Center for Historic Preservation

Tennessee Century Farms Program

Century Farms By County (A-H)

Century Farms By County (J-P)

Century Farms By County (R-Z)

The Tennessee Century Farms Program identifies, documents, and recognizes farms owned by the same family for at least 100 years. To date, nearly 900 farms representing every county have been certified.  The CHP maintains the Century Farm database of information and photographs, most of which is based on applications supplied by the farm families.  Tennessee Agriculture: A Century Farms Perspective was published by the Tennessee Department of Agriculture and the Center in 1986.  The book-length study includes descriptions of each farm and both color and black and white photographs.  The newest publication, Holding On to the Homestead: A Guide to Programs, Services, and Options for Tennessee's Farmers is available on-line.
 

Miller Farm, Dickson County
Photograph by Allison Morgan, Tennessee Cooperator

The Century Farms Program established shared interests among the CHP, local historical societies, county extension offices, city and county governments, and chambers of commerce. The bond was strengthened with the traveling exhibit, "Tennessee's Century Farms: Change and Continuity over 200 Years of Farming."  Funded by the Center and the Tennessee Humanities Council, it toured the state in 1988-89.

Taking rural preservation work in new directions, Center staff successfully nominated several historic family farms to the National Register of Historic Places.  This work paved the way for the innovative Historic Family Farms of Middle Tennessee multiple property nomination.  Considered a model for rural preservation, this was the first thematic nomination in the country to deal with historic farmsteads.  The CHP, working with the Tennessee Department of Agriculture and the Tennessee Historical Commission, serves as a clearing house of information on the Tennessee Century Farms Program, National Register Documentation of farms, and as national leader in documentation and interpretation of historic family farms.

Several Century Farms publications are available.  The Century Farms informational flyer, application, and newsletters.  The Summer 2004, Fall 2004, Summer 2005, Fall 2005, and Summer 2006 newsletters are available on-line.  You may access educational materials on historic farms by clicking on THEN, The Heritage Education Network.

For specific questions relating to the Century farms program or to receive the teacher's guide, Harvesting a Heritage: Teaching With Historic Farms, please send your request to the Center for Historic Preservation, Box 80, MTSU, Murfreesboro, TN 37132, or email Caneta Hankins at chankins@mtsu.edu. 

 

 

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