Clarksville-Montgomery County, Tennessee
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Frank Lott
MANAGING EDITOR
Shana Thornton
GRAPHIC DESIGN MANAGER
Summer Lucio
COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER
Myranda Harrison
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Karen Bullis
Cresta McGowan
HISTORY, ARTS, AND CULTURE INTERSECT AT THE CORNER OF SECOND & COMMERCE
As spring of 2025 approaches, the Customs House Museum & Cultural Center has sprung boldly into our fifth decade of service.
For this, and other reasons, I’m feeling energized and optimistic about 2025 and the future of this institution. Last year was indeed momentous as the museum celebrated its 40th anniversary. Admittedly, there has been a brief period of “post party decompression” from which to recover, but now we’ve set our sights on the future…poised and ready to achieve even greater success.
One of the most important ways we can move the museum forward is to continue our efforts to engage within the community. As of now, the ClarksvilleMontgomery County’s population is just under 245,000 and is projected to grow to 270,000 over the next five years. If museum membership grows at a similar rate, we should see total annual membership reach 3,000+. This may sound ambitious, but actually that’s reaching just 1% of the county population as members. Seems to me we can—and should—do better.
This is where YOU, our valued museum patrons, come in. You can help us achieve this by telling your friends and acquaintances about the museum and inviting them as your guests when you visit. The overall effect will allow us to present even more amazing exhibits and programs for all ages and interests. The museum is fortunate to be in a growing community that values the arts and recognizes the importance of preserving and sharing stories of our blended heritage. That’s also what makes us a well-recognized and awardwinning institution in the Southeast. The museum received nine awards at the Southeastern Museums Conference held in Baton Rouge last October.
HOURS OF OPERATION
Tuesday-Saturday: 10 am-5 pm
Sunday: 1-5 pm
Monday Closed
FLASHBACK: On Friday, January 18, 1998, American poet, Dr. Maya Angelou visited Austin Peay State University and gave a lecture in the Dunn Center to a capacity crowd. Her inspiring words made a lasting impression on me as well. We recently installed a quote by Dr. Angelou on a wall in the museum’s lobby. Her admonition to all is about the importance of knowing history. She states, “If you don’t know where you’ve come from, you don’t know where you’re going.”
Learning lessons from the past is a good thing.
Enjoy this issue of Second & Commerce!
The Customs House Museum's mission is to collect, preserve, interpret, and share the creativity and ingenuity of the human spirit for audiences today and into the future.
CUSTOMS HOUSE MUSEUM & CULTURAL CENTER BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Larry Richardson, Chair
Dan Black, Vice-Chair
Darwin Eldridge, Treasurer
Jane Olson, Secretary
Amelia Magette
Armi Rhodes
Brendalyn Player
Jody Isaacs
John Halliburton
Kell Black
Kyong Dawson
Nick Nicholson
Tracy Knight
Marydith Young*
Joe Creek*
Deanna McLaughlin*
Carolyn Ferrell*
*denotes ex-officio
Frank Lott EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS
Learn about Museum exhibits, programs and more at customshousemuseum.org.
Women Artists of the West History THROUGH APRIL 27
Women Artists of the West: Homeland 55th Annual Juried Exhibition THROUGH MAY 4
50 Birds of America: Prints by Richard Sloan THROUGH APRIL 29
African Americans & Labor: Recognizing Black History Month THROUGH APRIL 20
Sandra Paynter Washburn Evolving Continuum: Art for Art's Sake THROUGH APRIL 27
Women in Sports THROUGH SEPTEMBER 14
Riches of the Land: Agriculture 1850 to 1950 THROUGH OCTOBER 19
Celebrating Asian Pacific American Heritage Month APRIL 30 - JULY 13
Embracing Blackness: Diasporic Realities MAY 10 – JULY 27
Within the Abstract: Works by the Contemporary Collective MAY 1 – JULY 29
Asia Mathis: Magnolia MAY 6 – JULY 20
IN THIS ISSUE
5 / Voices of Impact
8 /
12 /
16
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Ink & Inspiration: Clarksville Writers Conference
Founded by Patricia Winn in 2005, the Clarksville Writers Conference celebrates its 20th anniversary and will feature author Margaret Renkl and her brother, artist Billy Renkl, in June, among a host of notable authors.
Pull the Flag. Catch the Ball. Run.
Tennessee is the tenth state to recognize Girls’ Flag Football as an official sport, and only two college scholarships have been awarded in flag football with one going to Sarah Rankhorn, a Montgomery County player.
Women Artists of the West
Homeland is the 55th annual juried exhibition of Women Artists of the West (WAOW). As the oldest juried women's art group in the United States, WAOW has been working to change the omission of women in the arts to a wide-spread celebration of their unique offerings.
100+ Years of Montgomery County Farms
From Pioneer Farms and Tennessee Century Farms, to farms founded by African American families, and walking horse farms, Montgomery County is home to a variety of farms, and many have a unique history and mission.
Golly G’s Scoops with the Museum
Ice cream lovers! The Customs House Museum and Golly G’s have partnered to bring you a new local flavor in honor of the museum.
Due to the rise of book bans, Paul Collins founded Unbannable Library, a traveling exhibition featuring books too big to ban created by local artists and writers. deborahdayart.com
Ranch Horse Remix
Deborah L. Day, 2022, Framed Oil on Canvas, 27x33
Ranch Horse Remix by Deborah L. Day is one of two paintings by Day included in the Women Artists of the West (WAOW) Homeland 55th Annual Juried Exhibition. The Homeland exhibit features more than one hundred works. Read an interview with Jan DeLipsey from Women Artists of the West on page 12.
IntheCollegeofArts&LettersatAustinPeay State University, we celebrate the arts and humanities that make life meaningful. Here, students learn to embrace challenges, thrive incollaboration,andlivewithintention. With us, education is about more than a degree—it’saboutdiscoveringyourvoiceand shapingyourpath. Join a community where creativity meets purpose.
After a 65% surge in censorship directed at books in 2023, the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) documented the highest levels of books targeted since the OIF began tracking titles twenty years ago. Artist Paul Collins, Art + Design professor at Austin Peay State University, founded Unbannable Library as a collaborative project between artists and authors. Unbannable Library is a library-based art exhibition designed to challenge the rise of censorship, and it commemorated Banned Books Week 2024.
“Everyone is affected by book bans,” Collins said. “This is a civic act we’re doing. We’re all taking on new roles and new skills. A lot of people are trying stuff out,” Collins said of the variety of artistic styles and mediums in the final project. Collins made twenty massive blank books, and some of the teams made their own books out of other materials or that were different sizes. For most of the books, local writers and artists collaborated to make a statement together. Individual artists also created books as well.
The massive books that Collins created are waterproof and engage the viewers to interact with the artwork. “This is about suppression of peoples’ voices,” Collins said. “And involving people to interact with those stories.”
Michelle Turner & Jana Gilbert: Frames of Rebellion
Gilbert and Turner chose to focus on Margaret Atwood’s
The Handmaid’s Tale which is included in banned book lists nationwide as well as in Tennessee. They used photography and mixed media, as well as print making techniques, to create a tribute to Atwood’s powerful story. Asked about the significance of their choice, Gilbert and Turner wrote, “Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale is more relevant than ever as it explores themes of gender oppression, totalitarianism, and the erosion of individual rights—issues that are front and center in today's world. By emphasizing this work, we aim to highlight the dangers of censorship and control, and to remind audiences of the importance of protecting freedom and autonomy, especially when these rights are being challenged globally.”
Gilbert and Turner remind everyone: “Artists and writers can combat censorship by creating works that challenge societal norms and push boundaries, encouraging critical thinking and dialogue. By continuing to produce thought-provoking content, they can stand against efforts to suppress ideas and ensure that freedom of expression remains a vital part of cultural discourse.”
Luke Warren: No Book Should Be Invisible
“This book is composed of five separate pillow-like forms. The exterior, or cover, is made entirely of hunter's camouflage fabric, while the interior pages are crafted from bright hunter's orange fabric. The concept behind this piece is to create a book that is hidden, erased, or made invisible through camouflage, serving as a commentary on the banning of books from public libraries. The inspiration comes from one of my father's favorite jokes: camouflage makes everything it's on invisible. I've transformed this idea into a statement on book censorship. Though the book is made to appear invisible, its pages are bright and demand attention. This duality mirrors how hunters wear camouflage to blend in, but also don bright orange to stay safe. The book's pillow form invites viewers to hug, console, or engage with it in a caring gesture. Through these interactions, viewers can show they see and acknowledge the hidden text within. Additionally, I've included a more rigid, bookmark-like form covered in fabric, encouraging further engagement. Viewers are welcome to write in the book or on the bookmark. The plush texture of the forms adds a layer of challenge and intrigue to these interactions.”
