Our Story
Our History
* This page is written by Tracy McGlocklin, one of the family members currently living on the farm, and the operator of PVF’s 501(c)(3) charitable endeavors.
When I was a child, I didn’t appreciate the farm. I was raised in Nashville and proudly considered myself a “city girl”. The farm was where I came to visit my grandparents, celebrate holidays and birthdays. I would spend weeks during summer vacation playing games with my Memommy and feeding the peacocks with my Granddaddy.
I never dreamed I’d live here. But life has a way of taking you places unexpectedly.
– 1900 –
According to my family history, Pleasant Valley Farm was passed to the Erwin family in approximately 1837. Over the years, the farm was improved by each generation that held the deed. I guess this explains why my Granddaddy, J.B. Erwin, would always tell me to “leave the land better than when it was given to you.”
While the early years focused on family sustenance, later years saw the farm improve its productivity and sell more crops and livestock to the public.
In 1900, John Dixon, my cousin, purchased the 365-acre farm from his in-laws. The first farmhouse, aka The Old Homestead, was constructed in the late 1850s.
– 1920s –
In 1920, my great-great-grandparents, Jonas H. and Minnie Yancey Erwin became the owners of the farm. During this time, they focused on raising livestock, which included beef cattle, draft horses, sheep and swine. Jonas was not only a farmer, but a deputy sheriff for Maury County.
On May 19, 1927, the family farm was officially registered as Pleasant Valley by the State of Tennessee. Jonas & Minnie selected this name because of the beauty and peace of this valley.
Over the next decade, the farm was transferred to Jonas & Minnie’s son, Ethelbert and daughter, Margaret “Maggie” Lee. Corn and tobacco were added into the crop mix at this time.
My great-grandparents, Ethelbert “Bert” and his wife, Elizabeth “Lizzie” Moore Erwin, raised five children — Eugene, Jonas Bert, Mary Margaret, Bettye Lee and Donald. Bert and Lizzie enjoyed nationally recognized poultry and vegetable production. And the children were always very active with the farm chores.
Written under a black & white photo of a tent in an old family scrapbook, “The neighborhood came together in a tent beneath the trees in the garden and canned 6,500 cans of fruit and vegetables.” In 1926, Lizzie Erwin won first prize in a national canning contest. The prize was a new car!
– 1930s –
During the Great Depression, my great-great aunt Maggie Lee, stepped up for the family and the farm. Even though Aunt Lee was born with a severe physical disability, she held down two jobs and taught piano to provide funds for the family to pay heavy property taxes placed on the farm. She is one of the many strong Erwin women that fought to keep Pleasant Valley Farm in our family.
When my great uncle, Eugene, and my granddaddy, J.B., returned from WWII, they took over as their parents before and continued to improve the farm. They planted an orchard and began Grade B milk production. In 1949, they started the process of improving their barns, milking parlor and herd to enable the production of Grade A milk.
The Erwin Brothers’ Dairy operated for more than 50 years. It became known and respected for the high-quality product, innovative methodology and high production records. The final milking happened in 1994 when 186 cows passed through the parlor.
– 1950s –
In 1952, Eugene and his wife Rena Pearl Erwin, were deeded enough land to move out of the original farmhouse and build a new home. The following year, JB and his wife Ruth Dillehay Erwin, relocated while the old farmhouse was torn down and a new home was constructed. They returned to the farm in 1953, the year my mother, Sherry, was born.
Pleasant Valley grew by approximately 240 acres in 1965. This allowed the Erwin Brothers to increase their dairy and beef operation. Over the next 30 years, they continued to improve the farm and were committed to wildlife preservation and were leaders in water & soil conservation. Numerous waterways and ponds were constructed. They implemented extensive crop rotation, no-till programs, and dairy herd improvements which included artificial insemination and monitoring of individual cow productions and feed records. Today’s animals still enjoy the mixed grass hays that are harvested.
L-R: Eugene Erwin, Sherry Graham, Bobby Moore, Maggie Lee Erwin, JB Erwin
– 2000s –
There are more family members living on the farm now than ever before, which makes me so proud. There are currently seven homes, with 16 Erwin descendants living on the farm:
- My aunt & uncle, Dean & Tricia Erwin
- My aunt & uncle, Judy (Erwin) & Frank Watson
- My 2nd cousin, Ronnie Erwin
- My cousin, Julie (Judy’s oldest daughter) and Joe Davidson and her sons, Clayton and Wesley Thompson
- My parents, David & Sherry (Erwin) Graham, who live in my grandparents’ house, recently renovated again
- My cousin, Ashley (Judy’s youngest daughter) & Jordan Crownover, and her sons, Austin & Zachary Carnahan
- And me – Tracy McGlocklin (Sherry’s only child) and my only daughter, Brianna
Clayton and Wesley are the 7th generation of the Erwin family to reside and work the farm in Pleasant Valley.
