[070] Fentress County Farms Join Ranks of State's Century Farms Program

For Release: Sept. 7, 2011
Contact: Caneta Hankins, Center for Historic Preservation, 615-898-2947


FENTRESS COUNTY FARMS JOIN RANKS OF STATE’S CENTURY FARMS PROGRAM

V.H. Pile Farm and Lyman S. Pile Farm Recognized for Agricultural Contributions

MURFREESBORO— The V.H. Pile Farm and Lyman S. Pile Farms, located in Fentress County, have been designated as Tennessee Century Farms, reports Caneta S. Hankins, director of the Century Farms Program at the Center for Historic Preservation at MTSU.
The Century Farms Program recognizes the contributions of Tennessee residents who have owned and kept family land in continuous agricultural production for at least 100 years.
The Pile family is among the earliest settlers in the area that would become Fentress County in 1823. Conrad Pile first purchased land in the Valley of the Three Forks of the Wolf around 1800. Virgil H. “V.H.” Pile, born in 1870 to Steve and Ermine Pile, was the fifth-generation descended from Conrad. V.H., who was the eldest of five brothers, acquired 950 acres near Jamestown in 1901. All five sons went to Hiwassee College in Madisonville, Tenn. The family recounts the story that all five farm boys arrived at the college in homemade suits and received some ridicule from their classmates because of their clothing. Their father had made arrangements for them to have a line of credit in case of an emergency, so the boys all bought new suits, shirts, and ties. Their father was not pleased when he received this “emergency” bill.
After graduating from the two-year college, V.H. began working at his father’s mill, now part of the Alvin C. York Mill and State Park. While there, he met Nannie Williams, who had brought her family’s corn in to be milled. They married in 1899. In addition to his farm, V.H. also went into business with his father-in-law, Elijah Williams. V.H. raised Angus cattle, corn and hay on his land. A one-teacher school was located on this property-the same one V.H. attended as a young boy.
In 1970, Lyman S. Pile acquired a one-fourth interest in the farm. Lyman and his wife, Edith, had one daughter, Janice Pile Brannon Lee, and the family raised cattle and hay. In 1991, several heirs, including Janice Brannon Lee, acquired the property. In 2001, the farm came under the ownership of Mrs. Lee and her son, Patrick Brannon, and his wife, Jena. Patrick and his brother, Phillip Brannon, actively work the 242 acres of the V. H. Pile Farm, where they primarily raise hay.
Erasmus Pile was also descended from Conrad Pile. In 1899, Erasmus bought his sister, Clementine P. Albertson’s share in a family farm and established what is now known as the Lyman S. Pile Farm. Erasmus farmed 150 acres and was a well-respected businessman in the community. Erasmus married Victoria W. Pile, and they had the parents of two children.
In 1944, Lyman S. Pile, a cousin of Erasmus, acquired this land, which he farmed for many years. In 2000, Janice Pile Brannon Lee, the daughter of Lyman and Edith Pile who also owned the V. H. Pile Farm, and her son, Phillip D. Brannon and his wife, Darlene also acquired this property. In addition to the 72 acres of the Lyman S. Pile Farm, the family operates the V.H. Pile Farm.
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 Farms Program.
For more information about the Century Farms Program, please visit www.tncenturyfarms.org. The Center for Historic Preservation also may be contacted at Box 80, MTSU, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 37132 or 615-898-2947.

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



Founded in 1911, Middle Tennessee State University is a Tennessee Board of Regents institution located in Murfreesboro and is the state’s largest public undergraduate institution. In September 2011, MTSU will celebrate its 100th year anniversary with special events and activities throughout the year—kicked off by a Blue-Tie Centennial Gala on Friday, Sept. 9.