Sara Milena Lee Burd & Chalet Comellas: The House of a Poet’s Daughter
For this volume, Sara Milena and Chalet have curated and illustrated quotes, synthesized from three separate banned books that resonated with their own Latinx experiences. With the goal of highlighting missing perspectives in young adult literature, they selected The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo, and I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sánchez. Written in the first person, these books shed light on specific experiences of different immigrant families from an array of countries.
“As a creative team, it was important for us to select books that shed light on Latinx issues, some of which we both confronted as young people growing up in immigrant families. We feel that each author skillfully takes on these serious topics for readers in relatable and comforting ways. It’s a shame that students at some schools have been blocked from accessing these books.”
DC
Thomas, Lorenzo Swinton, & Olasubomi AkaBashorun:
Unbannable Book
Artist DC Thomas said of working on this project: “My writings and paintings are extensions of my life’s stories: who I am, where I’ve been, and where I dream to go. My art is heartily tied to my mother’s life, the angels and the lives of the women who survived so we’d be in this world. Many of these women live in my memories and the symbols I render. This project allowed me to say, through some painful and honeyed words, that my
voice matters in this loud world. Books were my refuge when I was bullied and my tickets to worlds I [was] never afforded to visit when I utterly needed them. Depicting some of my stories, alongside the brilliant artists Lorenzo and Ola, has been an empowering experience for my spirit and a generous opportunity.”
Lorenzo Swinton said of creating a book, “Working with Paul Collins for the Unbannable Library was truly an unbelievable experience; understanding his vision and purpose both challenged and ignited my artistic abilities. Being indulged in operating and running the Gallery, I found myself taking more than a few steps back when it came to creating. When Paul presented the opportunity, I knew that not only could this be a way of showing me that my gift of art matters, but this exploration could be impactful on so many other levels through curation, collaborative and community engagement. It has been an incredible honor to participate and spread awareness to the banned books initiative that will continue to be challenged through the Arts.”
Ciona Rouse & Karen Seapker: Sula
One of the participants, poet Ciona Rouse, is co-host of Banned: A Book Happy Hour at Third Man Records in Nashville at 623 7th Avenue South. Every month, they make sure challenged or banned books get read and discussed.
Mission of Unbannable Library
“The Unbannable Library serves as a platform for dialogue, encouraging conversations about the importance of intellectual freedom. By presenting this exhibit in Middle Tennessee, the project highlights the valuable role libraries play here in fostering knowledge and connection across locations and all ages. These institutions exist to celebrate and not suppress the voices of our communities. Come witness voices from myriad backgrounds converge to reimagine, reinterpret, and celebrate our libraries and the stories that challenge us.”
Next Exhibition
The Clarksville Writers Conference will host a selection from Unbannable Library in the Art + Design Building from June 4-6.
All participants and/or organizations:
MLK Highschool: Good Trouble
TSU Art & Social Practice
Andrea Spofford & Barry Jones: Bent Pages
Lesley Patterson-Marx: Sewing Meditation Box
DC Thomas, Lorenzo Swinton, & Olasubomi Aka-Bashorun: Unbannable Book
Wansoo Kim: Always wanted to read but never opened
Luke Warren: No Book Should Be Invisible
Anfernee Welch & Bandy: Noise Without Permission
Kseniia Bolshakova Welch & Ripley Whiteside: Catching Reindeer
Raymond Deeren & McLean Fahnestock:
Let’s Talk About Let’s Talk About It
Michelle Turner & Jana Gilbert: Frames of Rebellion
Susannah Felts & Billy Renkl: Something Fierce
Benji Anderson & Matt Christy: Orgies of Species
Alexis Ozden & Sophia Macias:
On Earth We Briefly Open Our Eyes
Sara Milena Lee Burd & Chalet Comellas: The House of a Poet’s Daughter
Gina Nigro: Quiet Library
Kelly Ann Graff & Alexis Jones: A Survivor Song
Ali El-Chaer & Patrick Vincent: Banned Books
Gwendolyn Mintz & Ashley Mintz: Junction
Richard Perkins & Marlos Evan: Melancholy Trauma
NPL Bellevue Teens
Bea Troxel & Yanira Vissepo: Snakes
Christine Hall & Paul Collins: Christine Strawberry
Ciona Rouse & Karen Seapker: Sula
paulpaul.com/home.html @unbannablelibrary
BY SHANA THORNTON
1. Frames of Rebellion from the Unbannable Library. Michelle Turner & Jana Gilbert. Multimedia Collage. 2024. Photo by Justin Kaicles.
2. Paul Collins, creator of the Unbannable Library exhibition. Christine Strawberry from the Unbannable Library. Christine Hall & Paul Collins. Multimedia Collage. 2024. Photo by Myranda Harrison.
The Austin Peay State University GuitarFest, now in its 20th year, brings to campus a wide range of guest artists, from APSU alumni to national and international Grammy-winning performers. While primarily a classical guitar festival, GuitarFest also regularly features fingerstyle, flamenco, and jazz guitar. In addition to performances, guest artists work with APSU students in a wide range of workshops, lectures, and masterclass formats. All performances during GuitarFest are free and open to the community except for those co-sponsored by the Clarksville Community Concert Association — these are ticketed events.
This year, APSU hosts performances by the Maharajah Flamenco Trio on Sunday, March 16 at 3:00 p.m. This concert is cosponsored by the Clarksville Community Concert Association, and patrons will need to purchase tickets.
Free concerts take place at 7:30 p.m. in the Mabry Concert Hall from Monday, March 17 through Wednesday, March 19. APSU adjunct guitar professor Colin Isotti, solo guitarist, and APSU alumni, Will and Allison Davis-McKelvey, electric guitarist and violinist, will perform on Monday, March 17. Juanito Pascual, flamenco guitarist, takes the stage on Tuesday, March 18. The final performance will be the Montrose Duo, guitar and oboe, on Wednesday, March 19.
For more information, please contact Dr. Stanley Yates, Professor of Music (Guitar Studies) at yatess@apsu.edu or the APSU Department of Music at (931) 221-7818.
apsu.edu/music/events/
Maharajah Flamenco Trio: mftrio.com
Juanito Pascual: juanitopascual.com
Photo courtesy of APSU PR and Marketing
INK AND INSPIRATION:
CELEBRATING THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE CLARKSVILLE WRITERS CONFERENCE
By Cresta McGowan
Every writer embraces the thrill of that first spark—an idea, a character, a sentence—that won’t let go. As it celebrates 20 years, the Clarksville Writers Conference has ignited creativity and helped writers tell their own stories. The conference is not just about the stories told, but the community built around the art of writing.
“For our 20th celebration, our keynote will be a sister and brother team, Margaret and Billy Renkl. We are thrilled that they’ve accepted," said Laurina Lyle, director of Clarksville Writers Conference. Lyle shared that the choice of keynote speakers and writers comes from participants’ feedback on “what
they’d like to learn and improve upon in the upcoming conference. Once we know their wishes, it’s a matter of finding speakers and workshop leaders to fit their needs and who are available to attend.”
Started by Patricia Winn in 2005, the conference has grown exponentially over the years, bringing in engaging authors, agents, and speakers. Dr. Ellen Kanervo took over as director after Patricia retired. She shared the mission of the conference, which is “to encourage artistic creativity and pay homage to Clarksville's importance in the literary Southern Renaissance of the 1920s.”
As an attendee for more than eight years, the conference has become a home for me—a place to reignite my writing and creativity each summer. The breadth and depth of classes are sure to pique any writer’s interest. I have immersed myself in the exploration of creative nonfiction with Dr. Amy Wright and honed my romance writing skills with Jeanne Hardt, author of more than twenty books.
It’s this attention to detail that makes the conference a standout event, and this year’s gathering is no exception.
