[380] Renowned trumpet soloist to perform April 18 with MTSU wind ensemble

FOR RELEASE: March 29, 2013

EDITORIAL CONTACT: Tim Musselman, 615-898-2493 or tim.musselman@mtsu.edu

FOR RELEASE: March 29, 2013

EDITORIAL CONTACT: Tim Musselman, 615-898-2493 or tim.musselman@mtsu.edu

MURFREESBORO — World-renowned trumpet soloist Jens Lindemann will join the MTSU Wind Ensemble for a special concert on Thursday, April 18, in the Hinton Music Hall inside the university’s Wright Music Building.

The free performance is set for 7:30 p.m. and is open to the public.

"I and many others consider Lindemann to be the world's greatest trumpet soloist," said Dr. Michael Arndt, professor of trumpet at MTSU. “I first heard him with the Canadian Brass years ago, and, needless to say, it was awe-inspiring playing. Then I got to hear him at the 2003 International Trumpet Guild Conference in Fort Worth, Texas. The first solo notes out of his trumpet are as beautiful as anything I had ever heard.

“Technically, his playing is some of the most striking in the world. As musicians, we strive to communicate through our instruments. He accomplishes this with the ease of laughing. His performances are bigger than life and leave everyone inspired. My words may seem over the top, but it is hard to find words that describe his ability on the trumpet and his captivating personality and musicality."

Lindemann, a former member of the Canadian Brass who has recorded with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and presented a solo Royal Command Performance for Queen Elizabeth II, has performed as a soloist and recording artist with classical stars such as Sir Neville Marriner, Sir Angel Romero, Doc Severinsen, Charles Dutoit, Gerard Schwarz, Eiji Oue and Bramwell Tovey.

At his April 18 performance at MTSU, Lindemann will be featured on a composition called “Apophenia” by Peter Meechan, whom MTSU Wind Ensemble conductor Reed Thomas called “one of the most prominent British composers today.”

“’Apophenia’ is a whirlwind trumpet solo piece written for Jens Lindemann and his extraordinary versatility on the trumpet,” Thomas added.

The MTSU Wind Ensemble also will perform “Sparkle” by Shafer Mahoney, “Funeral March” by Edvard Grieg and “West Point Symphony” by Morton Gould, as well as Meechan’s “Epitaph (for Hillsborough).”

"Epitaph was written as a tribute to the 96 innocent citizens who were killed at a regional soccer match in England," explained Thomas, referring to the 1989 Hillsborough Stadium incident in Sheffield that also injured 766 people and has been called one of the world’s worst football disasters.

"All of the victims were supporters of the Liverpool Club, and this piece uses events both during and after the tragedy as inspiration and homage."

In addition to his performance with the MTSU Wind Ensemble, Lindemann also will present a free public master class on Tuesday, April 16. The time for the master class is still being finalized.

You can learn more about Lindemann at his website, www.trumpetsolo.com. For more information on this and other MTSU School of Music events, call 615-898-2493 or visit www.mtsumusic.com and click on the "Concert Calendar" link.

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MTSU is committed to developing a community devoted to learning, growth and service. We hold these values dear, and there’s a simple phrase that conveys them: “I am True Blue.” Learn more at www.mtsu.edu/trueblue. For MTSU news anytime, visit www.MTSUNews.com.

MURFREESBORO — World-renowned trumpet soloist Jens Lindemann will join the MTSU Wind Ensemble for a special concert on Thursday, April 18, in the Hinton Music Hall inside the university’s Wright Music Building.

The free performance is set for 7:30 p.m. and is open to the public.

"I and many others consider Lindemann to be the world's greatest trumpet soloist," said Dr. Michael Arndt, professor of trumpet at MTSU. “I first heard him with the Canadian Brass years ago, and, needless to say, it was awe-inspiring playing. Then I got to hear him at the 2003 International Trumpet Guild Conference in Fort Worth, Texas. The first solo notes out of his trumpet are as beautiful as anything I had ever heard.

“Technically, his playing is some of the most striking in the world. As musicians, we strive to communicate through our instruments. He accomplishes this with the ease of laughing. His performances are bigger than life and leave everyone inspired. My words may seem over the top, but it is hard to find words that describe his ability on the trumpet and his captivating personality and musicality."