In 2003, Pleasant Valley Farm was certified by the State of Tennessee Department of Agriculture as a Century Farm. This honors and recognizes the dedication and contributions of families who have owned and farmed the same land for at least 100 years.
– 1900 –
According to my family history, Pleasant Valley Farm was passed to the Erwin family in approximately 1837. Over the years, the farm was improved by each generation that held the deed. I guess this explains why my Granddaddy, J.B. Erwin, would always tell me to “leave the land better than when it was given to you.”
While the early years focused on family sustenance, later years saw the farm improve its productivity and sell more crops and livestock to the public.
In 1900, John Dixon, my cousin, purchased the 365-acre farm from his in-laws. The first farmhouse, aka The Old Homestead, was constructed in the late 1850s.
– 1920s –
In 1920, my great-great-grandparents, Jonas H. and Minnie Yancey Erwin became the owners of the farm. During this time, they focused on raising livestock, which included beef cattle, draft horses, sheep and swine. Jonas was not only a farmer, but a deputy sheriff for Maury County.
On May 19, 1927, the family farm was officially registered as Pleasant Valley by the State of Tennessee. Jonas & Minnie selected this name because of the beauty and peace of this valley.
Over the next decade, the farm was transferred to Jonas & Minnie’s son, Ethelbert and daughter, Margaret “Maggie” Lee. Corn and tobacco were added into the crop mix at this time.
My great-grandparents, Ethelbert “Bert” and his wife, Elizabeth “Lizzie” Moore Erwin, raised five children — Eugene, Jonas Bert, Mary Margaret, Bettye Lee and Donald. Bert and Lizzie enjoyed nationally recognized poultry and vegetable production. And the children were always very active with the farm chores.
Written under a black & white photo of a tent in an old family scrapbook, “The neighborhood came together in a tent beneath the trees in the garden and canned 6,500 cans of fruit and vegetables.” In 1926, Lizzie Erwin won first prize in a national canning contest. The prize was a new car!
– 1930s –
During the Great Depression, my great-great aunt Maggie Lee, stepped up for the family and the farm. Even though Aunt Lee was born with a severe physical disability, she held down two jobs and taught piano to provide funds for the family to pay heavy property taxes placed on the farm. She is one of the many strong Erwin women that fought to keep Pleasant Valley Farm in our family.
When my great uncle, Eugene, and my granddaddy, J.B., returned from WWII, they took over as their parents before and continued to improve the farm. They planted an orchard and began Grade B milk production. In 1949, they started the process of improving their barns, milking parlor and herd to enable the production of Grade A milk.
The Erwin Brothers’ Dairy operated for more than 50 years. It became known and respected for the high-quality product, innovative methodology and high production records. The final milking happened in 1994 when 186 cows passed through the parlor.
– 1950s –
In 1952, Eugene and his wife Rena Pearl Erwin, were deeded enough land to move out of the original farmhouse and build a new home. The following year, JB and his wife Ruth Dillehay Erwin, relocated while the old farmhouse was torn down and a new home was constructed. They returned to the farm in 1953, the year my mother, Sherry, was born.
Pleasant Valley grew by approximately 240 acres in 1965. This allowed the Erwin Brothers to increase their dairy and beef operation. Over the next 30 years, they continued to improve the farm and were committed to wildlife preservation and were leaders in water & soil conservation. Numerous waterways and ponds were constructed. They implemented extensive crop rotation, no-till programs, and dairy herd improvements which included artificial insemination and monitoring of individual cow productions and feed records. Today’s animals still enjoy the mixed grass hays that are harvested.
L-R: Eugene Erwin, Sherry Graham, Bobby Moore, Maggie Lee Erwin, JB Erwin
– 2000s –
Today, there are currently five families of Erwin descendants living on the farm:
- My aunt & uncle, Judy (Erwin) & Frank Watson
- My 2nd cousin, Ronnie Erwin
- My cousin, Julie Thompson (Judy’s oldest daughter) and her sons, Clayton and Wesley
- My parents, David & Sherry (Erwin) Graham, who live in my grandparents’ house recently renovated again.
- And me – Tracy McGlocklin (Sherry’s only child) and my only daughter, Brianna.
Brianna, Clayton and Wesley are the 7th generation of the Erwin family to reside in Pleasant Valley.
In 2003, Pleasant Valley Farm was certified by the State of Tennessee Department of Agriculture as a Century Farm. This honors and recognizes the dedication and contributions of families who have owned and farmed the same land for at least 100 years.
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