Our History
On October 10, 2009, friends and family in the community and bluegrass fans across the nation will enjoy stepping back in time as they attend the Mount Juliet Homecoming Festival, located at one of the most historic farms in Mount Juliet, Tennessee. Happy Hollow Farms is located on Main Street (off West Division) in Mount Juliet, just behind Cloyd's Presbyterian Church.
This marks the 10th anniversary of this festival that has been hosted by a variety of men from Mount Juliet. These men began their journey together years ago, and today they reminisce of their hobo days; hopping trains in the 1940s to travel out West during the annual wheat harvests. During that time, these men would join some 250,000 who moved from field to field, following the ripened crops.
Work was hard and conditions were difficult for these young harvesters from Middle Tennessee. Their sleeping arrangements were haystacks and empty boxcars. Wages ranged from $2-4 per day, sometimes dropping as low as 50 cents per day, depending on the supply of workers. Until the mechanization of the wheat harvest ended the Great Wheat Belt Migration, these young men would move from one farm to another, traveling throughout the continental United States.
The Mount Juliet Homecoming honors those harvesters who have set standards of hard work and determination and celebrates the history of the city which they call home.
Coming here in 1791, the family of Ezekiel Cloyd, obtained land, cut logs, and built the farm that would become Happy Hollow Farms. In 1795, one year before Tennessee became a state, he built Cloyd’s Presbyterian Church (first called Stoner’s Lick Church). These buildings stand to this day.
At one time, Mount Juliet was referred to as Stoners Lick Creek, in honor of Michael Stoner, who found a salt lick while exploring this area in 1767. The creek running through his property was and still is called Stoner Creek in his honor. The Bradshaw family obtained the farm in the late 1800s and grew fruits and vegetables, which were sold throughout the area. The family of Rufus Page now resides on the farm and provides it as a venue for the Mounth Juliet Homecoming.
As in previous years, you will hear stories of Mt. Juliet’s early years; stories that tell how things were before modern electricity, plumbing, or paved streets. Those who have attended this festival will always remember the smell of turnip greens cooked in iron kettles over the open fire. Again, they will experience sugar cane, fed through the horse powered cane press, prior to it being cooked down and made into sorghum molasses. Antique tractors will be displayed, as will the wheat-thrashing machine, horse powered hay bailer, and many other rare pieces of historic farm equipment. We look forward to sharing all of this with you.
If you would like join others in helping out during this year’s celebration, click on the “Contact Us” link. We’ll be happy to hear from you.