100 and counting
Clark County family honored with Century Farm award
Not many people can claim their family has owned and farmed the same land for at least 100 years. As owners of the Possum Hollow Family Farm in the Oakland community of Clark County, Maggie Carolyn Ham, 71, and her husband, Roy “Peewee” Ham, 74, can make such a claim. They are among the owners of 54 Arkansas farms that have been designated Arkansas Century Farms for 2014.
The Arkansas Century Farm program is sponsored by the Arkansas Agriculture Department and recognizes those families who have owned and farmed the same land for at least 100 years. The program is voluntary, places no restrictions on the land and does not require a fee.
Cindy Ham, 40, of Ozark, a daughter of Carolyn and Peewee Ham, accepted a sign and certificate on behalf of her family during a ceremony held Nov. 18 in the Rogers Conference Center at the University of the Ozarks in Clarksville. Cindy is the staff chairwoman of the Franklin County Cooperative Extension Service, Division of Agriculture, University of Arkansas.
The Hams have another daughter, Debbie Manning, 48; Debbie works for Southern Bancorp in Arkadelphia.
Debbie and her husband, Timmy Manning,
live in the house her grandparents built in 1958. Carolyn and Peewee live across the road from them. Debbie’s daughter, Kristin, 24, and her husband, Aaron Cupp, live nearby with their 4-month-old son, Bryce.
Carolyn said the original 80 acres of the farm were homesteaded in 1895 by her grandfather, Jeff [Jefferson Lafayette] Freeman, who died in 1911. His wife, Maggie Lamb Freeman, died in 1930.
Carolyn’s dad, Evert Freeman, and his brother, Torance Freeman, owned the farm before it was passed on to Carolyn.
Evert and Torance married sisters. Evert married Edna Helms, and Torance married Rubena Helms.
“I was the only child,” Carolyn said. “I had two mothers and two dads.
“My dad and aunt passed away in 1978, and my mom and uncle passed away in 1985,” she said, noting that they are all buried in the Shiloh Baptist Church Cemetery that is right down the road from their farm. “My aunt and uncle gave us their part of the farm way before they died.”
Carolyn said her dad and uncle had three sisters, but the brothers bought the sisters’ part of the land.
Carolyn also noted that her dad and uncle “farmed in the summertime and ran a sawmill in the winter.”
They sawed the logs for all of the family’s homes, including where Carolyn and Peewee live today, as well as Debbie’s home.
“They sawed for the church, for the community buildings and for other people. I guess my grandpa sawed for the original Shiloh church that was built in 1883.”
Evert and Torance raised beef cattle, as do Carolyn and Peewee.
“We have about 90 head on the place,” Carolyn said, noting that the cattle are owned by the entire family.
“Us, Cindy, Debbie and Kristin,” she said. Cindy has some goats and hogs on the farm as well.
When Carolyn’s father and uncle farmed, they increased the acreage of their operation to about 300 acres. Carolyn and Peewee have added even more land and now have about 400 acres.
Carolyn grew up on the farm and graduated from Gurdon High School; both Cindy and Debbie are also graduates of the rural Clark County school.
“Oakland consolidated with Gurdon, so that’s where I went,” Carolyn said. Peewee graduated from Arkadelphia High School.
She said the Oakland community is halfway between Gurdon and Arkadelphia.
Carolyn and Peewee have been married for 53 years. Carolyn never worked outside the home. Peewee retired from Clark County’s road department. Prior to his job with the county, he had worked for 34 years as a parts manager for a Chevrolet dealership in Arkadelphia.
She said Cindy and Debbie were members of 4-H when they were growing up. Cindy showed livestock, and Debbie did crafts. Kristin also showed livestock when she was in school.
Carolyn said her mother’s family, Harry L. and Maggie Helms, ran a dairy in the Central community. The Helms Dairy received the Century Farm award in 2013.
“We went to my grandparents’ house every Sunday for dinner, and when it came time to go home, my dad would come in and say, ‘Let’s go to Possum Hollow,’” Carolyn said. “So when it came time to name the farm, that’s what we chose — Possum Hollow Family Farm, or PHFF.
“We have a river cabin [on the Ouachita River] that we call PHFF — Possum Hollow Family Fishing. We don’t have time to go fishing much anymore.”
Carolyn said she and Peewee plan to pass the farm down to their family.
“I don’t know if they’ll tend to it or not,” she said, laughing. “They may let it grow up.”