064 GIBSON COUNTY FARM JOINS RANKS OF CENTURY FARMS PROGRAM

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Aug. 29, 2007
CONTACT: Caneta Hankins, 615-898-2947

GIBSON COUNTY FARM JOINS RANKS OF CENTURY FARMS PROGRAM
160-Year-Old Norman Farm Recognized for Agricultural Contributions

(MURFREESBORO)—The Norman Farm in Gibson County has been designated as a Tennessee Century Farm, reported Caneta S. Hankins, director of the Century Farms Program at the Center for Historic Preservation (CHP), which is located on the MTSU campus.
Robert Norman and his wife Jamima and their four children came from North Carolina to begin farming in Gibson County. In 1847, he purchased 125 acres on Lick Creek and there the family raised cotton, corn and swine.
John Judson Norman was the second-generation owner. Married to Dora Ann Norman, they had seven children. John also served as mayor for the Rutherford community from 1932 to 1934. After John and Dora died, the land was divided among the siblings. According to the family’s records, two of the children, Herbert and Eran, obtained most of the property. Herbert and his wife, Elsie Patterson, lived on the farm for many years. Eran was married to Myrl Landrum. Generations of the Norman family continued to contribute to the community and the county over the years.
Today, Harold J. Norman, James Edwin “Ed” Norman and Patricia Norman Givens own the property that has been in their family for 160 years. Currently, the farm is cultivated by family friend, Travis Landrum, who raises cotton, corn, soybeans and wheat.
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 CHP 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, please contact the CHP directly at 615-898-2947.