While the conference has expanded over the years, its format remains true to Patricia’s vision of “working with a
steering committee to select authors we thought [would] be informative and entertaining and [attending] the Southern Festival of Books every fall to judge speaking skills as well as [evaluate] what we knew about an author’s written works,” Kanervo said. This hands-on approach ensures that the conference not only features talented writers but also dynamic speakers who can captivate an audience.
One notable addition to the conference tradition has been the Patricia Winn Prize for Southern Literature. “The prize has become a highlight of the event, with each year’s winner delivering the keynote address at the banquet,” Kanervo said. This award not only honors exceptional Southern writers but also cements the conference’s commitment to celebrating regional voices.
The banquets are truly unforgettable events. You find yourself immersed among the writers, rubbing elbows with those who have turned their creative dreams into reality. Authors mingle with the crowd, signing books and sharing stories that trace their journey from idea to publication. The keynote speaker commands the room, guiding everyone through the literary world with a captivating, yet approachable charm, offering a reminder that one day, this could be you, too.
It’s this “approachable charm” that extends into the larger community. Lyle envisions the conference being a
beacon to the local writing community, “Telling one's story is so important to a community... Our stories offer a better understanding of who we are and what we mean to each other, what we hold dear, and our hopes for the future... The Clarksville Writers Conference supports writers and would-be writers in having the courage to write. We also welcome readers who want to be better readers. Writers need readers.” Furthermore, the conference encourages writers to create communities that support one another. As Kanervo said, “At the end of the 2006 conference, four of us attending huddled to see how we could keep our enthusiasm high. We decided to meet once a month to read and critique our work [and] as a group, we have written and published four novels or memoirs, two academic books, and edited and published five local history books.” The conference provides an avenue to support its attendees long after the three-day event concludes.
For the 20th event, June 4 - 6, 2025, Lyle shared that the lineup is going to be truly fabulous “from nature writing [with] Margaret Renkl to historical fiction, to memoir... a veteran who has written about his experiences in the Vietnam War [and] a writer of fantastical fiction!” Variety is a cornerstone of the event, and the classes are intimate, offering plenty of opportunities for meaningful interaction and personalized feedback. Some workshops offer opportunities to write, reflect, and share, while others provide tips and tricks to overcome imposter syndrome or writer’s block. By the end, everyone leaves feeling inspired, with a renewed desire to put pen to paper.
Future goals for the conference include sharing the event far and wide. Lyle noted, “We want more people to know about us and attend our conference.” She hopes
that “someone reading this article with a story in their heart to tell... decides to take the leap, make the commitment. [Our] invitation is open to all, and we welcome them to take the next step and sign up for the conference. We want young writers—high school and college students—to attend because they are our future. We want older writers to attend as well, for they are the wisdom keepers of our community."
As a longtime attendee, the Clarksville Writers Conference holds a special place in my heart. It’s more than just a series of workshops; it’s a gathering of like minds, all passionate about the written word. Each year, I leave not only with new tools for my writing journey but also with a renewed sense of purpose and a connection to the creative community. The conference reminds me that the art of writing is never solitary—it's shared, nurtured, and celebrated together. Whether you're an aspiring writer, a seasoned author, or simply someone who loves stories, this event has something to offer you. As Lyle notes, “We all have a story to tell.”
clarksvillewritersconference.com
Cresta McGowan has called Clarksville home for the last 22 years and is a proud Army wife. She teaches English at The Middle College at Austin Peay State University and currently attends Emerson College pursuing her MFA in Fiction and Publishing.
1. Dr. Ann Silverberg in a writing workshop. Courtesy of Laurina Lyle.
2. Man writing in ledger at desk. Photo from Methodist Collection. Courtesy of APSU Special Collections and Archives.
It’s early March, and I’m standing on a local high school football field. The air is cold—the kind of cold that makes you wish you had on more layers. Yet, here on this field, something special is slowly taking shape.
A handful of teenage girls are prepping for flag football, the first pilot season of its kind. They’re wearing shorts—a concerning sight, given the cold. No helmets, no heavy pads. Just flags at their waists and cleats on their feet.
I still remember the text that got me here. A short message from Aaron King, a former student of mine who is now coaching at West Creek. He asks if I would consider making a documentary about this inaugural season. “Female athletics isn’t covered enough,” Coach King reminds me.
Girls’ flag football? Sports isn’t exactly my background. I’m both honored and hesitant, worried I may misunderstand or misrepresent a sport I barely know. But community stories, especially those of strong, determined women, are stories I love filming, no matter how far outside my comfort zone they seem.
And these young athletes stole my heart with their confidence and enthusiasm. Soon, I’d be following them across seven Montgomery County high schools, camera in tow, hoping to shape their story into something they’d find meaningful.
We open the film with West Creek’s Leilyn Mercado charging full speed at the quarterback.
“I’m tiny. I’m grumpy. I’m fierce.” And she means it.
We see her in super slow-motion beauty, highlighting the small things we usually miss in real time—the slight shift of weight, a juke move caught mid-air in dreamlike tempo, quick passes, subtle fakes, and crucial flag pulls. It’s football stripped to its essence, more reliant on footwork than force.
Tennessee is now the tenth state to make flag football official. Thanks to support from local high schools and sponsors like the Tennessee Titans, Nike, and the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA), the girls have equipment, uniforms, fields—and a place in the sport’s future.
These athletes—compelling characters determined to win— understand the significance. Many of them, barely old enough to drive, are so dynamic, so artful on the field. I’m grateful for the opportunity to capture it.
“We made history,” one player tells me, and it’s true. They did. It’s exactly the kind of story worth telling. Lots of action, conflict, suspense, uncertainty, and the potential for heartbreak. You can’t help but root for them.
“You’re putting points on the scoreboard,” Montgomery Central’s Sarah Rankhorn explains. “And, it’s amazing.”
“Everything was with a purpose,” adds Northwest’s QB, Kariyah Apker. “My movement, my throwing, my running.” Many come from other sports—soccer, track, wrestling, volleyball, basketball—and carry that athleticism and competitive spirit with them.
“I wanted to win so bad,” Kinleigh Lewis says. She’s the quarterback for West Creek, and their motto defines the season: #ExpectToWin. “Confidence wins ball games,” Coach King explains. Kinleigh would go on to be nominated for the Maxwell Award, the National Player of the Year award presented to the best flag football player in the nation by the NFL.
Flag football has its own kind of pacing: two 20-minute halves with a running clock. “Rules are a little different, the no contact on the receivers. You don't have the upfront play of the offensive and defensive line. It's not nearly as physical,” explains Montgomery Central’s Coach Bill Youngquist. Coach King adds, “Even if you go out of bounds, that clock continues to run.”
Coaches with tackle backgrounds must rethink the game—use misdirection, spread the field, and let speed and skill take over.
“With flag being brand new, some of the girls did not necessarily have that foundation of football,” West Creek Coach Keisha Fedderman points out. “So not only did they have to learn basic football rules, but they also had to learn the flag rules.”
In other words, almost everyone is a beginner with no established reputation. It is all a little rough around the edges. Humbling, in fact. I had no idea how difficult it is to follow the ball through the lens, gaining a newfound respect for my sports colleagues. More than once, I'm told to reduce the number of girls in the film, but if you'd met them, you'd understand.
Rick Goodwin and I spend the first couple weeks filming schools with a tradition of winning in tackle. We soon realize the story is unfolding elsewhere.
Montgomery Central coaches Youngquist and Lehman guide a team that had gone 0-23 in basketball the previous season. Many of the same girls suit up for the new sport. They are nervous. “Central, we don't win…like, literally anything,” says Libby Dominiak. Sarah adds, “In basketball, we never even won a game. And that was pretty tough as a senior.”
I have my own connection to Central having spent my high school years in its unique pod design. Still inspired by its architecture, I’m back, excited for the girls, excited for the school, and excited to document these same fields where we once cheered the boys playing football.
“We were a small team,” Coach Keri Lehman tells me. “Most of our girls played both sides—defense and offense. They wanted to prove everybody wrong.”
And, they do. They start winning.
“And, we kept on winning,” Libby shares. “I was like, Gosh darn.”
Sarah adds, “I'm not used to that at all.” The team found hope in Sarah, who would sign the first flag football college scholarship in
Montgomery County—only the second in the entire state.
Coach Youngquist sees it as character, highlighting the girls ‘no quit’ attitude. “If you can go 20-something basketball games and lose every one of them and still show up to practice, that says a lot about your character.”