Lindemann, a former member of the Canadian Brass who has recorded with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and presented a solo Royal Command Performance for Queen Elizabeth II, has performed as a soloist and recording artist with classical stars such as Sir Neville Marriner, Sir Angel Romero, Doc Severinsen, Charles Dutoit, Gerard Schwarz, Eiji Oue and Bramwell Tovey.

At his April 18 performance at MTSU, Lindemann will be featured on a composition called “Apophenia” by Peter Meechan, whom MTSU Wind Ensemble conductor Reed Thomas called “one of the most prominent British composers today.”

“’Apophenia’ is a whirlwind trumpet solo piece written for Jens Lindemann and his extraordinary versatility on the trumpet,” Thomas added.

The MTSU Wind Ensemble also will perform “Sparkle” by Shafer Mahoney, “Funeral March” by Edvard Grieg and “West Point Symphony” by Morton Gould, as well as Meechan’s “Epitaph (for Hillsborough).”

"Epitaph was written as a tribute to the 96 innocent citizens who were killed at a regional soccer match in England," explained Thomas, referring to the 1989 Hillsborough Stadium incident in Sheffield that also injured 766 people and has been called one of the world’s worst football disasters.

"All of the victims were supporters of the Liverpool Club, and this piece uses events both during and after the tragedy as inspiration and homage."

In addition to his performance with the MTSU Wind Ensemble, Lindemann also will present a free public master class on Tuesday, April 16. The time for the master class is still being finalized.

You can learn more about Lindemann at his website, www.trumpetsolo.com. For more information on this and other MTSU School of Music events, call 615-898-2493 or visit www.mtsumusic.com and click on the "Concert Calendar" link.

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MTSU is committed to developing a community devoted to learning, growth and service. We hold these values dear, and there’s a simple phrase that conveys them: “I am True Blue.” Learn more at www.mtsu.edu/trueblue. For MTSU news anytime, visit www.MTSUNews.com.

[379] New student exhibit ‘shows the diversity’ at MTSU’s Todd Art Gallery

FOR RELEASE: March 29, 2013

EDITORIAL CONTACT: Eric Snyder, 615-898-5653 or eric.snyder@mtsu.edu

MURFREESBORO — The MTSU Department of Art's Student Gallery Committee is inviting the public to a new exhibit at the Todd Art Gallery, “Nous,” a salon-style display featuring a variety of student works from across the creative spectrum.

“Nous,” which is French for “we” or “us,” is open through Thursday, April 11.

"'Nous' is a show that provides us the opportunity to show the diversity of the art department," said sophomore studio arts major Amber Lelli, the exhibit curator.

"It includes student artists at all different skill-levels using different mediums … (and) is intended to embody as much student work as possible while exploring different gallery showings in our new (Todd Gallery) 210 space. This show gives us a glimpse into our current art community… at Middle Tennessee State University and how each student is growing on their own creative paths through this program.”

The exhibit features 90 examples of student artists' work in book arts, ceramics, printmaking, painting and sculpture, as well as graphic design and the foundation areas of drawing and two-and three-dimensional design. Photography, mixed media, digital art and other emerging art forms are also included.

The work spans the entire exhibit space, displaying art wall-to-wall and floor-to-ceiling.

Todd Art Gallery exhibitions and receptions are always free and open to the public. The gallery is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and is closed on state and university holidays.

For more information, including parking and directions, contact Snyder at 615-898-5653 or eric.snyder@mtsu.edu or visit www.mtsu.edu/art.

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MTSU is committed to developing a community devoted to learning, growth and service. We hold these values dear, and there’s a simple phrase that conveys them:  “I am True Blue.” Learn more at www.mtsu.edu/trueblue. For MTSU news anytime, visit www.MTSUNews.com.

[378] Visiting artist plans lecture, sculpture workshop at MTSU April 3-4

FOR RELEASE: March 29, 2013

EDITORIAL CONTACT: John Donovan, 615-898-2011 or john.donovan@mtsu.edu

MURFREESBORO — Figurative ceramic artist Tom Bartel will present a lecture and a sculpture workshop and demonstration during a special visiting artist event at MTSU April 3-4.

Bartel, an associate professor of art at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, is known for his disturbing, humorous and thought-provoking fragmented figures. His work was included in a 2007 exhibit, “Of the Body,” in MTSU’s Todd Art Gallery as well as extensive U.S. and international exhibits.

