[357] Wayne 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

WAYNE COUNTY FARM JOINS RANKS OF STATE’S CENTURY FARMS PROGRAM

Mill Creek Farm Recognized for Agricultural Contributions

MURFREESBORO — Mill Creek Farm in Wayne 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 1904, Cal Harris purchased 225 acres on the headwaters of Mill Creek near the Wayne and Lewis county lines. Timber and cattle were the primary commodities. At Cal’s death, the farm passed to his children, but his son Watt Harris, purchased the interests of his siblings between 1943 and 1951. Watt and his wife, Grace, had two sons, Hershel and Jerry Paul. When her husband passed away, Grace continued to operate the farm until 1967, when she sold it to her sons for $1.

The two brothers and their families continued to raise cattle and grow timber. Hershel and his wife, Carrie, had two children, Kenneth and Vickie, while Jerry Paul and his wife, Loyce, were the parents of Jerry Lee. Over the years, Jerry Paul and his family acquired the entire acreage.

In 2011, Jerry Lee Harris, Cal’s great-grandson, became the owner and manager of the farm, which continues to support timber and cattle. Mill Creek Farm is the sixth Century Farm certified in Wayne County.

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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