Montgomery Central goes undefeated into the playoffs against Northwest. “When we played them, I was in shock,” says Northwest’s QB, Kariyah. “They were diving, hitting the ground, catching the ball. I was like, these are real NFL players. I had never seen people play flag football that well.”
After Northwest’s loss, Coach Sonia Franklin delivers a message, “Do not beat yourselves up. You went out and gave it 110%.
Ambition. The one who says it cannot be done is generally being passed up by the someone who's doing it. Y'all were doing it. You had the first inaugural year. First, you are a legacy in your own.”
It is a bittersweet moment to capture, and it hits close to home. The documentary is a love letter to that spirit. To the idea that you don’t have to have all the answers to try. “Dedication. Being a team player. It’s not an option,” Coach Lehman says. “It’s a commitment.”
Across town, West Creek beats Clarksville High and sets up the championship with Montgomery Central. Two underdog teams with a lot to prove, both ultimately earn championships against each other. Montgomery Central and West Creek now stand as local legends woven into our sports history.
They took a chance—on that cold field, on themselves, on each other. Sometimes, that’s all it takes—a willingness to show up.
FLAG Football, the documentary, corresponds with the “Women in Sports” exhibition through September 14 at the Customs House Museum. The inaugural MFC National Flag Football Player of the Year award will be presented March 14 during the 88th Maxwell Awards at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, Georgia.
Karen is a documentary filmmaker and associate professor at Austin Peay where she teaches documentary and video production. Her short film Clarksville 1937, with Kathy Lee Heuston, won Best Documentary Short at the 2018 Nashville Film Festival. She also directed Tennessee Triumph with Heuston, celebrating Clarksville’s monument to 100 years of women’s suffrage.
1. Northwest High School quarterback, Kariyah, holds up an opponent’s flag during a game.
2. Maxwell Award nominee, Kinleigh, the West Creek High School quarterback, passes the ball during the 2024 season. Kinleigh is the only player from TN to be nominated for the national award.
3. Montgomery Central High School girls flag football team won the second pilot season championship against West Creek. All photos courtesy of Karen Bullis.
WOMEN ARTISTS OF THE WEST (WAOW) Homeland
Women Artists of the West (WAOW) Homeland is the 55th national juried exhibition. WAOW is dedicated to encouraging, inspiring, and promoting professional women artists. Homeland is on view at the Customs House Museum & Cultural Center until May 4.
INTERVIEW BETWEEN SHANA THORNTON OF SECOND & COMMERCE AND JAN MARIE DELIPSEY OF WAOW
Shana Thornton: First, thank you so much for agreeing to the interview and for bringing the artwork of these amazing artists to Clarksville.
Women Artists of the West was originally born out of the desire for inclusion in the professional art world, and it has expanded its mission in the past to be even more inclusive of women artists from the Western Hemisphere. How does the organization continue to do outreach to fulfill the mission of inclusion in the professional art world? What challenges have you faced as women in the art world, and how has WAOW supported you in overcoming them?
Jan Marie DeLipsey: Contemporary women artists are still grossly underrepresented in visual arts, whether it be in museum acquisitions, museum holdings, national exhibitions across the country, or galleries. This is not just my opinion; it bears out statistically and is easily seen when walking into any national exhibition or show – most of the nametags of exhibiting artists are worn by men. To be clear, I am not whining about where we are with gender parity; rather, I am active in working to change it.
WAOW continues to work with high profile national museums like the Woolaroc or Phippen Museums and galleries, such as the Customs House, to raise up women artists. WAOW has lifted incredible women artists to a national profile, and all they needed was a boost to be seen.
ST: If your group does not invite men, do some artists feel that you are discriminating against male artists the way that women artists were discriminated against?
JMD: No, it is always about the work first. The work must be strong and competitive which women have demonstrated they can do. The real question is, with so many great women artists in our country, why do we not see more gender balance in museums, galleries, and exhibitions?
ST: Why do you all think it is important to continuously reaffirm the sentiment and practice of inclusion within the professional art world? And what do you hope that communicates to young artists?
JMD: We live in a culturally diverse country. In fact, we are exceptionally rich in visual arts because of the wide range of themes, forms, and representations born through differing cultures and experiences.
And, although women comprise close to 51% of the population, and more than that as working artists, we are a long way from parity. Less than 12% of the acquisitions of prominent American museums over the last decade were of work by women.
I am concerned that these trends are discouraging to young women artists. WAOW has made some in-roads with increasing the visibility of women artists in high profile museums and shows but progress has been slow.
It takes a group like ours to promote women AS WELL AS a museum or gallery who ALSO is willing to work to that end. Parity cannot be achieved without partnership, and I particularly want to credit the Woolaroc Museum
in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, for their commitment to support women artists with their first all-women western art show in 2024.
ST: You have a membership of over 300 women artists, and they must be accepted by a jury to become a part of the organization. Could you explain that process for those who might not know what a jury does in an arts organization? How does WAOW try to fulfill the mission of representing those artists and giving them opportunities? In what ways does WAOW encourage collaboration or mentorship among its members?
JMD: WAOW is the oldest women’s juried art group in the United States. We jury because we want women who are committed to improving their professionalism, the quality of their work, and who are willing to invest in their own success. We jury several times a year and require a new member to already have a dedicated art website and body of work before applying for membership.
Once in WAOW, we offer educational scholarships, support and materials, regularly scheduled mentoring critique groups across the United States, an in-house closed online group for discussion of a variety of issues or questions, and opportunities for in-house shows, national exhibitions, and invitational shows at high profile venues. All of these opportunities come with the membership into WAOW at no extra cost to the member.
ST: For the exhibition at the Customs House Museum, this will be your 55th annual juried exhibition, are all the exhibitions juried that your organization participates in? What is the difference between a juried show and other exhibitions?
JMD: The National and the Invitational shows are by invitation only. This being said, the artist must apply to these shows and the work is scrutinized by a jury blind to the identity of the artist.
ST: What styles and types of artworks can visitors expect to see in this exhibition at the Customs House Museum?
JMD: WAOW is unusual in that we exhibit two-dimensional art, paintings, and three-dimensional art, sculpture. We are also unusual in the variety of mediums and subject matter in our shows.
ST: What do you hope that visitors take away from the exhibition?
JMD: A sense of well-being and inspiration. Art connects us to things we love. It is part of our DNA as humans, we make art, we make music, we dance… these things give us joy. And, there will definitely be visitors who take away a work of art to love for a lifetime.
ST: Thank you so much for agreeing to the interview.
2. Naomi Shacar. Well Deserved. Oil. 36 x 24. nomika.info waow.orgl Jdelipsey.coml
1. Cathy Trachock. The Welcome Home. Oil. 20 x 20. cathrynetrachok.com
100+ YEARS OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY FARMS
Allendale - Pioneer Century Farm
In Montgomery County, Allendale is one of the oldest registered farms, as a Pioneer Century Farm established in 1796, the same year Montgomery County was founded. The land was deeded to Revolutionary War Militia Captain Abraham Allen, and sometime around 1796, he built a log home on the land. A second log home was built, and later a federalstyle brick attachment was added in 1858. The family is proud to declare that both homes are still lived in now, in 2025.
With more than 2,100 Century Farms registered in Tennessee, Allendale Farm is one of middle TN's oldest Century Farms. Due to the early 19th century l-house, the brick federal style home, and the terraced fields, Allendale Farm is historically significant for its architectural and cultural importance and is listed on the National Register. It was the site of Austin Peay State University’s demonstration farm program during the mid-twentieth century. According to the National Register of Historic Places, the farm has many historical resources.
The family works together to preserve the stories of their ancestors, so that future family members will understand the significance of six generations caring for the homes and land. A registered Tennessee Century Farm is defined as participating in 100 years of continuous agricultural production on the same land by the same family. The designation is meant to be a sign of preservation and Tennessee’s way of honoring those families who have been dedicated to the state’s agricultural industry.
To be considered a TN Century Farm, four requirements must be met. First, ten acres or more of the original farm owned by the founder(s) must still be family-owned. At Allendale, the family still has two hundred acres of the original land grant, which was about 1,275 acres. The second requirement is that the farm must produce at least $1000 in annual revenue. Allendale is still maintained as a cattle farm today. Third, the farm must be in the family continuously for 100 years or more, with proof of the founding date, and a list showing all family owners from founder to present. Finally, at least one owner must be a current TN resident. At Allendale, the owners live on the farm, and they have documented all the owners, enshrined their portraits and artifacts throughout the homes, and continued to tell the stories of their family’s relationship to the land since they arrived in 1796.