His figurative ceramic sculpture workshop and demonstration is set in Room 113 of Todd Hall on Wednesday, April 3, from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. His visiting artist lecture is planned for Thursday, April 4, at 3 p.m. in the Student Union Video Theater.

Both events are free and open to the public.

Bartel, an Ohio native, received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Kent State University and his Master of Fine Arts degree from Indiana University-Bloomington. In addition to his exhibits, he has lectured and conducted workshops around the world and has received Individual Artist Fellowships from the Pennsylvania Arts Council, the Kentucky Arts Council and the Ohio Arts Council.

“My work takes cues from a ‘shotgun blast’ of influences ranging from antiquity to popular culture and is constructed to refer to both the body and also charged, stylized, surrogates for the body such as dolls, toys and figurines,” the artist has said. “The questions that arise from this cultural mishmash fuel my creative practice. I am interested in both the fragmentation and simplification of human form, especially how this decision encourages, if not requires, the viewer to participate with the work.”

You can learn more about Bartel’s work, his creative process and even his clay and glaze recipes at his website, http://tombartel.net.

Bartel’s visit is sponsored by the MTSU Department of Art and Raider Entertainment and funded by the MTSU Distinguished Lecture Series. For more information about the events, email Dr. John Donovan, MTSU associate professor of art, at john.donovan@mtsu.edu or visit www.mtsu.edu/events/tombartel.php.

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MTSU is committed to developing a community devoted to learning, growth and service. We hold these values dear, and there’s a simple phrase that conveys them:  “I am True Blue.” Learn more at www.mtsu.edu/trueblue. For MTSU news anytime, visit www.MTSUNews.com.

[377] Loudon County Farm Joins Ranks of State's Century Farms Program

For Release:  March 11, 2013

Contact:  Caneta Hankins, Center for Historic Preservation, 615-898-2947

James Farm Recognized for Agricultural Contributions

MURFREESBORO — James Farm in Loudon 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 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 Prospect community, six miles west of Loudon, is home to the James Century Farm. In 1910 John F. James of Virginia purchased 539 acres of the property formerly owned by John B. Edwards, including a house, former slave quarters and outbuildings. It would be 1911 before John and his wife, Mary, who were both in their 60’s, and their family moved from Virginia to Loudon County.

Not long after they took possession of the farm, the slave quarters were torn down.  A tenant house remained standing and in use. Some of the crops they raised were corn, oats and hay, and the family also raised hogs, cattle and mules. New barns were built and mules were taken to market in Augusta, Ga. between 1915 and 1920.

After John’s death in 1926, two of the James children, Robert C. (Toby) and David D. James, purchased the farm. Two years later, the brothers divided the property, and Robert assumed sole ownership of 293 acres. He and his wife, Hattie Reeves had five children – Robert V., Owen D., John E., Annie S. Bates and Mary J. Whisman. They lived in the James Farm homeplace, which John B. Edwards had built in 1826. Needing more living space, they added a rear wing and new porch in 1935. Like the previous generation, they grew corn, wheat, oats and hay while raising cattle and hogs. The “hog killing” was a large operation on the James Farm; family photographs from the 1950s and 1960s show family members processing the pork. When James passed away in 1967, Hattie continued to maintain the farm until her death in 1972.

The surviving James children and Mary Whisman’s sons, Robert V. and James W. Wiseman, inherited the farm.

In 1975, the farm was conveyed to John E. James and his wife, Jamie Haines James. Jamie was a champion dressmaker and very active in The Home Demonstration and 4-H Clubs of Loudon County. They operated the farm, and had two children, Sarah James Watkins and John Denton James, who became active in 4-H.  John E. passed away in 2002 and Jamie in 2012.

The current owners are the great-grandchildren of the founder. Siblings, Sarah James and her husband, John D. Watkins, and John Denton James and his wife, Carolyn S., live on the 293 acre farm, growing oats, soybeans, wheat and hay and also raise cattle.

In addition to the farmhouse, several buildings date from the 19^th and early 20th centuries, including a smokehouse, corncrib, tenant house and a garage. Other sites include the foundation of the distillery operated by the Edwards family. The history and heritage of the James Farm, before and since their ancestors came from Virginia to settle in Loudon County, is well documented by the family.

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.

MTSU is committed to developing a community devoted to learning, growth, and service. We hold these values dear, and there’s a simple phrase that conveys them:  “I am True Blue.” Learn more at www.mtsu.edu/trueblue. For MTSU news anytime, visit www.MTSUNews.com.

