raised livestock
on their small farm.
In the twentieth century, the farm’s history reflects the
increasing importance of
In 1947, William deeded the farm to his children. William
T. Bledsoe, Jr., bought the shares of two heirs and jointly managed the farm
with his sister Edna Bledsoe Smith. In
1970, John Franklin Smith obtained 55 acres and joined his mother and uncle as
farm owners. Six years later, William Bledsoe and the Smiths raised soybeans,
swine, cattle, corn and cotton. At that time, the farm’s 1859 dwelling also
stood on the property.
Kitty Barnett Pulliam
Jane Moore Dickson was among the handful of
antebellum women to establish a Tennessee Century Farm. Her property, which
stands four and a half miles south of
The farm next passed through the hands of Luke C. Cooper and Sue E. G. Barnett before Kitty Barnett Pulliam, the great great granddaughter of the founders, received title to the 143 acres. Her land currently produces cotton, milo and cattle raised by James Champion. Of the farm’s original nineteenth century buildings, only the wheathouse remains.
Tom and Nancy Connell
The Crenshaw Christmas Tree Farm was founded in 1861 by John B.
Johnston and his wife Mary Ann Lynch Johnston five miles southwest of
Kate’s and James’s son, John B.
Crenshaw was the third generation to own the farm. John married Mabel Hope
Harris Crenshaw and they raised corn, cotton and beef cattle. John and Mabel
had three boys: James Harris Crenshaw, Thomas Macolm Crenshaw and John
Crenshaw. The sons attended schools in
In the early 1980s, Dr. Tom Crenshaw decided to rent the farm and
plant Christmas trees on the land that was hilly and badly eroded from use. For
many years, he planted as many as ten thousand Virginia Pines a year with the
help of farm workers and his sons, who were home from college in the summers.
Tom has sold several thousand trees a year by having choose and cut activities
on the farm. The families who come to the farm
during the Christmas season to find a tree of their choice, ride a wagon drawn
by a team of horses to the fields and to select handmade wreaths and garland.
Mabel died in 1982, and Tom and his wife Nancy Connell acquired
the farm. In recent years, Tom and
Landon and Ruby Hampton
The Dowland-Hampton Farm, established by Henry and Sarah Mits
Dowland in 1846, is east of
Little else is known about the farm’s history until the twentieth century. The great great great grandson W. E. Dowland worked the farm during the first half of the century, raising cotton, corn and cattle. The six children of W. E. and Myrtie Dowland did not want to farm, so in 1947 W. E. and Myrtie sold the land to their neice Mai Dowland Hampton, who is the great great great great granddaughter of the founders and her husband Odis Hampton. Today, the farm is owned by Odis' and Mai's son, Landon and his wife Ruby Hampton. Their son, Mark and his wife Delana continue the farming tradition.
Upper Photo : Odis and Mai Hampton with a combine many years ago on the farm.
Lower Photo: Mark, Delana and their two boys with the farm's sign.
Sandra Hall
The Dowland-Hall Farm was founded by J. W. Dowland in 1890.
Located in the
The next generation to own the land
was the founder’s daughter, Ida Dowland, who purchased the other interests from
her siblings. During her ownership, Ida’s brothers-in-law, Emerson Shivers and
Martin Benge primarily farmed the land. Some of the crops and livestock that
were raised on the farm included cotton, corn, cabbage, strawberries, peas,
horses and mules. According to the family, the two-story residence was
destroyed by fire. The family story of the fire is that son-in-law Emerson
Shivers, in an attempt to retrieve honey from a hive inside the walls of the
house, constructed a torch to drive away the honeybees. Unfortunately, the
house caught on fire and burned completely. Not long after, a new smaller farm
house was built on the property.
The third owner of the farm was
James Wilson Hall, the grandson of the founder. Married to Jo Young Hall, they
had four children. Their names were Sandra Hall Arnold, James Wilson Hall, Jr.,
Richard Gene Hall and Robert Barker Hall.
The family produced cotton, soybeans, corn and cattle.
Sandra Hall Arnold became the next
owner. She and her husband, John Richard
Arnold, had two children, Melissa JoNell Arnold and John Richard Arnold,
Jr. Over the years, the small farm house
began to deteriorate. In
2004, Sandra
and her brother Robert remodeled the house and tried to retain as much
of the
original construction as possible. Today, Sandra lives in the house.
The farm which over the years has expanded to 150 acres, currently
produces cotton, soybeans and corn and the land is worked by Bob
Holder, a longtime neighbor and family friend.
Photo: Sandra Hall Arnold, the current owner of the Dowland-Hall Farm, picking cotton with her neices and nephew.
Eddie McClellan
Nancy Hudson McClellan
Ruth Kilzer Hudson
Located in the 4th Civil District, Houston Ezell
established a fifty- acre farm in 1892.
