Dixona Farm – Dixon Springs, TN
The 148-acre farm on Dixon Creek, which includes a pasture, forest, and a natural spring, contains “Dixona,” one of the oldest homes in Middle Tennessee and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Constructed in 1787-88 by Tilman Dixon, the revolutionary war-era explorer who settled the town of what is now Dixon Springs and is buried on the property, the residence held the first Smith County tribunal in 1799 and was also used as the first tavern and post office for the county. Louis Philippe, Duke of Orleans and later King of France, stayed in this house during his sightseeing tour of America in 1797.
From the Ground Level: Conserving Dixona & Other Historic Smith County Landscapes
Today, Dixona is the full-time residence of Faith Young, who has worked hard to preserve the house. She protected her property forever with a conservation easement through The Land Trust for Tennessee.
The Land Trust for Tennessee has worked with multiple families in Smith County since 1999, including Tom Beasley, whose family has farmed the land in Dixon Springs since 1803. Mr. Beasley has protected almost 500 acres of the original Beasley Farm, portions of which are adjacent to conserved Dixona Farm.
The protected Beasley Family property holds ancient Native American burial mounds that date back to approximately the 1300s up to the early 1400s CE. Statues excavated from the site are now part of the Smithsonian Institution’s collection.