[376] Sullivan County Farm Certified as Pioneer Century Farm

For Release:  March 7, 2012

Contact:  Caneta Hankins, Center for Historic Preservation, 615-898-2947

McCulley Family Farm Recognized for Agricultural Contributions Since 1782

MURFREESBORO — McCulley Family Farm in Sullivan County has been designated as a Tennessee Pioneer Century Farm, 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 McCulley Family Farm, established in 1782, is among a select group of farms certified as Pioneer Century Farms.  For a farm to be designated as a pioneer farm, it must predate the founding of the state of Tennessee in 1796 and remained in the same family and in agricultural production. These farms are among the most historic sites in the state.  

Stephen Easley, a Virginian, purchased four land grants from the State of North Carolina in 1782, near the conclusion of the Revolutionary War, which totaled 1,733 acres in what is now southwestern Sullivan County. Easley, his wife Mary Ann David, and their adult children lived in a log home they built upon their arrival; the family also built two barns and many other outbuildings. Along with agricultural activities, the Easley land grant hosted Bishop Francis Asbury, who is credited with helping to spread Methodism to the frontier, in 1788 and 1790.

Before Stephen Easley’s death in 1812, his land was divided between two of his sons, Robert and Peter; the other four children had relocated farther west. Robert’s farm grew to 1,280 acres by 1812. He and his wife, Winifred Dixon, raised their nine children on the land and grew hay, wheat, oats, tobacco and fruit while raising cattle, sheep, hogs and chickens.

Robert Easley and his siblings were influential in their community and in the organization of the State of Tennessee; he served in the militia, signed the petition to separate from the North Carolina, and served as a justice of the peace in 1802. Robert’s two-story home of hand-hewn logs was located within a mile of his father and Peter’s home. Though the building stood in the 1970s, it could not be restored and had to be torn down. Robert died around 1832 at the age of 78.

Thomas was born in 1790, and in 1830, he purchased 276 acres from his father, Robert.  He married Sarah Hamilton and they raised a family of nine children. While owners of the farm, the family continued to maintain a diverse operation. He built a log house within sight of his parents’ home.  He also built a large log barn with four stalls for mules, a corncrib, granary and harness room. This building is still in use.  

During the Civil War, the Easley family supported the Union while their neighbors, the Bachman family, supported the Confederacy. Each family had sons in the opposing armies. Five years after the Civil War, a son, Timothy Edward Easley, was living in his father’s house and was listed as the head of the household. His sister, Mary A., and his nephew, Albert Thomas Easley, lived with him. When Timothy passed away in 1894, he was buried in the Thomas Easley Cemetery, located near the home, where previous generations were interred. The cemetery currently contains 30 engraved gravestones and innumerable unlettered limestone headstones dating to at least the 1850s.

At Timothy’s passing, Albert inherited the farm. He and his wife, Anne E. Boyer, and their seven children raised cattle and sheep while growing hay, grains and tobacco on the property. After Albert’s death, the farm was purchased by his brother, William “Uncle Billy” Wallace Easley, in 1901.

Uncle Billy sold 166 acres to his sister Lucy Ann and her husband Frank McCulley, in 1905. The McCulleys had six children, but only four survived to adulthood. Lucy Ann Easley McCulley died in 1918 from  complications from childbirth, leaving Frank and his three sons to care for each other and the farm.

Lawrence Bailey McCulley, known as “Doc,” was only 8 years old when his mother died. He was among the first graduating class of Sullivan High School.  He married Gladys Ellen Chase in 1938, and their daughter, Lou Ann, was the first child of either family to be delivered in a hospital. Doc worked at Tennessee Eastman Company until the outbreak of World War II.

             Doc and two of his cousins worked on their Uncle Billy’s farm for the duration of the war raising acres of tomatoes, corn, oats and hay, as well as cattle and hogs for the war effort. Doc acquired 96 acres of the farm in 1958 after his father’s death in 1956 and added more of the original Easley acreage in later years. Gladys McCulley inherited the property when Doc McCulley died in 1992, and she owned it for 10 years. Lou Ann McCulley Moore inherited the family farm in 2002.

