Sadie Ford Farm at Cedars of Lebanon State Park

Visitors to Cedars of Lebanon State Park might easily miss the Sadie Ford Heritage Farm and Cultural Art Center. Obtained by the park in 2019, the farm is just down the road from the park entrance, about a 40-minute drive east of Nashville. (1)

Sadie Ford is the only surviving farm in the area that predates Cedars of Lebanon which was designated a park in 1955. (2) While most of the buildings came from other sites, the farmhouse and barn are original. (3)

I recently took a tour of the farm led by two seasonal interpretive rangers. We explored the grounds first and saw a shed that will be developed into a blacksmith shop. (4) The goal is to host a blacksmith on weekends to give demonstrations. (5) We visited the farm’s chickens and its rooster and saw the vegetable gardens.

Apparently, the rooster is feisty.

In addition to their feed, the chickens and the rooster enjoy the garden produce as do the turtles in the visitor center. (6)

The barn was beautiful. It’s thought this barn might’ve been used to house soldiers during the Tennessee Maneuvers. (7) The Maneuvers were training exercises conducted in Middle Tennessee during WWII. (8) Highway 231, the road between the farm and park entrance, was part of these exercises. (9) We learned that the park hopes to use the barn as an event space in the future. (10)

A corn crib and cabin were moved here from another property in the area. (11)

The inside of the cabin

The cabin, built around the 1830s, smelled wonderful inside since it’s made from cedar. (12)

We finished our tour inside the farmhouse. It was built in the 1920s for a couple named Delta and Sadie Ford. (13) They were local teachers. (14)

The Sadie Ford farmhouse

While the park hopes to have the entire house open to the public one day, it limits tours to 6 people because the house needs some work on its foundation. (15) Everything in the house is period appropriate. (16) I loved the beautiful original windows in the dining room. (17)

The dining room with original windows

I enjoyed this photograph of Sadie Ford’s family. 

You can see Sadie as a young girl on the right in the front row. 

The dining room also has information panels and a display case focusing on the Tennessee Maneuvers.

The kitchen was fun; inside, it definitely felt like you stepped back in time. 

The kitchen

There's an ad for this oven hanging on the wall.

This was a fun poster in the kitchen. It shows you how to tell when Ball jars were manufactured. Several Ball jars are nearby to test your skills.

Next time you visit Cedars of Lebanon State Park, stop by the Sadie Ford Farm. It’s open from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 a.m. Thursday through Sunday. (18) On Saturdays, a man who makes and sells brooms visits. (19) There’s also a one-mile loop trail you can hike that allows you to visit two ponds on the property. (20) Maybe I’ll see you out there!

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1. Information panel entitled “The Ford House and Farm” inside the farmhouse. 

2. https://tnstateparks.com/parks/activity-detail/cedars-of-lebanon-sadie-ford-heritage-farm ; June 21, 2024 farm tour ; https://tnstateparks.com/parks/info/cedars-of-lebanon 
   

3. June 21, 2024 farm tour.

4. Id.

5. Id. 

6. Id. 

7. Id. 

8. Information panel entitled “The Sadie Ford House As Witness” inside the farmhouse. 

9. Id. 

10. June 21, 2024 farm tour.

11. Id. 

12. Id. 

13. Information panel entitled “The Ford House and Farm” inside the farmhouse ; https://tnstateparks.com/parks/activity-detail/cedars-of-lebanon-sadie-ford-heritage-farm 

14. Id. 

15. June 21, 2024 farm tour. 

16. Id. and https://tnstateparks.com/parks/activity-detail/cedars-of-lebanon-sadie-ford-heritage-farm 

17. https://tnstateparks.com/parks/activity-detail/cedars-of-lebanon-sadie-ford-heritage-farm 

18. Two signs at farm; June 21, 2024 farm tour. 

19. June 21, 2024 farm tour; https://tnstateparks.com/parks/event_details/cedars-of-lebanon/#/?event=tom-jones-broom-shop-open-saturdays-atsadie-ford-farm62924 

20. June 21, 2024 farm tour. 

June 24, 2024