“Our dad always told us that when the family got here, they built shelters at first, to clear land and set out crops,” Bailey Allen said. “And then they built the three homes. It was called subsistence farming. They planted and grew whatever they needed. Grain for the livestock and themselves, just what they needed to get by.”
The house is a log house, not a cabin, and the family explained that the logs are from trees that were living in the 1700s, and many of the furnishings and items the family used through the years since 1796 are still present in the homes.
Allen Sr. was quick to remind his children, including Bailey, that there’s a difference between a log house and a cabin. The family is pretty sure that there were at least three log houses on the property at one point, but now just two remain. One of them was empty for years, and it was said some sheep got stuck in there once and locked themselves in. Most century farms have stories just like this one, in which the families hung hams from the ceilings of the cabins and many other uses over the years.
Log houses were larger structures than cabins, which were typically exceedingly small. The Allendale log homes contain two stories with two bedrooms upstairs, are built from hand-hewn tulip poplar logs from trees felled on the property, and house fireplaces made from TN limestone. Constructed in a traditional Scottish style in which front and back doors align, the story of the log homes was passed down through the family. The children learned the alignment of the doors was so that cows could be brought in through the front, milked in the kitchen, and exited through the back door. “They didn’t have to turn the cow around when they were finished milking,” Bailey explained.
While no one in the Allen family has milked cows in a house in over a century or more, the cattle business is one they know well. William Bailey Allen, whose profession was dentistry, continued his father’s legacy. Allen Sr. was an only child, and he savored the stories and shared them with his children. He received a beef cow from his father in about 1930 or so according to the family, and that started the whole cattle situation. He experimented with breeding. Allen Sr. was known as an innovative cattle breeder who also taught agriculture at Austin Peay State University. He kept meticulous records.
“First, we had straight Herefords,” Bailey said. “Then he got more into experimenting. He crossed the Hereford with the Black Angus, and most of those came out with a black body and a white face. He called those Black Baldies. Then, he crossed the Black Angus with a German breed called Gelbvieh, and they called that Balancer. That’s what we have now, a herd of Balancers.” Growing up, Bailey had a cow and did 4-H, as did all the grandchildren.
Allen Sr. also grew tobacco, but the family is no longer in the industry. Bailey felt loyal to the family farm once his father needed to retire, so he continued the cattle farm. As well as cross breeding cattle, Allen Sr. pursued terraced agricultural practices and helped to sustain Montgomery County’s farming reputation.
Allen Sr. lived to be 101 years old, passing away in 2023. About every five years, Allendale opens itself up so the family can return for a reunion, and they journey from five different states. When you think about it, with so many generations, the Allen family’s ancestors were born in one of the two homes.
From the handbuilt barn and homes to progressive cattlebreeding practices, Allendale has added to Clarksville's heritage. Indeed, Allendale has a rich history as one of Montgomery County’s formative families.
1. Allendale Pioneer Century Farm. Photo by Summer Lucio, 2024.
Barely Do Century Farm
In 1923, Laura Elizabeth Durrett established the Barely Do Farm on 600 acres. She and her husband, Samuel Dawson Durrett, grew wheat and corn.
“She was a woman before her time,” Susan Durrett Nicholson said of her great-great grandmother. “She had four boys. They came to Clarksville in 1908, and they bought Ringgold Mill, which is no longer with us. They were millers, so they grew wheat.”
“We still have wheat planted out there—it's all winter wheat,” Susan said referring to the farm now, which is owned by Susan and her two sisters, Shelton and Mary Frances.
Laura and Samuel’s four sons eventually inherited the Barely Do Farm. Dawson Winfield Durrett Sr., one of those sons, began a family nearby at Ringgold Mill and home. As an inventor, he held patents as a millwright, and he was an ingenious builder. He felled American chestnut trees in Stewart County, cured them, and built a new log house in 1933 on property where he moved his young family. They loved the new homeplace, but they soon heard rumors that the U.S. government was looking for a location to build a new fort in order to train soldiers during World War II. In fact, Durrett Sr.’s family gave up their home and property for the establishment of the fort in 1942. The Log House is still used by Fort Campbell today. The sisters have returned twice to see it, thanks to invitations from Fort Campbell leaders.
“This was just a big farm for the family until Fort Campbell, and then they had to move over here,” Susan said of the Barely Do Farm property.
“Our dad said that his parents never ever complained,” Shelton said. “He said that it was so wonderful how people came together
for their country.”
Durrett Sr.’s family moved into Barely Do Farm, where Durrett Sr. built a new home modeled after both the Ringgold Mill house and the Log House at Fort Campbell. He even used some leftover American chestnut boards from the Fort Campbell log house on the interior of the new home.
“These are some of the last places to be built with healthy American chestnut trees,” Susan said. “We’re just so blessed. My sisters and I have been lucky enough to hold onto it. Shelton is the farm manager.”
"It’s kind of frightening,” Shelton said, laughing.
Currently, Barely Do Farm is co-owned by the three sisters, and many of the original structures are still present on the farm.
Returning to the subject of their grandfather’s building skills, Shelton said, “They didn’t use any nails. He made the columns and everything. All on his own.”
“It is such a wonderful responsibility and kind of scary,” Susan said. “One bad crop is a loss.”
As the sisters described Barely Do Farm, their love and reverence were evident. Susan pointed out all the woodwork and furniture made by their grandfather. “Even the molds for the columns on the front of the house are in the workshop out there,” Susan said. “He built the workshop first, so he had all his tools here.”
“He was always so humble about it,” Shelton said.
Mary Frances shared her fond memories, too, “It was like a breath of fresh air—hay bales, cattle, corn, and wheat. It was simply
wonderful. I loved my Memoo and Papa.”
The sisters’ love and respect for their family is evident, as they didn’t want to leave anyone out of the story. Susan showed the way to their grandmother’s music room, where an antique piano and historical furniture, pictures, and artifacts adorn the space.
“She was the church pianist at Bethel,” Susan said. “The little church right there in the median of 41A.”
As fate would have it, their grandmother, Mary Fessey Durrett, actually saved the church so that Clarksvillians would know it today. In the process of Fort Campbell’s construction, when the plans to build 41A showed that they planned to demolish the church, Mary wrote a letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt asking him to spare the church.
“That’s why there’s two sides of the highway there instead of one,” Susan said. The Ringgold Civitan Club honored Mrs. Mary Fessey Durrett with an award for service and devotion to the community.
At the Barely Do Farm, Durrett Sr. and Mary, his wife, had two children. They raised wheat and corn and got into the cattle farming business. Their son, Dawson Winfield Durrett Jr., took over the family farm, and his three daughters, Mary Frances, Shelton, and Susan, grew up there. The three daughters have hired family friend, Donnie Edwards, to help manage the farm.
In 2023, they went through the process of Century farm registration and certification. The farm continues to produce wheat, corn, and soybeans on 500 acres.
“This is a good farm,” Susan said. “It’s flat, the soil is so fertile, and we’ve got a creek.”
During the holiday season of 2023, the tornado that hurt the West Creek community also destroyed many trees on part of the Barely Do Farm. “The creek runs back there where the woods are, and that was such a sanctuary. When we were growing up, it was so beautiful,” Shelton said.
“When we were under all of that duress from the tornado, we were applying for the Century Farm certification,” Susan said. "It turned 100 on January 17, 2023.”
The Crib, which used to be a corn crib for the Barely Do Farm, continues to function as a roadside produce stand along Peacher’s Mill Road during the spring, summer, and fall. Presented by Corn Silk Farms in 2023, Dawson Durrett Jr. was honored posthumously for the award-winning yield of 107 bushels average of wheat per acre.
Shelton described how her father, Dawson Durrett Jr., continued to practice medicine while keeping the farm going. “He would just be exhausted sometimes,” Shelton said. “He took us with him sometimes on house calls, and we’d wait in the back of the car. I remember his little doctor bag. He was so dear. He spent his life serving people.”
The three sisters all see the farm as a blessing with which their family entrusted them.
