331 CROCKETT COUNTY FARM JOIN RANKS OF STATE’S CENTURY FARMS PROGRAM

117-Year-Old Cypress Creek Farm Recognized for Agricultural Contributions

(MURFREESBORO)—The Cypress Creek Farm in Crockett County has been designated as a Tennessee Century Farm, reports Caneta S. Hankins, director of the Century Farms program at the Center for Historic Preservation (CHP), which is located on the MTSU campus.
Located four miles southeast of Alamo, Tenn., is the Cypress Creek Farm that was founded by Silas E. Emison in 1890. Married to Ann Taylor, the couple had four children -- Ruth, Russell, Don Neil and Malcolm. On 45 acres, the family raised cotton, horses, cattle, chickens and guineas.
In 1964, the children acquired the farm, though Malcolm eventually became the sole owner of the property. Along with his wife, Maggie Lou Goldsmith, the couple had two children, Mac Boyd and Joe Silas. Under Malcolm, who went by the surname Emerson rather than Emison, the family farm mainly produced cotton.
In 1982, the greatgrandson of the founder, Joe S. Emerson, and his wife, Myrtle Rose Leggett Emerson, obtained the farm. Over the years, Myrtle has been active in the community by being a member of the home demonstration club. Along with her grandmother, she won prizes for making rugs from old cotton stockings. In addition, Joe and Myrtle have been members of the Farm Bureau since they married in 1955. The couple went to high school together at Bells High School and they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with a trip to Italy.
Today, Joe and their daughter, Milly Ann Hart, manage and work the farm, which supports cotton, soybeans and wheat.
Mrs. Emerson recalls that over the generations, the family has included not only farmers but also school teachers, engineers, business people, and doctors. One ancestor was a founder of the Cypress Methodist Church, she noted, and in the adjacent cemetery, many members of the family are buried.
The Century Farm Program recognizes the contributions of Tennessee residents who have continuously owned, and kept in production, family land for at least 100 years. Since 1984, the Center for Historic Preservation at MTSU has been a leader in the important work of documenting Tennessee’s agricultural heritage and history through the Tennessee Century Farm Program, and continues to administer this program. The Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) began the Tennessee Century Farm Program in 1976 as part of the nation’s bicentennial. Today the TDA provides a metal outdoor sign, noting either 100, 150 or 200 years of “continuous agricultural production” to Century Farm families.
To be considered for eligibility, a farm must be owned by the same family for at least 100 years; must produce $1,000 revenue annually; must have at least 10 acres of the original farm; and one owner must be a resident of Tennessee.
“The Century Farmers represent all the farm families of Tennessee,” Hankins said, “and their contributions to the economy, and to the social, cultural, and agrarian vitality of the state, both past and present, is immeasurable. Each farm is a Tennessee treasure.”
For more information about the Century Farms Program, please visit its Web site at http://histpres.mtsu.edu/histpres. The Center for Historic Preservation also may be contacted via mail at Box 80, MTSU, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 37132, or by telephone at 615-898-2947.





ATTENTION, MEDIA: To interview Hankins or the farm’s owners, or obtain jpeg images of this farm for editorial use, please contact the CHP directly at 615-898-2947.