The farm was 200 acres of tilled land, hard wood trees, three barns, a farmhouse, a smokehouse, and a fruit orchard. There is a nice creek that flows through the property.
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John William Strode Lander
John purchased the farm in the mid 1800s. CLICK photo.
Bettie Lander Hopson
Bettie inherited the farm at the time of her father's death (John W. S. Lander). CLICK photo.
Meredith & Bettie settled on the farm.
This is where they raised their children, Guy, Mary, & Bess. CLICK photo.
Dot & Bess
The farm was left to Dorothy Elizabeth Wolfe Southard from her grandmother, Bettie Lander Hopson. CLICK photo.
blacksmith bill
October 1880
mill account
May 1886
Bess, Mary & Guy . . .
. . . had to chase the geese away from the downspouts when it rained. Otherwise, the geese would stand under the eves of the house and drown themselves in the rain water. A pair of geese were a valuable wedding gift for a young couple. Geese were cheap to feed, layed eggs, could be butchered for meat, and their feathers were used for bedding. Geese were also great security alarms. They would squawk and carry on when strangers came on the farm.
Schoolgirl note, 1903
Martha Owen sent this to Bess when they were 11 years old. Bess saved it. They both attended the Gracey Schoolhouse. Martha's note states she's been missing Bess. Not sure what it means. Bess obviously cared a great deal about Cousin Martha because she kept this note for 82 years (the rest of her life). We just recently discovered it.
Hopson homestead floor plan, built by Shell ("Pap")
Cousin Martha Owen
Martha & Bess were born on the same day. Martha's mother had TB and wasn't able to nurse a baby. The family brought Martha over to Granny (Bettie Lander Hopson) to live for the first 8 months or so. Granny nursed both Bess & Martha. Martha's grandmother was a sister of Granny's father, John William Strode Lander. Martha's father & Granny were 1st cousins.
Cousin Martha's homestead
This is the house where Martha was born and raised. This farm neighbored Shell & Bettie's farm on Cerulean Springs Road.
Hay was needed in the winter to feed the horses.
Bess Hopson Wolfe & Dorothy Wolfe Southard
Notice the hand made wooden shingles on the barn roof.
Bettie Lander Hopson & Dorothy Wolfe Southard
Here's a better view of the wooden shingles.
There was a nice creek that ran through the farm.
The Gracey Farm had a variety of livestock: cows, hogs, sheep, horses, goats, chickens, geese, peacocks, cats & dogs.
Tobacco Crop
Tobacco, corn, and soy bean have been raised on the Gracey farm.
Gracey homestead in 1949
Johnny & Bess . . .
enjoying the porch's shade, 1949
In 1954,
Jim and his granddaughter, Betty, head to the horse barn.
Jim, Betty, Bess & Johnny walking the fields.
Johnny & Betty practice their horsemanship.
Granny & Uncle Guy on the porch
Bess with one of Guy's favorite ponies.
The Storage Barn
This barn was smaller and stored the tractor and equipment. Out in the fields, there was a hugh tobacco barn.
It's Johnny's turn.
The largest of all the barns is in the background. The horses called this barn home.
Uncle Guy & Daddy are tightening Betty's saddle.
Sister & Brother
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Bess Hopson Wolfe and Guy Hopson grew up on the Gracey farm.
Horseman
Uncle Guy always had horses. He knew how to manage them. People from town would come to the farm and pay to ride his horses. Whenever there was a parade in Hopkinsville, Guy rode one of his horses in the parade. He was particularily proud of a yellow Tennessee Walker.
Uncle Guy . . . .
. . . . . working with a filly and her colt.
1959
Johnny, Aunty, Betty, Dot, & Uncle Guy
Same Design as Gracey Farmhouse
The minute I saw this little house in Hopkinsville, I knew it was the same plan that Pap had used for the Gracey farmhouse. The only difference is this little house has an extra window on the porch. Our homestead house burned in the 1960s.
A block house was built . . . . .
. . . . in 1960 after the homestead burned from a chimney fire.
The tobacco barn is over 100 years old.
It's still standing in 2009. Shell Hopson built it in 1878.
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