“Six generations have had this farm, and now we’re the old people,” Shelton said of the sisters. “We are them,” she said and pointed to their ancestors’ photos hanging on the walls of the home that Durrett Sr. built for the family.
1. Mary Frances, Susan, and Shelton Durrett with their grandfather, Winfield Durrett, Sr., circa 1967. Courtesy of Susan Durrett Nicholson.
2. Barely Do Century Burley Tobacco Barn. Photo by Summer Lucio, 2024.
Kennedy Walking Horse Farm
2025 marks the 125th anniversary of the Kennedy Walking Horse Farm in the St. Bethlehem area of Montgomery County. Since 1900, when Robert Whitfield, Kevin Kennedy’s greatgrandfather, put down roots and established the Kennedy Walking Horse Farm, the horses, the land, and the family have seen transformation and relied on one another to maintain the family’s legacy. Maggie Whitfield inherited the farm, and she married C.P. Kennedy; thus, the Kennedy surname became the farm’s namesake.
“For 125 years, there has always been a horse on the farm,” Kennedy declared proudly. “It is a place of hope. My grandchildren are the sixth generation. We are one of the oldest horse farms left in the city.”
To consider the passage of time in those 125 years is daunting, but Kennedy understands the hard work, sacrifice, and achievements of generations who maintained the family farm, including his own children. Prior to them, generations of the family did so through World Wars I and II, Depression era scarcity, and changes in the family’s expectations.
“When they first got the farm, they were using horses and buggies, so we’ve bred a lot of horses through the years,” Kennedy said. “My daddy took it to a whole new level, and I’ve sold some fine horses all over the nation.”
The horses have heard the earth tremble with both applause and the growth of the city where generations of their relatives have been bred and grown up. Though smaller in acreage and livestock than its original farmstead, the Kennedy Walking Horse Farm remained through it all—including the construction of Wilma
Rudolph and Warfield Boulevards. The horses learned to walk alongside generations of Kennedy children, even Rhonda and Kevin Kennedy’s own three children, Kevin Jr., Kenny, and Katie.
“Nothing brings me as much happiness as a newborn foal on the farm,” Kennedy said. “It is indescribable joy. I’ve never met anybody who didn’t appreciate the beauty of a horse. It has been very expensive, and I said at the 100th anniversary, that the farm is a labor of love. My dad got to see it, and we knew he wouldn’t be here for the 125th, but my kids will get to see both. Even when it’s real cold or hot, you’ve still got to hold the line. It costs a lot of money to sell them, to breed them, to advertise. The farm has gone hand-in-hand with the law firm. The roots are all connected.”
Award-winning breeders and riders, the Kennedy’s reputation in the walking horse world provided the opportunity to sell horses to the likes of boxing legend George Foreman and bluegrass musician Bill Monroe. Foreman purchased four white horses for his children from Kennedy, and Monroe bought two horses and took Kennedy to his own farm and the Grand Ole Opry.
Kennedy has given away horses over the years. The Kennedy Walking Horse Farm has provided free horses to ministries and nonprofit organizations. The horses visit schools and churches in order to give everyone a chance to see horses, but children are Kennedy’s central focus for sharing the horses.
"I love horses. I have a real passion for them,” Kennedy said. “I’ve ridden horses all my life. At one time, I set a goal to own 100 horses, and I ended up with 108 because they just kept having babies. At the height, we had about sixty ponies. We had miniature horses, too. We love to share the farm. I even rode my
white horse in one of the largest military support rallies in the history of Clarksville. I led the parade, holding the American flag, and a veteran stopped us and saluted me and that white horse.”
The stories about Kennedy’s involvement in community and commerce lend themselves to the pathways of legends. He has authored two books about horses and the Kennedy Walking Horse Farm. In the 1990s, Maxwell House Coffee Company featured the Kennedy walking horses in a national advertising campaign and television commercial. Prior to that, Kennedy horses appeared at the Fort Aldridge movie ranch, just outside of Nashville, and were film extras. They also owned one of the world’s smallest horses in the early 2000s. Kennedy is proud to tell the stories of the Kennedy Walking Horse Farm, but his greatest pride is in his family. He beams when sharing stories about his ancestors and his three children, and yet he is equally as enthusiastic about their accomplishments outside of the farm.
“Both of my sons are doctors,” Kennedy said. “Both were class president of Rossview High School, and both were student body president of Austin Peay. My daughter was Miss Rossview High, Miss Tennessee High, Miss National Teen and came back and won Miss APSU. My wife, Rhonda, was an accomplished educator and was named Tennessee Principal of the Year by the State of Tennessee, in 2005.”
If you recognize the name, Kevin Kennedy, it is most likely from his community involvement and TikTok success, and he is nicknamed the “TikTok Lawyer,” a title that he has earned from his famous social media presence. He owns the Kennedy Law Firm, PLLC.
“I’ve been a lifelong resident of Montgomery County,” Kennedy said proudly. “My father was a barber, and my mother worked at Northern Bank. My grandfather was a farmer and became a magistrate, so politics have been in our life. When I was in fourth grade, my daddy said that I ought to take up public speaking in the 4-H club, so I listened to him. My mother helped me write the speech, and my daddy helped with delivery, and I won a number of speech contests. This also led to me speaking at the National Trial Lawyers convention. I love speaking to people, and I love people speaking to me.”
Kennedy is skilled at merging all the aspects in his life together and seeing how they have made impacts in his life—from his ancestors’ goals for the horse farm to his parents’ advice, to his own business acumen that pushed him into the roles of lawyer, author, horse breeder, and leader. He stated upon reflection, “God has been good to us.”
1. Three generations with Kennedy horses, Kevin Kennedy Sr., Kevin Jr., and Laurence Kennedy.
2. Kevin Sr. in 1963 trying to learn a trick on his pony, Buttercup.
3. Kevin Sr. riding his horse, Victory, at the Military Support Rally in Clarksville during the Persian Gulf War. Over 5,000 people attended the rally. Photos Courtesy of Kevin Kennedy.
Eldridge Farms
Eldridge Farms is an African American-founded family operation, passed down from Hoover Eldridge, the 96-year-old patriarch, who has always taught his children to have a love for the land. Currently, each of Hoover's surviving children including Tony, Tim, Darwin, Ron, and Melissa, and their sister-in-law, Diane, in Manassas, Virginia, plays a role in Eldridge Farms. Diane is the widow of the eldest son, Herb.
According to Darwin, the known origin of their farming operation dates to around 1881, when Darwin’s great grandfather, Tiney Eldridge, purchased a farm on Honey Fork Creek Road in Indian Mound, Stewart County, Tennessee.
“When he died, the agreement was that the farm, which consisted of over 120 acres, would be deeded to my grandfather, Roosevelt Eldridge, if he took care of his mother, Mary Eliza Johnson Eldridge,” Darwin said. “In the 1940s, my grandfather purchased the farm I now own and reside on. It consists of about 101 acres. Eventually, our father, Hoover Eldridge along with our mother, the late Gladys Ervin Eldridge, purchased various farms in the St. Paul community of Montgomery County. The farming operation eventually grew to about 600 acres and now the operation is around 300 acres.”
Tony Eldridge runs the operation now, and he represents the fourth generation of Eldridge farmers. The original farming operation consisted of what families had to raise to live and provide for income. Eldridge Farms has always and continues to be involved in tobacco farming. Row crops such as corn, wheat, and soybeans were raised on the farm. Hay production was and continues to be produced on the farm.
One year, Tony raised hemp. “You could smell it the moment you came upon the farm!” Darwin said. “Relative to livestock, cattle, top hogs, chickens, guineas, and ducks have been raised on our farm. Interestingly, as children we participated in 4-H club. Each year we would participate in the poultry project and get about 100 pullets that we were responsible for raising and showing about six in the poultry show. Of the remaining chickens, we would have eggs for family consumption as well as slaughter and put them in the freezer. Those were fun days, wringing the necks of those chickens with our mother, grandmother, and siblings. The farm was great for my parents when raising five boys and one girl! Precious memories!”
One of the major changes in farming over the years has been the costs of inputs or supplies into the operation. The cost of farming implements has increased along with the supplies needed to raise crops.
“Labor costs are horrendous as well as the availability of American labor,” Darwin said. “Eldridge Farms now relies totally on workers from Mexico to perform tasks on the farm. We have been using them for many years and consider them family. Several of the workers have been in our operation for ten or more
years. It is nearly impossible to find an American who wants to work on the farm. Whereas, in the past you could go to town and find day laborers. Now that is not possible.”
