009 COFFEE COUNTY FARM JOIN RANKS OF STATE’S CENTURY FARMS

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

COFFEE COUNTY FARM JOIN RANKS OF STATE’S CENTURY FARMS
Program Recognizes 118-Year-Old Long Farm for Agricultural Contributions

(MURFREESBORO, Tenn.)—The Long Farm in Coffee 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 south of Hillsboro, the Long Farm that was founded in 1889 by Sam H. Long Sr. His grandfather, John Long, received a land grant along the Elk River in what is now Franklin County. Sam and wife Emma Garner were the parents of a large family—nine sons and one daughter. On the 100 acres that was bought for the sum of $1,200, the Longs raised crops and livestock including corn, cotton, and dairy cows
After their father’s death, the farm was split among seven heirs, with William Henry Long acquiring 55 acres in 1931. His brother, Sam H. Long Jr., acquired the remaining acreage. The family recalls that their mother would split her time between the two sons, living for a time with Sam and then with William and their families. Each son paid rent to the other for their mother’s lodging. William Henry married Lena Long and they had four children, Leighton, Mildred, William Albro and B. Howard Long.
In 1947, the grandson of the founder, William Albro Long, purchased 55 acres from his father. He cultivated crops with a Farmall tractor and a pair of mules. Soybeans and corn were primary crops, but he also grew alfalfa for hay. A few head of cattle were kept for milk and butter, according to the family’s reports, and some beef cattle and pigs were raised as well.
In addition to managing the farm, Albro worked for the Tennessee Highway Department. Married to Margaret Pearson Long, the couple had three sons, Charles, Bill and Ronnie. Each family member worked on the farm and each son was involved in 4-H and participated in local contests and county fairs showing livestock.
In 1959, Albro and Margaret built a new home on the farm. With the construction of Interstate 24, the Longs had to buy their farmhouse back from the State of Tennessee and they moved it to the northwest corner of the farm. They added a barn, tool shed and pond at the new location.
Currently, the land is cultivated by Clay Farms of Dechard, Tenn., on a lease basis. However, Albro serves as a consultant for the farm’s operation.
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.