008 WARREN COUNTY FARM JOIN RANKS OF STATE’S CENTURY FARMS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 17, 2007
CONTACT: Caneta Hankins, 615-898-2947

WARREN COUNTY FARM JOIN RANKS OF STATE’S CENTURY FARMS
Statewide Program Recognizes Davenport Farm for Agricultural Contributions

(MURFREESBORO, Tenn.)—The Davenport Farm in Warren 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.
According to family records, John Burl Davenport and Elizabeth DeBerry married about 1838 in Warren County, and around 1850—perhaps earlier—the couple acquired land adjoining Elizabeth’s parents’ farm in the Centertown community. It also was at about this time that John donated land for the Big Springs Baptist Church and cemetery.
John and Elizabeth had eight children. Their son, Wesley, became the owner of the farm in 1879. Wesley married Hanson Owens and their farm, like most others, was self-sufficient, supporting hogs, cattle, horses, corn, hay, oats and cotton.
In 1886, John Burl’s brother, Edmond Davenport, acquired the land. On 218 acres, he raised corn, hay, hogs, cattle, cotton, fruit and a variety of vegetables. Edmond wed Nancy Lemmons and they had 11 children. They, too, were active members of the Big Springs Baptist Church.
Two years after Edmond acquired the property, the land was passed to son Robert and his wife, Sally Frances Bottoms. During their ownership, they added a wheat crop and maintained a large apple orchard. According to the family’s reports, these apples were loaded onto a wagon and taken to a distillery located near Clearmont. Robert and Sally had two sons, Alton Hill and Frim Morford Davenport.
In 1939, Alton became the fifth generation to own the land. Under his ownership, he continued to produce traditional crops and livestock, but also established a Grade-A Dairy Farm and introduced Holstein cattle, beef cattle and soybeans to the farm. Alton served as a school teacher in the community and was president of Centertown Bank until its closing in 1933.
Alton’s son, Morris L. Davenport, acquired the farm over a period of years beginning in 1952. Married to Wilma C. Davenport, they had two daughters, Elena and Phyllis. In addition to managing the farm, the couple was very active in the community.
During the 1960s and ‘70s, Morris and his wife were members of the Centertown Community Improvement Club and the Farm Bureau. Morris served as a volunteer firefighter and Wilma has been an active member of Centertown Home Demonstration Club (HDC) and Vinson’s Crossroads HDC. In 1992, Morris passed away and Wilma inherited the property.
Currently, the farm is rented to Jason and Jarvin Fann, family friends, who produce soybeans and corn, as well as additional acreage in timber.
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.

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• ATTENTION, MEDIA: To interview Hankins or the farm’s owners, or to request jpegs of the farm for editorial use, please contact the CHP directly at 615-898-2947.