Darwin further points out that regulations have a substantial impact on the operation. For example, when using the workers from Mexico, the farmer is required to provide housing for the workers along with paying a mandated hourly wage. When the Eldridge siblings were growing up, it was truly a family operation. The six children would work alongside their grandfather, father, and mother in the fields. They stripped the tobacco together, put up the hay, and ran the cattle between farms as a family. “Now, you just don’t see that,” Darwin said.
Tobacco is the one major traditional crop that Eldridge Farms has been known for. “That Tony is continuing to raise top grade tobacco means so much to me,” Darwin said. “It just brings back great memories of my childhood and to think that for more than 60 years, closer to 100 years, I have lived on land that belongs to an African American farming family who has been in the production of tobacco for several generations!”
Darwin emphasizes that Tony has done an excellent job remaining innovative when it comes to farming practices. He takes advantage of all learning opportunities to maximize the productivity of the farm. He is truly a life-long learner.
“If there is a new initiative, then you can bet he will be involved in learning about it,” Darwin said.
Tony has positioned himself in a way to take advantage of information and programs available to small farmers through Tennessee State University and the local agriculture extension agents. He has brought a new level of diversity to the farm.
“Whereas, in the past we did the traditional crops here at Eldridge Farms, he now grows various produce items such as the highly sought after Tony Redd’s strawberries, turnip and mustard greens, broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, cabbage, okra, pumpkins, watermelons, and various other vegetables and fruits,” Darwin said. “He has added two hot house tunnels to his farming practice. These allow for vegetable growth in what would be considered an off season.”
Additionally, they lease some acreage to another farmer for soybeans. To maximize the revenue from the farm, the hunting rights are leased annually through a leasing company as well.
In addition to traditional crops and farm produce, Tony and Melissa have moved into Agritourism. In October of each year, Tony has the Harvest Fest, lasting two or three weekends, that features a corn maze and hayrides over the farm. Some years the hayrides have been at night and include a visit around the cemetery on the farm and in the community, as well as the old cabin on the back side of the place. This has added a great spooky feature, especially near Halloween. There are bouncy
houses, food trucks, merchandise vendors, produce sales, and face painting. Each attendee can get a pumpkin from the patch.
In the Spring, Melissa has the Strawberry Jam, which is a music festival. Some of the music acts who have performed include Stacy Mitchhart, Demita Northern, Entice Band, T-Lyons, Unkle Funk and friends, Nigel Perkins, SRJR productions, Lamar Productions, DJ Butterfly, Mandy Moon, and the nationally known Tina Brown. In addition to the live music performances, the Jam has much of the same set up as the Harvest Fest, the kids’ entertainment area, food trucks, and vendors. All events on the farm are family-inclusive and open to anyone.
Eldridge Farms believes it is important to provide these events for several reasons. One of the major reasons is that families in the rural areas can have a safe and fun outlet for family time and bonding as a unit. Families and church groups come from Montgomery, Stewart, Houston, Dickson, and Davidson counties. Many look forward to the annual events and plan to make the trip to St. Paul.
“Our events provide an economical avenue for family recreation in a rural setting,” Darwin said. “Also, our events are not just geared to the farm making money. But they allow other small businesses in the community and from afar to showcase and sell their
merchandise. I know of at least one vendor who comes from west Tennessee to vend their merchandise. There are others who come from Kentucky and Nashville.”
Having grown up a member of the Future Farmers of America (FFA) and 4-H Club, Tony has developed relationships with the area FFA groups. These young people visit the farm and learn about the operation of Eldridge Farms. Additionally, several church groups come to the Harvest Fest and Strawberry Jam.
“When youth and young adults come to Eldridge Farms, we hope they realize the freedom that comes with being outside,” Darwin said. “Also, they realize there is so much fun to enjoy beyond the electronic games that preoccupy their minds. Open space, fresh air, and dirt are the ingredients of a healthy and rich, long life!”
Eldridge Farms Strawberry Jam Festival is Saturday, May 17. Indulge in a berrylicious extravaganza at the Strawberry Jam Festival, where you can savor sweet treats and live music groups. Enjoy bouncy houses in a kids’ fun area, food trucks, all types of vendors, and a good time to socialize with the community.
1. Hemp drying in the barn on Eldridge Farms.
2. Tony Eldridge and a patron shopping for produce at the farm. Photos Courtesy of Darwin Eldridge.
@eldridge_farm
Hoganwood Century Farm
Six generations of the Hogan family have called Hoganwood Century Farm “home” since John Hogan III and Caroline Holt Hogan purchased 125 acres after the Civil War in 1866. The acreage has fluctuated over the years, but the family now owns more than the original acreage on this registered Tennessee Century Farm.
“This is the third farm we’ve been on since our ancestors came here in 1795, the year before Tennessee became a state,” Cleo Hogan said of his family’s presence in Montgomery County.
One of the first log houses, dating from ca. 1840, is part of the current, reconstructed home. “The family had a stone and dirt chimney put in in 1868, and that’s the one still here,” Cleo said. As former County Historian Eleanor Williams writes in her Clarksville history book, Cabins to Castles, “An interesting feature of the house is the handmade disappearing staircase that is hinged on a Civil War musket barrel. In addition to the log house that has been remodeled, two other 19th century buildings remain, a corncrib and a smokehouse. The smokehouse retains its wooden lock and key.”
Current owners of Hoganwood, Cleo and his wife Donna, his brother Horace and his wife Edith, and both couples’ children, maintain the combined acreage of farmland, living in five homes on the farm.
“Hogans have been here 150 years in this house,” Cleo said.
Over the years, the family farmed various crops—tobacco, potatoes, and hay—raised livestock, and harvested timber. The brothers, Horace at 94-years-old, and Cleo, fifteen years younger, recall studying by kerosene lamps in the log house and carrying water from the spring.
“Dad farmed with mules and didn’t install electricity until 1960,” Cleo said. “We then had lights, running water, and they got Mom an electric stove, which she had never had before. She had a wood stove, so that’s what I grew up with—helping to bring wood in for the stove. It was pretty primitive living.”
Describing their parents as “old school” might be an understatement by today’s standards, but during Cleo’s high school years their parents, Byron (B.G.) and Latha Hogan, modernized some of the house.
Horace described how his parents and grandfather cleared a hillside, digging up saplings, with grubbing hoes and chopping axes. Horace said, “My understanding was that they had never had a horse or mule here. They had oxen. Dad bought this horse, a pony, and she was akin to the Spanish ponies off the coast of Virginia. She was wild, so somebody gave him an old mule, twenty or thirty years old, to tame her with. Grandpa and Dad and Mother—me watching—were digging them roots up, pulling them grubs up, chopping them saplings down with a mattock. They cleared that whole thing off.” Horace remembered very well the hard work he witnessed. Continuing, he said, “He first plowed it up with, I believe it’s called a jumping colter. He planted corn for seven years straight. Had me riding that corn drill. Didn’t they call it a farmer’s friend?” Horace turned and asked his brother, Cleo.
“Yes, farmer’s friend,” Cleo agreed. “It’s hanging up out there in the corn crib. They had the same corn drill at a museum in Dearborn, Michigan. Same corn drill, I saw it. Great grandpa’s corn drill.”
Horace said, “I was a little bitty dude when they was clearing it off. They managed to do it with that little pony.”
Both brothers moved away—Horace to join the U.S. Air Force in 1948, and about twenty years later brother Cleo to college and then to the Air Force as well. Some thirty years later, Cleo and his wife Donna returned to the family home and remodeled it, adding a new addition, where they still live.
Horace had returned to the family farm prior to Cleo, after an Air Force career and living abroad. He and his wife built a home on another part of the property, as both Cleo and Horace’s families have done since. Horace never planned to return to the farm to work the land.
“I wanted to go where tobacco didn’t grow,” Horace said. “I hated the farming thing, of course, the way it was then. I wanted to get out of here.” Horace left Clarksville for a few decades.
While Horace was in the Air Force, their grandpa and dad farmed tobacco, corn, and sweet potatoes. “They liked to raise Duroc hogs, the red ones,” Horace said. “They’re very tamed like puppy dogs. Had a little fence around the place here, and they had a big hog pen. Those hogs were very gentle. They planted the whole field in sweet potatoes, and they’d wait until they got ready to pick. They got ready to plow the potatoes up, and those vines would be all in the way, so they’d turn them hogs out to eat the vines, and they’d eat all them vines.”
