Century Farms

The Tennessee Century Farms Program identifies and honors those farms which have been under the ownership of the same family for at least 100 years.

Special distinction is made for farms that have been under the ownership of the same family for 150 years and 200 years.

There are over a dozen farms in Macon County which qualify as Century Farms, and we want to congratulate them!

 

 


Our Newest Macon County Century Farm!
Porter Farm
1890s

By the 1890s, Jesse West had established a farm of just over 100 acres in Macon County, not far from Red Boiling Springs. Because three Macon County courthouses burned, making it difficult to trace nineteenth century property, Jesse and his wife Margaret and their two daughters, Naoma and Minnie, are listed in the 1900 census. Further proof of the long family history on this farm is found in a family cemetery. A marker for Baly, the infant son of Jesse and Margaret who was born and died in 1894, is the earliest burial. The West Cemetery is also the burying ground for other family members. Though the current owner believes the family may have been on the farm at least one generation prior, the census records and the cemetery marker prove the ownership of this farm to the decade before the twentieth century.

Naoma Evie West Wakefield acquired the farm in 1911. She and her husband, Charlie Wakefield, were the parents of Opal and Aubie. In 1932, Aubie and Opal acquired parts of the farm. Opal and her husband, Herschel Porter had three children. Along with other farms in the area, military training maneuvers were conducted on the farm during World War II.

Truman Porter, who served in World War II, became the fourth generation owner in 1964. He and his wife Cozell Halliburton were the parents of Gail and David. In 1991, David L. Porter became the next generation to own and operate the family farm. On about 40 acres, he produces hay and cattle. Two barns, built for tobacco and feed remain from the time of David Porter’s grandparents, and the family cemetery is a reminder of the long history begun by his West ancestors.
 

 

 

Below are photographs taken on November 18, 2004 at a ceremony held at the Macon County Fairgrounds in Lafayette.

Our special thanks go to Caneta Hankins and Erin Lobb of the Center for Historic Preservation at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) for providing information on each of our Macon County century Farms.

 

 


Clearview Farm
1863
100 Year Sign
Pictured: Dewey & Julia Swindle

Information from MTSU's files:
William D. Coley of North Carolina purchased 365 acres at the height of the Civil War, in 1863, and established the Clearview Farm. This father of ten fought for the North. Married twice, his crops were corn, dark tobacco, wheat, livestock, and mules. In 1898, J.W. Coley acquired the farm from his father and worked it for the next 46 years. Coley and his wife Julia Krantz were the parents of twelve children and their farm produced livestock, wheat, corn, oats, and tobacco. His son, C.E. Coley acquired the 170 acres in 1940. The current owner is Dewey Swindle.
 

 


Hanes Hedges Farm
1886
100 Year Sign
Pictured: Pat & Jack Hanes


Information from MTSU's files:
Alphus Mizelle Hanes and his wife Amanda Susan Law founded this 450 acre farm in 1886. They produced corn, wheat, tobacco, hay, hogs, chicken, cattle, garden vegetables, and fruit. The next owner was their son, Estile Hanes. The current owner and great grandson of the founders, Jack Hanes, still work the land today. He produces corn, tobacco, hay, cattle, garden vegetables, and fruit.
 

 


Lawrence Farm
1889
100 Year Sign
Anna Jenkins

Information from MTSU's files:
J.L. Lawrence and his spouse Mary C. Lawrence founded Lawrence Farm in 1889. The 288 acre farm produced wheat, oats, corn, hay, and horses. Their son, John Wesley Lawrence, was the next owner of the farm. He married to Annie Bertha Crowder Lawrence and they had ten children. Anna Jenkins is the granddaughter of the founders and is now the current owner of Lawrence Farm.
 

 


Stinson Farm
1897
100 Year Sign
Pictured: Dale Stinson, Lewis Stinson,
Ruby Gordon Stinson, Janice Gammons

Information from MTSU's files:
J.S. Stinson and his wife Cora Bell Fishburn Stinson founded the Stinson farm in 1897. They had one child, Cloid S. Stinson. On the 254 acres they produced corn, tobacco, wheat, oats, rye, cows, and hogs. The next owners of the farm were Cora and C.S. Stinson. He married J.S. Stinson and later Grace Hix Stinson. The current owner and grandson of the founders is Lewis Stinson. He acquired the land in 1962 and produces tobacco, corn, hay, and oats. There is a log smoke house that was constructed prior to 1886 that still stands on the land today.

