[473] Franklin County Farm Joins Ranks of State's Century Farms Program

For Release: May 24, 2011
Contact: Caneta Hankins, Center for Historic Preservation, 615-898-2947


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

Walker and Limbaugh Farms Recognized for Agricultural Contributions

(MURFREESBORO)— The Walker and Limbaugh Farms, located in Franklin 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.
In 1837, William C. Lipscomb acquired 665 acres of land in the Greasy Cove community in southwest Franklin County. He and his wife, Elizabeth, were the parents of Judith Ann, Ira and John Thomas. The family lived in a log house, which remains on the property, and raised row crops and livestock.
The Civil War brought tragedy and difficult times for the family when, while serving with the Confederate Army, Ira Lipscomb was killed in 1864 near Petersburg, Va. His brother, John Thomas, served in the First Tennessee Calvary, was captured at the Battle of the Wilderness and was taken to Point Lookout, Md. William Larkin Keith, who married Judith Lipscomb, lost an arm during the Battle of Murfreesboro while serving in the Seventeenth Tennessee Infantry.
Judith Ann Lipscomb inherited the family farm in 1866. With her husband and children – Willliam Buford, Floyd, and Elizabeth - the family raised cattle, mules, corn, cotton and horses.
In 1910 and 1911, William Buford Keith inherited 440 acres of the family farm. He raised corn, cotton, alfalfa hay, horses, mules and Black Angus cattle on his land. He married Laura Juliet Larkin, and they were the parents of five children.
In 1961, Buford Rutledge Keith, a great-grandson of the founder, inherited the farm. The farm at that time consisted of 500 acres, and Buford raised Black Angus cattle, corn, soybeans and alfalfa hay. Buford Keith never married.
Beginning in 1985, Sid Walker, a great-great-grandson of founder William Lipscomb, acquired the 500-acre family farm. Under his ownership, the farm has grown to 1,115 acres. Sid and his wife, Jane Walker, cultivate Black Angus cattle and hay. The Walkers live in the log house that is believed to date from the founding family.
The Limbaugh Farm originated in 1909, when William H. Tripp purchased 82 acres west of Belvidere. He cultivated corn and hay and raised hogs and beef cattle. He married Barshie Ann Moorehead, and the Tripps’ had two children, Elmer and Annie Maude. In 1949, Elmer Tripp inherited the family farm and continued the farming traditions and products. He and his wife, Annie Amacher, were the parents of Ruth and Doris Tripp.
Larry Limbaugh, the son of Ruth Tripp and her husband, Thomas Limbaugh, inherited the family farm in 1970. He continues the family tradition of cultivating hogs, beef cattle, corn and hay, as well as soybeans and wheat. Larry, who is married to Patti Z. Limbaugh, has won numerous awards for his farming, including Franklin County Outstanding Young Farmer of the Year in 1978, Franklin County Outstanding Conservation Farmer of the Year in 1993, and Franklin County Soil Conservation Grazing Farmer of the Year in 2008.
The Limbaugh Farm has an original smokehouse still standing on its landscape as well as the original well house. The well house is still used to provide water for the livestock, just as it was more than 100 years ago.
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.