Moore joined the 4-H Club in fifth grade and won district and state awards, during her school years, in which she was also included in the Honor Club, All-Stars and Roundup. After graduating from Sullivan High School, as had her mother and father, she earned a degree in Home Economics from East Tennessee State University and went on to receive a Master of Science from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.  While working as a University of Tennessee  Extension Home Economist in Clarksville, she met and married Tom Moore, and their work took them to a number of places and positions through the years. They also became the parents of Heather and Andrew.

Tom Moore retired from the Environmental Protection Agency in 2003 and Mary Lou Moore retired from the Department of Children’s Services in 2006. They now farm fulltime and co-manage the operation. Both are certified as Tennessee Master Beef Producers and are members of the Tennessee Cattlemen’s Association.

The Moore family, including their son, Andrew, and daughter, Heather, and her husband, John Kunysz, live and work on the farm today. With a history that begins on this farm before Tennessee became a state, it is no wonder that Mary Lou McCulley Moore writes, “I have always been a farmer at heart.”

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

MTSU is committed to developing a community devoted to learning, growth, and service. We hold these values dear, and there’s a simple phrase that conveys them:  “I am True Blue.” Learn more at www.mtsu.edu/trueblue. For MTSU news anytime, visit www.MTSUNews.com.

[375] Pickett County Farm Joins Ranks of State's Century Farms Program

For Release:  March 7, 2012

Contact:  Caneta Hankins, Center for Historic Preservation, 615-898-2947

Smith Farm Recognized for Agricultural Contributions

MURFREESBORO — The Smith Farm in Pickett 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 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. 

Porter Franklin Smith purchased 120 acres southeast of Byrdstown in 1903 and added another 250 acres in 1910. Smith was born in Overton County in 1858 and married Sibbie Hill in 1886; the couple had 10 children. Smith was a logger by trade and died in 1911 when struck by lightning. Sibbie, who had five children under age 14 when her husband died with the youngest only three, remained a widow for 25 years.

The couple’s son, Eather Lansden Smith, acquired 132 acres of the property between 1934 and 1959. He and his wife, Omogene McDonald, had seven children: Ann Smith Garrett, Kay Smith Savage, Jane Smith Green, Laura Smith Lewis, Linda Smith Koger, Billy Smith and Bobby Smith. The family grew tobacco, corn and hay while raising cattle, hogs and chickens.

In 2002, the five Smith daughters acquired the family farm. Today, Brian and Tabith Lee (Jane Smith Green’s granddaughter) rent and live on the farm with their two children while Laura Smith Lewis manages the farm, which produces cattle and hay.

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.

MTSU is committed to developing a community devoted to learning, growth, and service. We hold these values dear, and there’s a simple phrase that conveys them:  “I am True Blue.” Learn more at www.mtsu.edu/trueblue. For MTSU news anytime, visit www.MTSUNews.com.

[374] Lawrence County Farm Joins Ranks of State's Century Farms Program

For Release March, 2013

Contact:  Caneta Hankins, Center for Historic Preservation, 615-898-2947

  

Gang Farm Recognized for Agricultural Contributions

MURFREESBORO — The Gang Farm of Lawrence 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 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 Gang Farm is another property that originated with the German Catholic Homestead Association of Cincinnati, which purchased acreage and brought several families to Lawrence County after the Civil War.

John Gang, along with his first wife Margaret, founded the Gang Farm in 1878 when he purchased 232 acres north of Lawrenceburg in the Ethridge community. In 1895, he purchased an additional 40.5 acres. John Gang had five children with Margaret and another three with his second wife. The Gangs grew corn, oats, wheat and tobacco and raised horses and cows.

Anton Gang purchased both tracts of land in 1899 when his parents moved. Anton and his wife, Margaret Ehemann, had three children – William, Henry and Mary. Anton built a house around  1900, and the family worked a diverse operation. After Anton and Margaret passed away, their children inherited the farm, but in 1935, Henry Gang purchased 110 acres from his brother and sister.

Today, the founder’s great-great-grandson, Donald “Donnie” Glenn White, his wife, Christie Dorning White, and William “Ed” White are the owners of the farm. Donnie and Christie and their son, Luke, raise cattle and grow hay.

The Beuerlein Farm, Frank Neidergeses Farm and Rocky Top Holstein Farm are other certified Lawrence County Century Farms that originated with the German migration in the 1870s.  