 


Goad Farm
1903
100 Year Sign

Information from MTSU's files:
Goad Farm was founded in 1903 by Daniel D. Goad and his wife Ida Elizabeth Burrow Goad. His parents are buried in the family cemetery on the property, along with their four daughters. The 30 acres produced, corn, tobacco, and hay, and supported sheep and cattle. The couple had three children. Their son-in-law, Cherry Woodmore, married to their daughter Jewel in 1919, was the next owner of the land. The farm produced corn, hay, burley tobacco, and small grains and supported sheep, beef cattle, and dairy cattle. Jewel Goad Woodmore lived to be nearly 104 years old and spent her entire life on this or an adjoining farm. The current owners are William Woodmore, son of Jewel and Cherry, his wife Wanda and son, Toby Woodmore who works and manages the 425 acre farm which produces hay and supports beef cattle.
 

 

 


Burrow-Gregory Farm
1836
150 Year Sign
Pictured: Jack Gregory

Information from MTSU's files:
William and Elizabeth Burrow founded this 34 acre farm in 1836. They produced tobacco and corn on the farm. Zachary Taylor Burrow, their son, was the next owner of the land. He produced tobacco, corn, hogs, small grain, and sheep. His son, Mark Gregory, acquired the land in 1988. The current owner is Jack Gregory. A livestock barn and slave quarters from before 1898 still stand on the land today.

 


Drury Farm
1835
150 Year Sign
Pictured: Penne Driver, Steve Driver,
Rachel Driver and Ms. Dorothy Drury Driver.
(Steve is Dorothy's son, Penne is Steve's wife.
and Rachel is Dorothy's granddaughter.)

Information from MTSU's files:
Established by John and Rachael Dorris Drury in 1835, the Drury Farm is four miles southwest of Lafayette. The founders owned 300 acres which yielded agricultural commodities such as tobacco, cotton, corn, and cattle. John was the father of nine children. One of his sons, Francis Millard Drury acquired the property in 1858. In 1902, John Freeman Drury inherited the farm intact from his father. John and his wife Betty Gross raised seven children and their son Marion Riley Drury acquired 129.5 acres of the family land in 1935. Drury’s farm produced burley tobacco and strawberries. The current owner is Dorothy Driver.

 


Hugh B. Morrison Farm
1828
150 Year Sign
Pictured: Kristen Morrison, Janis Morrison,
Kyle Morrison and Hugh Morrison.
(Kristen is Hugh's granddaughter, and
Kyle is Hugh's grandson.)

Information from MTSU's files:
On 150 acres, Samuel Stewart and Mary Eubanks Morrison established the Morrison family farm in 1828. Slaves from the farm of Samuel’s brother in Sumner County built the original farmhouse. It is now one of the oldest houses in the county. Samuel and Mary had eleven children and their son Samuel L. Morrison was the farm’s second generation owner. Married to Nancy Boyd and the father of three children, Samuel produced corn, tobacco, grains, and livestock. The property’s third generation owner was Willie Price Morrison, father of the farm’s current owner Hugh B. Morrison.

 


Massey Farm
1851
150 Year Sign
Billy Massey

Information from MTSU's files:
The Massey Farm dates to 1851 when Hugh and Mary Ann Massey purchased 229 acres of land. They produced wheat, corn, tobacco and dairy cattle. One hundred acres of family land passed to the second owner Eldes E. Massey and his wife Minnie. Parents of thirteen children, the Massey’s retained the farm’s daily patterns of operations and introduced no new crops. In 1965 Billy F. Massey, the great grandson of the founders, acquired 65 acres of the farm.

 


Tuck Farm
1840
150 Year Sign
Mrs. Wick Knight

Information from MTSU's files:
John C. and Elenora Lewis Tuck founded Tuck Farm in 1836. Tier initial 100 acres is seven miles southeast of Lafayette. Buying an additional 163 acres in 1840, the Tucks grew corn, tobacco and wheat and looked after small herds of livestock. John fathered nine children and his son George Tuck became the farm’s second generation owner. George Tuck wed Nancy McDonald and they were the parents of six children. The founders’ grandson Walter C. Tuck was the third generation owner and he increased the farm’s acreage from 100 to 160 acres. In 1952 Ruth Tuck Knight, the wife of Wick Knight and the founders’ great granddaughter, inherited 50 acres of family land. The current owner is Wick Knight.

