The Henderson House at the Logan Henderson Farm/ Farmington was originally built in 1816 and greatly expanded in 1842.
Col. James Johnston of North Carolina received a 3,000 acre land grant which he gave to his daughter, Margaret Ewart Johnston Henderson (1789-1863), and her husband, Logan Henderson (1785-1846). They wed in 1806, and settled in Rutherford County in 1816. They built Farmington at 3600 Manchester Pike (now U.S. Hwy 41). The road evolved from a simple route to (in the 1830s) Murfreesboro-Manchester Turnpike to (in the 1920s) Highway 41 and was important to the success of the Henderson family. Logan and Margaret prospered very well and were considered part of the planter class. In 1837, Farmington plantation encompassed 1,033 acres.
Photo by Kady Omalley
In 1842, the home was expanded and made into Greek Revival style and was oriented toward the newly-built Murfreesboro-Manchester Turnpike. Logan was a Rutherford County judge -1828-30. Logan and Margaret’s daughter, Violet Cecilia Henderson Lyle (1807-1834), married Capt. William Lyle - a founder of Murfreesboro.
After Logan died, his son, James Franklin Henderson (1811-1891) and wife, Amanda M. Voorhies Henderson (1817-1896), inherited the property. During the Civil War, because James F. was a Whig, the plantation was not harmed. In 1897, a large part of the Logan Henderson Farm including the house and 115 acres was sold out of the family to Henry Pfeil and Bertha Schultz Pfeil. Pfeil continued to farm the land. Because a major dairy plant by Carnation Milk Company opened in the 1920s, the Henderson Farm became more focused as a dairy farm.
Around 1916, Henry’s daughter, Lillie Pfeil Snell (1884-1968), and her husband, William A. Snell, focused the farm on dairy production. Their daughter, Mary Francis Snell, lived at Farmington until 1966. In 1966, Snell family sold the property to Price Edwin Harrison, Jr. ( 1934-2011) . Harrison changed the focus of the farm from dairy to raising Angus cattle and was a professor at Middle Tennessee State University.
William Geissler bought Farmington next. Geissler is the former owner of United Press International (UPI) press agency. In the late 1980s, Frank Fly, a local attorney, and Suzanne Williams bought the property and have owned it since then. In 2003, Farmington comprised 10 acres. About 1916, the Snell family renamed Henderson Farm to Farmington. NRHP 2003 See Grantlands
Sources:
http://www.dnj.com/story/news/2016/07/02/harbers-history-henderson-estate-now-century-farm/86541234/
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