Paris, Tenn.–Caldwell Farms of Elkhorn is the latest Century Farm from Henry County to be accepted in the program.
Caldwell Farms was established in 1895 in Henry County and has produced row crops, cattle, and hogs over the years. The family has a deep interest in history, and several family members have written about their ancestors and growing up on the farm.
Founder Louis Clendenin, his wife Mattie, and their daughters Beulah and Bessie lived on 200 acres. Louis bought the farm from Dr. W.D. and Kate Kendall; Dr. Kendall was his former guardian who had hired him as a young man to help on the farm.
According to family history, Louis was “a well-known, respected, and valued member of the Henry County area” and was elected county judge but died before he could take office.
The farm’s second owner was James Alfred “Alf” Caldwell, the husband of Beulah Clendenin Caldwell. Beulah had died in the 1918 Influenza Epidemic after giving birth to their second child, a daughter named Mattie Elizabeth. Alf remarried and had five children with his second wife, Margaret Bowles Caldwell (her step-daughter Mattie later wrote, “No one ever could or ever will make chocolate pie like Margaret could.”). Alf split his time between farming and serving as the county sheriff.
One of Margaret and Alf’s sons, William “Bill” Bowles Caldwell, became the farm’s third owner in 1960 and added acreage in 1965. Bill gave a presentation about Caldwell family history to the Henry County Genealogical Society in 2001. He and Ann Littleton Caldwell had three children, William Bowles Jr., Joseph Alfred, and Sally Jane.
Those three children are the owners of the farm today and manage it through a partnership, while Michael McSwain monitors day-to-day operations. Two generations live on the land, which is rented for crops, cattle, and hay. The home place, a tobacco barn, and another barn all date to before 1960.
Welcome to the Tennessee Century Farms Program!