When Oscar Farris started the project that would become the Tennessee Agricultural Museum, it was a labor of love,” says museum director Dr. Elaura Guttormson. “He started in 1957 with a list of farming implements he wanted and sent letters to all the counties asking for the tools.”
Oscar L. Farris served as the Davidson County Agricultural Extension agent from 1920 through 1941. Using his personal connections as an agent, he contacted counties asking for items of historical significance. As technology was rapidly changing the landscape of agriculture, Farris was looking for early Tennessee settlement items to show how those pieces were later adapted to modern usage leading up to the 1960s.
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“He was looking for things that told a story – early plows to later plows to tractors,” Guttormson says. “He was interested in bigger pieces as well, like our wagon, our horse treadmill and our pile driver. All of those pieces date to Farris.”
From Collection to Museum
“Farris hosted a state fair exhibit in 1958. It was a hit, and by then, of course, he had a collection,” Guttormson says. “He petitioned then-Governor and friend Buford Ellington for space for the museum, and his efforts paid off.” The museum was established by the state in 1959.
Today, the covered wagon is a highlight of the museum, according to Guttormson. “When the school groups come, everybody can relate to that,” she says. “They’ve watched movies, read books or moved and can comprehend the idea of putting all of your belongings in a wagon to start over.”
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Farris was also able to secure a rural mail wagon that remains in the museum today.
“He was passionate about finding the mail wagon,” Guttormson says. “For a long time, rural communities were cut off from the rest of the world. The rural delivery system reached Tennessee in the early 1900s, allowing folks to get mail delivered to their houses, and it was important to Farris to show that progress.”
Museum on a Mission
Unfortunately, Farris died of a stroke in 1961, but his legacy lives on in the museum’s collection and mission.
In 1988, a group of museum supporters created a nonprofit association called the Oscar L. Farris Agricultural Museum Association to support the museum’s educational mission.
“One way we honor Farris’ legacy at the museum is through the 501c3,” Guttormson says.
Farris’ name is tied to the association in recognition of his dedication to Tennessee’s rural history.
See For Yourself
Today, the Tennessee Agricultural Museum is operated by the Tennessee Department of Agriculture at the Ellington Agricultural Center in Nashville.
See more: How the Tennessee Agricultural Museum Is Preserving the State’s History
The museum has three state employees on staff, including Guttormson, a museum curator and a museum educator. The curator handles all the interpretation for the museum with the panels, social media and exhibits. Meanwhile, the educator facilitates curriculum-based field trips that meet state standards, as well as First Friday field trips connecting agriculture with young audiences.
“We exist to meet all of those needs – education, preservation and interpretation,” Guttormson says.
Admission to the museum is free, and field trips cost only $1 per student.
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Approximately 15,000 people per year make their way through the museum, and while the museum’s collection of artifacts has grown significantly since its inaugural year, the role Oscar Farris played in its creation is not forgotten.
“When folks come to the museum, they are greeted by our staffers, then the next thing they see is an exhibit on Oscar Farris,” Guttormson says.
If You Go…
Tennessee Agricultural Museum
Location: Ellington Agricultural Center, 404 Hogan Road, Nashville
Hours: Open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Closed on state holidays.
Admission is free.
Phone: (615) 837-5197
Website: tn.gov/agmuseum.html
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