[506] Crockett County Farm Joins Rank of State's Century Farms Program

For Release: June 15, 2011
Contact: Caneta Hankins, Center for Historic Preservation, 615-898-2947


CROCKETT COUNTY FARM JOINS RANK OF STATE’S CENTURY FARMS PROGRAM

Cherry Farm Recognized for Agricultural Contributions

(MURFREESBORO)— The Cherry Farm, located in Crockett 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.
Before Crockett County was formed in 1872 from portions of Dyer, Haywood, and Gibson counties, Henry Cherry came to the area in 1850 and began growing cotton on 100 acres. He and his wife, Jane, were the parents of four sons.
In 1863, during the tumult of the Civil War, George W. “G.W.” Cherry purchased the farm from his father. G.W. built a home and barn and grew cotton, corn and beans. G.W. was married first to Florence Albritton, his second wife was named Annie. G. W. built a house, as well as a barn, during his ownership of the farm to accommodate his family which included three children.
John B. Cherry, a son of G.W. Cherry, received one-fifth of the farm in 1925 after the death of his stepmother, Annie, and then purchased three-fifths of the farm from his siblings. His sister, Lula, retained her one-fifth of the farm. John grew cotton and corn on his farm. He married Ora York, and their children were named Buford, Gladys, John Moss, Fern and Parker.
John Moss Cherry acquired the farm in 1936. He grew cotton, corn and soybeans on his 70 acres. He was married to Evelyn Brown Cherry, and they were the parents of Lana and Diane. Evelyn Cherry acquired the farm in 1966 upon the death of her husband, and continued to produce cotton, beans and corn on the farm.
In 2011, Diane Cherry Jordan, daughter of John Moss and Evelyn Cherry, inherited her family’s farm. They grow cotton, beans and corn on the farm. The farm is worked by Diane’s nephew, William Nichols, who is the son of her sister, Lana. He represents the sixth generation of his family to raise cotton on this farm that predates Crockett 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.



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.