Lots of historical markers can be found near Franklin regarding the Civil War and other notable happenings. One such historical site is the Cleburne Jersey Farm in Spring Hill. The 153-year-old century dairy was established in 1872 when Confederate Captain McCoy Campbell brought Jersey cows over to America from the Isle of Jersey near Scotland, establishing itself as only the second Jersey cattle herd in the nation. Still in production, the dairy is currently credited as having the oldest operating milking Jersey herd in the U.S. and is listed on the national registry of historic places.

The Campbells first acquired the farm in 1772, when George Washington (GW) Campbell and his family immigrated from Scotland to North Carolina, eventually relocating to the Maury County area. GW served as a U.S. Senator, secretary of the treasury in President James Madison’s cabinet, ambassador to Russia appointed by President James Monroe, and U.S. district court judge in Tennessee.

GW became very wealthy, owning acreage all over Tennessee, including the area where Capitol Hill in Nashville now sits. GW’s wife, Harriet, also made her own contributions to history during the British invasion of Washington. She helped Dolley Madison remove the portrait of George Washington from its frame, and both fled before the British burned the White House.

Years later, and after the Civil War, GW’s nephew, Confederate Captain McCoy Campbell, was given sole ownership of some of the family property in Spring Hill. Under Captain Campbell, Cleburne Jersey Farm was established in 1872, and it became one of the most significant full-blooded dairy operations of its time. Campbell named it Cleburne Jersey Farm to honor General Patrick Cleburne, a Confederate Major General during the Civil War.

At the dairy, Captain Campbell built a still-standing Italianate farmhouse, stone dairy structures, and a creamery at the back of the property near a natural spring. The “Old Stone Creamery” is often cited as one of the oldest dairy structures in the area and contained a facility used to test the butterfat levels in Jersey milk — one of the first of its kind.

Another farm centerpiece, a stone and wood barn that dates to the turn of the 20th century, is currently used as a calf facility and hay loft. Near the barn is the milking parlor, a tank room, and an area where both whole and chocolate milk are bottled.

Cleburne Jersey Farm continues to thrive through the dedicated work of generations of Campbell family members who have striven to keep the historic dairy farm in operation. Patrick (Pat) Campbell is now the fifth-generation family member who is keeping the operation running smoothly, following his parents John and Alice Campbell. Pat is assisted by his daughters, Laura Campbell Purtle (Dane) and Susan Campbell Martin (Chris), along with employees Polly Whitt and Anna Leigh.

They currently tend about 640 acres, growing their own hay and chopping corn for silage. They raise their own replacement heifers and milk around 35 full-blooded Jersey cows, selling their milk through contracts with local food banks, at their on-site farm store, and at the Franklin Farmers’ Market.

“Owning a dairy is wonderful because you can work with your family, steward what you were entrusted with, and do something different every day,” says Laura, a biology teacher at Spring Hill High School who runs labs and feeds silage every morning before she leaves for school. “But what I really think is beautiful is that we get to play a very small role in helping to feed our neighbors. We supply 400 half-gallon jugs of milk to area families every week. We have wholesale contracts with three different food banks — Shared Harvest in Columbia, The Well Outreach in Mt. Pleasant, and The Well Outreach in Spring Hill.”

The longevity of the farm corresponds to the family’s long history with their local Co-op stores, which are now part of United Farm & Home Cooperative. Pat’s father, John, served as president of Maury Farmers Cooperative's board of directors in the 1950s and Pat followed in his footsteps, serving the Co-op as a director for two terms in the mid 1990s.

“The Co-op offers quality products that we have relied on for generations,” says Laura. “I can remember when there was a Co-op in Spring Hill. I would go see Carl [Johnson, current farm hardware manager at United Farm & Home in Columbia] and pick up feed on the way home from school for my dad. And I used to go to Co-op with my granddad, too.”

The Campbells keep a steady supply of Co-op feed for both their dairy and beef cattle. They feed their Jersey calves Co-op 12% Calf Starter and buy a 20% protein pelleted feed in bulk (#8257pe) for their lactating dairy cattle. Their Angus beef cows and calves eat Co-op Beef Generator medicated pellets (#8470pe). They contain 14% protein and are quarter-inch pellets with Rumensin. Marble Lock finishing feed with 10% protein (#94469ma) is provided to beef cattle before slaughter. They also utilize an all-season mineral with 4% phosphorus called Purina® Wind and Rain® (#3010015106) to optimize reproductive health, nutrient absorption, and overall animal performance.

History is still being made at the dairy. In 2012, Pat Campbell provided historical information about the beginnings and current happenings at Cleburne Jersey Farm for the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in Washington D.C. as part of a featured display about how the Jersey industry started in America. Included were paperwork copies about the farm’s original cattle that were imported in 1872 from the Isle of Jersey.

Future goals for the dairy include increasing the milking herd to about 45-50 cows to better utilize their space and available equipment. Also in the fall of 2022, a 10-year dream was realized when Laura and her sister Susan opened their on-farm store near the Old Stone Creamery at the edge of the road. Inside the little metal shop, they sell beef cuts and milk that is produced on site. They also have some 20 farm neighbors who sell their local products there, like cheese, pork, chicken, beans, eggs, jams, soaps, and goat milk.

There’s something for everyone at the Old Stone Creamery, the name now printed on the dairy bottles and signs as the sisters prepare to continue the dairy tradition of Cleburne Jersey Farm and anticipate coaching their children to be the seventh generation that oversees the successful, historic dairy they call home.

Hours for the Old Stone Creamery Farmers’ Market are noon to 5 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays. Visit their website at oldstonecreamery.com or call (931) 486-4152.