 


Tucker Brothers Farm and
Larry and Linda Tucker Farm
Both 1878
150 Year Signs
Larry Tucker

Information from MTSU's files:
Established by Granville J. and Margaret A. Tucker in 1878, they produced corn, tobacco, sheep and beef cattle. One of the founders’ nine children T.T. Tucker, was the second generation owner. He and his wife Ethie Lea had eight children. Dewey and Roxie Tucker were the farm’s next owners. One their 290 acres farm, they are their sons, George and Larry, specialized in corn, tobacco and beef cattle production. In 1982, Larry Tucker, the founders’ great grandson, acquired 60 acres of the original family land and currently owns a total of 175 acres.

Information from MTSU's files:
Descendants of Granville J. and Margaret A. Tucker also own the Tucker Brothers Farm.  Larry Tucker owns another farm, the Larry and Linda Tucker Farm, as well as this property, which he owns in partnership with his brother George D. Tucker. The brother acquired 125 acres of original family land in 1982 to which they added 100 acres. Like the Larry and Linda Tucker Farm, this property produces corn, tobacco, hay and beef cattle.

 


W.E. White Farm and
White Farm
Both 1828
150 Year Signs
Pictured: Evan White, Ricky White
Ricky White wrote: "This is my son Evan.  He's the 7th generation living on our family farm that was traced down from George White in 1828.  It has been our family tradition to pass the farm down from son to son. My great grandfather divided his farm between my grandfather and my great aunt. I purchased first 18 acres from her sale and have since bought another 36 acres to add back.  The W.E. White farm was my grandfather's that passed to my father and at his passing was left to me. These two Century Farms join and are located along Long Creek Road, White Road, New Bethel Road and Evans Road."

Information from MTSU's files:
The second century Farm in Macon County to evolve from the original landholdings of Joseph H. and Malinda Mayes White is the Ricky White Farm. Rosa White Eden, the wife of Ed Eden and the granddaughter of the founders, was the farm’s third generation owner. The mother of two children, Rosa owned 75 acres. Her family usually planted hay, corn and soybeans. In 1980, eighteen of the Rosa’s 75 acres passed to her grandson Ricky Eugene White.

Information from MTSU's files:
Joseph H. and Malina Mayes White founded W.E White Farm in the antebellum period. They owned 833 acres and grew common crops of the region. In 1884, title to 329 acres of the farm was transferred to Joseph W. and Sarah Gray White. They had seven children. William Lee White and his wife Mary Johnson inherited 62 acres and became the third generation owner. Willie Eugene White inherited 62 acres in 1965. The current owner is Ricky White.

 


Four J Farm
1804
200 Year Sign
Pictured: Ronnie & Shirley Johnson


Information from MTSU's files:
The second Century Farm in Macon County to evolve from the original plantation of Noah Jenkins is the Four J Farm, which is six miles west of Lafayette. Bettie Jenkins Johnson and her husband W. K. Johnson purchased the family land in 1912. Bettie was the granddaughter of the founders. In 1952 Otis Johnson, the son of W.K. and Bettie Jenkins Johnson, acquired the farm from his parents and upon his death nineteen years later, his heirs sold the land to Ronnie and Shirley Johnson. Ronnie Johnson, the great great great great grandson of the founders, works 64 acres of original family land and six acres of recently acquired land. His labor yields hay, swine and beef products.

 


Jenkins Farm
1850
150 Year Sign
Pictured:  Lil and James Jenkins

Information from MTSU's files:
Noah Jenkins acquired 1,400 acres to found the Jenkins plantation. He and his wife Martha raised four children. The founders’ son Jimmy and his wife Dollie Holland Jenkins inherited one of the few plantations in Macon County. The Jenkins Farm passed through the hands of two additional owners before James W. and Lillie Mai Jenkins obtained 10.5 acres of family land in 1984. In 1984, the owners renovated the farm’s nineteenth century dwelling, together with a barn and garage. The property also contains the long Creek Church and the one room Long Creek Schoolhouse, which were built prior to 1860.

 

 

 

The Century Farm Program is managed by the Center for Historic Preservation at Middle Tennessee State University.  Please visit their web site for additional information including an informational flyer and application to submit a farm to the program: http://histpres.mtsu.edu/centfarms/index.html