 Breedlove Farm Records
Collection DescriptionHistorical NoteBreedlove Farm was located on Colham Ferry Road in Watkinsville, Oconee County, Georgia, and was owned by William Henry Breedlove. His father, J. Hardy Breedlove, initially rented the land for row cropping, beginning in the early 1930s. William Breedlove was born February 14, 1913, in Oconee County, Georgia. He attended the University of Georgia from 1934 until 1936, at which time he returned home to help on the farm. He started farming on his own in 1939, eventually acquiring about 20 dairy cows, and purchased the farm outright in 1941. By 1942, electricity had reached the farms of Oconee County and Breedlove introduced milking machines to his dairy production, increasing the herd to around 65 cows. During that same year, Breedlove launched a pasture-building program, which had the farm growing alfalfa, kudzu and a variety of grasses to feed the cows. In 1948, Breedlove increased the herd once again to roughly 85 cows and started selling the farm's milk to the Athens Cooperating Creamery. On June 1, 1941, Breedlove married Dorothy Leila Jackson, in Lavonia, Georgia. Dorothy was born May 14, 1913, and graduated from Lavonia High School and the University of Georgia. She was a school teacher and a life member of the National Education Association, a member of National Retired Teachers Association, Georgia Teachers Association, and Athens Area Retired Teachers Association. The Breedloves had two children, Claire Breedlove Milton and Ann Breedlove Powers. Claire is a graduate of Oconee County High School, the University of Georgia and Auburn University. She is married to Edward Van Milton. Ann was a graduate of Brenau Academy, Gainesville, Georgia, and the University of Georgia. She taught school and later attended Auburn University School of Architecture. She was married to Allen Powers; their children are Frances and William. Ann Breedlove Powers died on November 10, 2015. The Breedlove family received the 1957 Master Farm Family Award, sponsored by The Progressive Farmer magazine and the University of Georgia's Agricultural Extension Service, in recognition of their notable accomplishments in "farming, homemaking and citizenship." They were later designated as the Outstanding Farm Family of 1963 by the Oconee County Farm Bureau. Apart from farming, William Breedlove, a Democrat, served two terms (1953-1954 and 1959-1960) as State Senator from Georgia's 27th District. In 1957, he began his tenure as a supervisor of the Oconee River Soil and Water Conservation District, garnering the outstanding conservation award for 35 years of exemplary service in November 1982. Breedlove was a director of Oconee State Bank for over 30 years, beginning in 1960, and also served from 1958 to 1973 as a director of the Federal Land Bank Association in Madison, Georgia. Dorothy J. Breedlove died January 30, 1994. William H. Breedlove died April 16, 1996. As the farm passed from one generation to the next, the Powers and Miltons made efforts to maintain the integrity of Breedlove Farm and to insure the preservation and protection of the land and water resources by filing conservation easements for portions of their property in favor of the Athens Land Trust and Oconee County. In January 2011, Breedlove Farm was re-established as the Pastures of Rose Creek, a 345-acre farm founded by Ann Powers, her son Will Powers, and other members of the family and operated by Will. This new incarnation of the farm primarily raises cattle to produce grass-fed beef and produces organic vegetables and eggs to sell at local farmers markets. The original Breedlove family house still stands and was the home of Ann and Allen Powers. Scope and ContentThe Breedlove Farm Records document the ownership and use of the land that comprised the farm and, to a lesser extent, the career and family of William H. Breedlove and include ledgers, surveys, maps, deeds, certificates and commissions, printed materials, photographs, film, and digital files. The bulk of the collection is comprised of deeds and property records that trace the transfer, from owner to owner, of land that would become the Breedlove Farm. Ledgers reveal the operations of the farm prior to Breedlove's ownership and during the period in which his father, J. Hardy Breedlove, rented the land. Later records illustrate the family's efforts to protect the land through easements and dedicated preservation plans. Other material includes certificates and resolutions honoring Breedlove's political and civic activities and photographs of the farm and family members. The digital files are scans of original material retained by the Breedlove family. Organization and ArrangementThe records are arranged generally in chronological order and by format. Administrative InformationConditions Governing AccessThis collection is open for research. This collection contains digital files. To access these files, please request the folders you would like through the finding aid using your research account. An archivist will be in contact with you to explain how to access the files. Please note that not all file formats are currently supported by the library for research use. Conditions Governing UseLibrary acts as "fair use" reproduction agent. Copyright InformationBefore material from collections at the Richard B. Russell Library may be quoted in print, or otherwise reproduced, in whole or in part, in any publication, permission must be obtained from (1) the owner of the physical property, and (2) the holder of the copyright. It is the particular responsibility of the researcher to obtain both sets of permissions. Persons wishing to quote from materials in the Russell Library collection should consult the Director. Reproduction of any item must contain a complete citation to the original. Finding Aid PublicationFinding Aid prepared by Mat Darby, 2014. Related Materials and SubjectsSubject TermsRelated Collections in this Repository
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