Valentine's Day is a celebration of love and it is in that spirit that The Land Trust for Tennessee and The Heritage Foundation of Franklin and Williamson County joined Mrs. Elizabeth Crunk of Bethesda in Williamson County in announcing the permanent protection of her two farms  - 230 acres of hills and fields, ponds and streams. Mrs. Crunk has placed a permanent conservation easement on Hill View Farm and Cedar Lane Farm in Bethesda.  Mrs. Crunk's love of her land and her wish that her family can keep the farm from development spurred her to seek out The Land Trust last year.

Bethesda is a community of farms, hills and streams. Nestled in these hills, the Duck River has one of its many headwater streams.  There is a mix of modest homes and historic structures dotting the winding roads.  Extended family members lived nearby and have been on the land for generations.  Now, the community is beginning to feel the pinch of suburban development.  There is recognition that things will change with the opening of the Highway 840 interchange just to the north. However, these are strong-willed families who are prepared to do it their way.

To find Mrs. Crunk, you do not have to look hard - she will be busy on her tractor, taking care of business on the farm.  At 83, Mrs. Crunk is a full-time farmer and she does not have time to sit still.  Having worked all her life, there is still much to get done every day.

"I am just a dirt farmer," says Mrs. Crunk. "I don't have much that other people would get excited about.  But I love this land and have been caring for this farm my way for a long time. I wanted to do the right thing for it and I knew exactly what I wanted to have The Land Trust do for me. Part of this farm was my mother's and my husband and I bought the northern section in the 1940's. We were dairy farmers for years and now we have cattle and sheep. I wanted my family or another farmer to be able to keep this place, too." 

According to Jean Nelson, president and executive director of The Land Trust, "Mrs. Crunk really taught us a lot about what a farmer needs to work the land.  Because each conservation easement is tailored to meet the needs and wishes of the landowner, Mrs. Crunk was able to work with The Land Trust to identify the best ways to protect both the agricultural and scenic aspects of the farms."

Through these efforts, the property, which comprises two tracts - one straddling Comstock Road, the other at the corner of Comstock and Flat Creek Road, will remain permanently protected as it passes down to future generations of Mrs. Crunk's family.  Just as her mother passed on a legacy of land to her children, so Elizabeth hopes to do by passing her land on to her niece and her niece's children. 

Return to more successes