The Hogan farm still has the original root cellars. “I’ve carried many a bushel of sweet potatoes to the cellar,” Horace said. Their dad had a Model A Ford and used that to haul the potatoes into Clarksville, the same Model A that both the Hogan brothers used to learn to drive.
Horace marveled at how creative his family was with living off the land. Their dad was the quintessential late adopter. In fact, he didn’t buy a tractor until Horace returned from England in 1956 and stopped in to see the farm. He told their dad about a tractor for sale in town, so he purchased the first tractor then, and years later, their dad bought a second one because he liked it so much.
Eventually, Horace took up farming again—growing dark fired and burley tobacco, as well as hay. Hoganwood is a testament to the legacy, hard work, and adaptability of the Hogan brothers, whose dedication has helped preserve the farm's rich history and connection to the land.
1. B.G. Hogan with his brother, John. ca. 1915. Courtesy of Cleo Hogan. 2. Goat at Hoganwood Century Farm. Photo by Summer Lucio, 2024.
3. The old Hoganwood produce truck. Photo by
Jack C. Batson Century Farm
Reflecting on family history and knowing that he is still connected to the land where his family put down roots are what motivated Ryan Batson to take over his family’s farm. Founded in December 1862 by Thomas Hatton Batson and Malinda Margaret Gillium Batson, the farm was 180 acres. Eventually, they had eleven children to help with wheat, corn, and tobacco.
“I feel blessed and honored to continue the family legacy of the Jack C. Batson Farm,” Ryan Batson said. “Knowing the time and energy my parents put into piecing it together over the years is something that drives me to maintain it and keep the farm alive and thriving. I love and appreciate everything about this land. Building my family here is important to me. Enjoying the peace and fellowship the farm brings for all of us is something I always wanted for my life.”
Ryan’s father, Jack C. Batson, the namesake of the farm, spent much of his life reacquiring the family land from aunts, uncles, and relatives. Jack was the great-grandson of the farm’s founders, and he added more land to it. Under his ownership, the farm grew to 219 acres.
“During the process of gaining Century Farm status, I learned a great deal about the history of our family that previously was unknown to me,” Ryan said. “Holding the transfer of ownership
documents from when my dad purchased the existing farm from his aunts, uncles, and parents was quite moving. Seeing this showed the sacrifices he and my mother made to purchase the land they loved. This is why we thought it was appropriate to name it Jack C. Batson Farm to continue his legacy.”
As a certified Tennessee Century Farm, the Jack C. Batson Farm is often discussed and featured in publications, especially since the original family home, built in 1894, was a gable-and-wing architectural gem in the South Clarksville community. While that home is no longer standing, other historical features are still present on the farm, some in better condition than others.
“The very building my dad was born in still stands today,” Ryan said. “Well, it leans!”
Ryan explained the distinctive features he values. “The side walkway to where my grandparents’ and great grandparents’ home stood is still there,” Ryan said. “I can remember playing card games with my grandmother on the front screened-in porch of that house. My mother has a painting hanging in her home that my aunt created of this scene. The daffodils my grandmother planted around the house still bloom. One thing that I discovered in researching for the Century Farm Program is that this house was featured in Eleanor Williams' 1992 book, Cabins to Castles.
The house was built in 1894 and unfortunately was destroyed by fire in the early 1990s.”
The Jack C. Batson Farm has welcomed many family members over the years and been a place of refuge for not only Ryan, but for the whole family. “It has occurred to me that our farm being a place of gathering and fellowship has been taking place for our family since 1862,” Ryan said. “Over the past century and a half, there have been family reunions, wedding proposals, weddings, the 50th wedding anniversary celebration for my great grandparents, birthday celebrations, unauthorized high school field parties, and cookouts. After building on the land a few years ago, my family and I are starting our own traditions here. The people who come to visit feel that peacefulness when they make the drive up our driveway. Our friends and family love it here and we love hosting their visits.”
A family’s farm is more than land, crops, and historical features; it is the tapestry of a family and informs a family’s life through the generations. “I grew up with the farm being a central part to my life,” Ryan recalled. “I remember working in the tobacco field with my dad when I was younger, and I would tell him, ‘This is hard work.’ I can hear my dad now saying, ‘I have been doing this my whole life.’ He mentioned when he was growing up, how well the crop did each year would determine how well you would live for the next year.”
Ryan Batson continues his family’s farm into the next years, growing corn and soybeans, and making memories a priority.
“There are so many wonderful memories of this place,” Ryan said. “I feel my dad’s presence everywhere here, and I know he would be so proud of what we’ve accomplished here and the love we have for this land that he worked so hard to keep.”
ALL FARM STORIES BY
SHANA THORNTON
Tennessee Century Farms Program
Created in 1975, the Tennessee Century Farms program does not place restrictions on farms, nor does it offer any legal benefits or protections. However, the Century Farm program does maintain records for research and historical purposes, and the program distinguishes between Pioneer Farms, which were created in 1796 (the year TN became a state) or earlier; African Americanestablished and owned farms; women-founded and owned farms; and farms on nationally registered lands. The program has no cost associated with it and is administered for free by the Center for Historic Preservation at Middle Tennessee State University.
Riches of the Land: Agriculture from 1850 to 1950
In 1850, nearly 60% of the US population was involved in farming. In Tennessee, that number was 72,735. By 1935, the number of farmers in the state had grown to 273,783. By 1950, the work once done by manual labor or with livestock was replaced with mechanized farming implements and power tools.
Riches of the Land, largely comprised of artifacts from the Customs House Museum’s collection. The exhibition includes machinery, tools, maps, and photography to help interpret the farming experience of the past. The display focuses on the Four Pillars of Income, Montgomery County’s Century Farms, and agricultural life during that period. Included in the exhibit is a film about farming in Montgomery County during the Great Depression. Objects on display include items such as A.H. Patch Company corn shellers, a cider press, and even a vintage tractor.
Riches of the Land exhibition runs from March 4 – Oct. 19, 2025.
Currently, Montgomery County has 38 registered century farms. Find the list here: @Tennessee Century Farms Program tncenturyfarms.org
1. Ryan Batson, Senior Vice President of Commercial Banking at Planters Bank; his wife Kari Batson, Clarksville Academy's Director of Administrative Services; his stepdaughter Reagan Turner, Clarksville Academy student, at the Jack C. Batson Century Farm.
2. Aerial photo of the Jack C. Batson Century Farm. Photos Courtesy of Ryan Batson.
Golly G’s Scoops with the
Customs House Museum
Ice cream lovers! The Customs House Museum and Golly G’s have partnered to bring you a surprising new flavor in honor of the museum. We will reveal the museum’s ice cream this spring, and you can join us Saturday, May 17, from 12-2 p.m. for our first partnership event with Golly G’s.
Golly G’s core values are kindness, community, excellence, fun, and service. As a local middle Tennessee favorite, Golly G’s has a strong presence in the community, as it has become a cornerstone not only in Pleasant View (est. 2016) but also in Clarksville (est. 2017) and Greenbrier (est. 2020). Golly G’s ice cream has earned one white, five red, and two blue ribbons through the North American Ice Cream Association over the last three years. They were also voted 2024's Best Place for Dessert in Middle Tennessee by Tennessee Magazine. Excellence is reflected in Golly G’s meticulous process, from handselecting ingredients to crafting them into delectable treats. Every moment in their stores is filled with fun, a light-hearted ambiance where memories are made. Lastly, service is paramount, going beyond just serving products to ensuring every customer feels valued and cherished.
Under owner Joey Boykin's guidance, Golly G’s has seamlessly blended these values, creating an experience that's much more than just about sweets. It’s about connecting with the community, celebrating the beauty of handcrafted delicacies, and valuing the people that make it all possible.
For our Customs House Museum flavor, Golly G’s will have a new offering, something different from their previous ice cream flavors. Classic flavors will be sweet butter cream, cold brew crunch, and a seasonal sorbet as a dairy-free option. Bring the whole family to the museum’s ice cream event in May, where we will be scooping some of Golly G’s favorite classic flavors as well as the new flavor reveal!
Follow us @customshousemuseum for the big reveal on May 17 from 12-2pm!
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