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

MTSU is committed to developing a community devoted to learning, growth, and service. We hold these values dear, and there’s a simple phrase that conveys them:  “I am True Blue.” Learn more at www.mtsu.edu/trueblue. For MTSU news anytime, visit www.MTSUNews.com

[373] Bedford County Farm Joins Ranks of States Century Farms Program

For Release:  March 28, 2013

Contact:  Caneta Hankins, Center for Historic Preservation, 615-898-2947 

Elrie Brinkley Farm Recognized for Agricultural Contributions

MURFREESBORO — The Elrie Brinkley Farm in Bedford 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 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. 

M. H. “Bud” Brinkley purchased a 60-acre farm 10 miles southeast of Shelbyville in 1902. Here he and his wife, Ella Harrison Brinkley, lived in a house built by Peter L. J. Anthony in 1887 and raised their two children, Ocie and Elrie.

The farm produced corn, hay, hogs, timber and mules, and pears and apples from their orchard were used in the Brinkleys’ distillery located on the Shipman’s Creek about five miles south on the Moore County line. Their distillery also purchased quantities of corn and fruits from surrounding farms and operated from 1889 until the early 1900s.

Before marrying Mable Stephens in December 1924, Elrie Brinkley purchased the property adjoining his parents’ farm, known as Anthony Mill and Midway. This land was the center of the Midway community before the general store burned down and the community baseball team was disbanded when players were drafted for World War I. The mill, built in 1884, remained, and still stands today.

When Ella died in 1953, her two children inherited the farm she had lived on for more than half a century. Ocie, a teacher who never married, lived on the farm until she passed away in 1968, leaving Elrie as the sole heir.

Elrie and Mable had two children, Bryce and Carolyn. In addition to the goods produced by the founders, this generation raised tobacco, sheep, goats, crimson clover and wheat. They also raised Tennessee walking horses had honeybee hives and produced grapes and peaches in their orchard. After Elrie purchased a wheat thresher, he traveled to many surrounding farms during threshing season.  

The Brinkley children were active in 4-H and community events. Bryce won a trip to the National 4-H congress in Chicago for his essay on colt production, and Carolyn helped organize an amateur walking horse show. The B-B Horse Show drew more than 1,000 spectators (with as many as 65 entries) from 1946 through 1948. During World War II, the farm was used for army maneuvers.

Bryce Brinkley and Carolyn Brinkley Wiser Conner now own 50 acres of the farm that originated with their grandparents. The founders’ great-great grandson, Hal Wiser, and his family are the fourth and fifth generations of the family to live on the Elrie Brinkley Century 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.

MTSU is committed to developing a community devoted to learning, growth, and service. We hold these values dear, and there’s a simple phrase that conveys them:  “I am True Blue.” Learn more at www.mtsu.edu/trueblue. For MTSU news anytime, visit www.MTSUNews.com.

[372] Moore County Farm Joins Ranks of State's Century Farms Program

For Release:  March 29, 2013

Contact:  Caneta Hankins, Center for Historic Preservation, 615-898-2947

Syler 7 Farm Recognized for Agricultural Contributions

MURFREESBORO — The Syler 7 Farm in Moore 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 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. 

In 1903, R. W. Smith purchased 133 acres in the Hurdlow Community south of Lynchburg, Tenn. He and his wife, Molly Crabtree, had six children: John, Reed, George, Bernice, Annie and William. The family raised livestock as well as corn, wheat and vegetables. They butchered hogs had chickens for meat and eggs and had milk cows. When it was time to harvest the wheat, a thresher came to the farm.

At the age of 14, Annie learned how to drive a traction engine used to move the wheat separator through the fields. Two years later, she became Moore County’s first woman to drive an automobile when her family purchased a new 1914 Ford touring model. The Smiths became the second family on Farris Creek to own an automobile; they purchased it from Will K. Parks, then the Ford agent in Lynchburg.

After R.W. passed away, Molly received a life estate to the land but when she died it was sold at auction. Annie’s son and daughter-in-law, Roy Clayton and Maggie J. Syler, purchased the farm in July, 1960 so that the farm would not go out of the family. They have five children: Kerry, Rodney, Rickey, Craig and Tanya. The family grows tobacco, corn and hay and maintains a garden. The Sylers also raise dairy and beef cows, hogs and horses. Today, they own a total of 260 acres and work the farm with their son Craig and his daughter, Shaynee. The farm is named for the Ray and Maggie Syler and their five children.

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.

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