Corn, tomatoes and cotton as well as cattle and mules were raised. Married twice,
Lois and Willie Shanklin
Located five miles east of Dyer, the Gibson Boys Farm
initially contained 67 acres, established by James and Betsey Battles Gibson in
1837. The parents of seven children, the Gibsons “were honest, hard-working
people that believed in caring for their own.” In this family, “courage, love,
loyalty and pride were as much a part of the heritage as the land.” Working
together, the family raised wheat, corn, cotton, sorghum, swine and cattle.
The children of the founders inherited the property and
became the farm’s second owners. They produced the same crops and livestock as
their parents had raised. In 1930, the farm passed to Lois Barron Shanklin, the
great granddaughter of James and Betsey Gibson, who now manages 70 acres. Her
spouse Bill Shanklin tills fields of soybeans, corn and wheat.
Gibson Boys Farm retains two of its original buildings: a log barn and a log cabin residence in which the Shanklins lived until 1941.
Ben Primm Hazlewood
Eulalia Jane Hazlewood
Another West Tennessee Century Farm founded
immediately after the Civil War is the Hazlewood Farm that lies just north of
Humboldt. Established by Ben Franklin and Eliza Sharp Hazlewood in 1866, the
farm contained 347 acres. The founders cultivated two typical crops of the
region: corn and cotton. They and their four children managed herds of cattle
and swine as well. In 1871, title to the land was transferred to Eliza
Hazlewood.
The second family owners were the children of the
founders, who acquired the farm from their mother in 1889 and 1890. Working the
land together, the children produced corn, cotton, cattle, swine and
vegetables.
In 1943, Ben Primm Hazlewood acquired his initial 141 acres
of family land from Margaret Hazlewood Duffy. Ten years later, he obtained 96
more acres and in 1978, he inherited 80 additional acres. Today, Ben owns 600
acres and operates a dairy. He, his wife Jane and their daughter Eulalia Jane
Hazlewood also raise livestock. In 1970, Ben and Jane established a trust from
82.6 acres of the farm that has been used “to provide scholarships for advanced
training in agriculture (at the
David and Polly M. Hunt
Located 4 ½ miles east of Dyer and Highway 185, the Hunt Farm was founded in 1901 by E. D. Barron and his wife Annie Barron. The 22 ½ acres yielded cotton, corn and hay, and also supported hogs. The couple had a son, F. M. Barron, and a daughter, Evra Barron Hunt. The grandson of the founders, David Hunt, is the current owner of the land. He and his wife, Polly M. Hunt, live on the farm and raise beef cattle and hay. The Hunts are the parents of two daughters, Lisa Bickerstaff and Tracy Garner.
Annie Laurie Porter
James
The crossroads general store of Southern lore is a
historical reality in the story of the James Farm of
In 1884, Martha Moore inherited 86 acres of the farm.
Martha’s husband, Edward D. Harris, planted fields of cotton and corn. Everyone
in the family, including the thirteen children, helped manage the farm’s swine
and cattle.
Mrs. Annie Porter James, the great granddaughter of
Johnny Sample
The Johnny Sample Farm, located near
Helen Louvenia Roberts
Lancaster
Organizations that promote the techniques of
progressive farming have been important to many
In 1894, John Francis Roberts acquired 90 acres of his
parents’ land. A traveling salesman and notary public, John also managed
agricultural operations that produced cotton, corn, wheat and livestock. He wed
Phedoria Louvenia George and they raised two children.
The third generation owner of the Lancaster Farm was
Francis Ewell Roberts. He introduced new crops such as soybeans and sweet
potatoes to the farming landscape. An elder in the Davis Chapel Church of
Christ, Roberts also served as a local magistrate. In addition, he worked for
the AAA and ASCS offices in
In 1959, Woodrow Wilson and Helen Roberts Lancaster bought 44 acres of the original Roberts farm. Woodrow served in both the local ASCS office and with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. A modern progressive farmer, Woodrow produced swine, cattle, corn, cotton, wheat, soybeans and hay on 141 acres of land. He died in 1975 and left the farm to his widow Helen Roberts Lancaster. For the last eleven years, she has supervised the farming operations. A 41-year veteran of Home Demonstration club work, Helen manages annual harvests of milo and soybeans.
Harold J. Norman
James Edwin Norman
Robert Norman and his wife Jamima and their four children came
from
John Judson Norman was the second generation
owner. Married to Dora Ann Norman, they
had seven children. John also served as
mayor for the
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Today, Harold J. Norman, James Edwin (Ed) Norman, and Patricia Norman Givens own the property that has been in their family for 160 years. Currently, the farm is cultivated by family friend, Travis Landrum, who raises cotton, corn, soybeans and wheat.
Photo (left): Herbert and Elsie Norman in the 1930s.
