ROBERTA NEE ADAMSStaff Writer

The Moore County Historical and Genealogical Society was treated to a program on Century Farms in Moore County by Christine Pyrdum at the June meeting. Century farms are defined as farms that have been in continuous family ownership for at least one hundred years.

Ms. Pyrdum gave the histories of the thirteen farms in Moore County that have the Century Farm designation. She gave the complete lineage of each farm, citing the  original founder, the date the farm was established, and the acreage of the original farm. From there she showed each generation of ownership to the present day owners. As these were working farms, she provided details of the farm’s products, including crops and livestock raised.

There were interesting stories of family members and their contributions to the community through the years. Her presentation included pictures of some of the farm buildings and homes, though many of them no longer exist. The importance of these farms to Moore County’s history and heritage cannot be understated.

Karl and Christine Pyrdum themselves live on a Century Farm, the Pyrdum’s Choice Farm. Theirs was founded in 1829 by Daniel Warren, Sr., with a land grant. In four years, the farm will be in the family for two hundred continuous years. There are state designations for Century Farms of one hundred, one hundred fifty, and two hundred years.

The other farms Christine discussed included:

• the Allen Family farm, founded in 1904 by Pinkney and Candice Allen, now owned by Billy Allen                             ,
• the Bedford-Wiseman Farm, founded in 1904 by S. E. Bedford, now owned by Wiseman heirs                                       
• the Green Place Farm, founded in 1918 by Lemuel Oscar Motlow (with the farmhouse built by Staton Green), and now owned by M. A. M. Richman                            
• the Hezakiah Acres Farm, founded in 1873 by Annie and W. A. Nix, and now owned by Bratton and Frances Ferrell, with the house built in the 1870s still inhabited
• the Holt-Elam Farm, founded in 1854 by Felix T. Davis, and now owned by the Holt family                               
• Parks Pastures, founded in 1843 by B. W. and Mary J. Cooper, now owned by the Keller family
• Rock Creek Farm, founded in 1894 by Thomas Shaw Holt, now owned by Buford and Todd Jennings
• The Syler 7 Farm, founded in 1903 by R. W. and Molly Smith, now owned by Craig and Amy Syler
• The Wagoner-Stone Farm, founded with a land grant in 1818 by Frederick Wagoner, now owned by Lisa Stone and Barry Stone                

Christine discussed the importance of family farms to Tennessee’s economy. In 2022, family farms generated fifty two billion dollars. Yet every year Tennessee loses sixty thousand acres of agricultural land. Many old farms are divided and sold for development, both residential and commercial. Complex social and economic pressures exist today that did not exist generations ago, making it more difficult for younger families to continue earning a living by farming. Moore County has lost three Century Farms in recent years. The Burt Family Farm, the Chestnut Ridge Farm, and the Stone-Rives Farms have all been sold out of the founding families.

One way to keep a family farm intact is to put the farm in a land trust. The land could continue to be farmed, or used any way the landowner wishes, as the landowner retains ownership. It can even be sold or passed to heirs. The land is put into a tailored conservation easement that is permanent. The website landtrusttn.org gives information on how trusts work.

To register a farm as a Century Farm, an application must be completed. Requirements are that the farm must be at least ten acres or more of the original farm,  and must have produced at least $1,000 in farm income in the year of application. The lineage of the farm must be proven.

Photographs are welcome with applications, along with any details of people, events, and stories related to the farm. As the Century Farms Program is run by the Center for Historic Preservation, through MTSU, any historical information about the farm is of interest. Applications are available at the County Archivist’s office in the County Building, and Christine would be a great resource to guide one through the process.