Photo (right): Harold and Ed Norman in the 1930s.
Mrs. Joe F. Penn, Jr.
Carol Penn Romine
Joe F. Penn, III
Alan Penn
Acquiring 100 acres of land, located four miles east
of Kenton, Josiah F. Penn established the Penn Farm in 1870. On a farm that
eventually grew to 135 acres, Josiah worked with black sharecroppers who had
been former slaves of the property. Their labor yielded crops of cotton, corn
and wheat and livestock including swine, cattle, horses and mules. Josiah, who
married three times and fathered ten children, was active in the local
In 1873, James Hardin Penn acquired 196 acres, to which
he later added 254 acres of land. James, his wife Annie Wade and their six
children operated the farm through the late nineteenth and early twentieth
centuries. Crops and commodities produced at the farm during these years
included cotton, corn, wheat, strawberries, blackberries and livestock. The
founder’s grandson, Joe Ferris Penn, acquired 82 acres of the family property
in 1920. Joe and his spouse Lilly Couch expanded their initial landholdings to
361 acres and produced diversified farm crops and livestock. A leading
progressive farmer in
In 1972, Lilly Couch Penn acquired the farm’s 361 acres. In 1976, she supervised the labor of her sons, Joe F. Penn, Jr., and William C. Penn, who produced the farm’s corn, soybeans, swine and cattle. Today, the farm is owned by Mrs. Joe F. Penn, Jr., her two children, Carol Penn Romine and Joe F. Penn, III and their cousin Alan Penn.
Joe and Anne Pope
In
tracing the history of artificial breeding in
Sallie A. Bradley Pope, the wife of William M. Pope,
acquired 46 acres of her parents’ land in 1890. Sallie and William were the
parents of three children. Together the family worked the farm, raising cotton,
corn, cattle, swine and poultry. In 1919, Opie B. Pope obtained title to this
small farm. “One of the founders of the Yorkville Jersey Cattle Show (and) of
the West Tennessee Artificial Breeding Association,” Opie specialized in dairy
cattle production. He also raised swine and poultry and cultivated fields of
cotton and corn. Wed to Juanita Baker, he was the father of two children, Anne
and Joe, who are the current owners of the property.
Anne and Joe Pope inherited the property, which totaled 156 acres, in 1967. Within nine years, they had increased their landholdings to 265 acres and produced cotton, corn, soybeans, hay and beef cattle. Anne and Joe ceased the family’s dairy operation in 1973.
Many of the components of a modern progressive
farm-fruit production, new hay crops, soil conservation and breeded
livestock-can be found in the history of the Raines Farm. Hugh Y. Bone and
Martha Robb Bone purchased 400 acres and established the Raines Century Farm in
1848. Located one mile south of Rutherford, the farm produced typical
In 1897, the farm passed into the hands of Hugh Y. Bone,
Jr. Married twice and the father of eight children, Hugh raised common
Terrence wed Mallidine Halliburton and they had four
children. Their daughter Alice Bone Raines acquired 54 acres of the farm in
1960. Alice and her husband Venice P. Raines owned 79 acres in 1976.
Robert S. Reed
In the 21st district of Gibson County and 1.5
miles south of Dyer,
In 1908, John Lafayette (Fate) Reed, one of the sons of
Samuel and Rachel, acquired the farm. John, his wife Carrie Elmo Smalley Reed
and their three children cultivated wheat, corn, cotton and soybeans. In addition,
they raised hogs and cattle. Like many rural families during the 1930s and
1940s, they experienced a dramatic change in their life as a result of efforts
from the Rural Electrification Administration who brought electricity to rural
areas. By having electricity, the Reeds could purchase some modern amenities
such as electric lamps. During the years of World War II, the Reed’s son John
Smalley Reed participated in the war by serving as an Air Force Pilot.
John Lafayette and Carrie’s son Robert Samuel Reed became the owner of the land in 1978. Today the farm produces cotton, soybeans and corn.
Leon Tosh
In 1874,
After his parents’ deaths,
Photo: The farmhouse on the Tosh Century Farm.
James Wilbur Vaughan
Virginia C. Vaughan
Physicians, politicians and agricultural innovators
have tilled the rich land of the Vaughan Farm throughout the decades. In 1841,
Dr. James and Melvina Harris Bone founded the
The founders’ grandson, Frank Bone Vaughan, was the third
generation to work the family farm. Frank, who owned 40 acres, was a leading
progressive farmer in
Frank wed Annabel Phillips Vaughan and they had two boys,
James and Hugh. In 1961, James Wilbur Vaughan obtained the family land.
Twenty-five years later, he and his wife Virginia Clark supervise the
cultivation of 75 acres. Raising soybeans, cotton and alfalfa, Jack Zarecor
works the property for the
Photo: A barnrazing on the Vaughan Farm.