The Carrington Farm, located in Henderson County, has been designated as a Tennessee Century Farm. The Century Farms Program recognizes the contributions of Tennessee residents who have owned and kept family land in continuous production for at least 100 years. 

A century ago this year, C. R. (Charlie) Carrington purchased a large farm of 1200 acres on “waters of Big Creek” in the 6th Civil District near Darden.  Charlie and his wife Emma built a house and raised four children -- H.H., Patra, Zula, and Ray.  They raised row crops and livestock and a primary commodity was timber.  Charlie died in 1924 and Ray and his mother continued to manage and operate the farm together for a number of years.

Ray Carrington, who was born in the family home in 1914, farmed this land all of his life.  Ray and Dorothy Alexander married in 1939. Emma lived with them until her death in 1954 at the age of 82. They bought some of the land back that Ray’s brother and two sisters had inherited and they built a new home, near the old farmhouse, in 1951. Richard, Russell, and Mike are their sons. 

Russell T. Carrington acquired 190 acres in 1977, some of which was the original farm as well as adjoining land on which he raised cattle for more than 40 years. He and his wife, Sharon, built a house in 1977 and continue to live there today. Their children are Russell C. (Rusty) and Jennie C. Richardson. 

The fourth generation owner is Rusty Carrington, the great grandson of Charlie and Emma. He and his wife Kim are the parents of Jesslyn and Allie.  Rusty reports that four generations of the family live all “around each other” including his grandmother, Dorothy, who at 90 remains very active. Raising hay, cattle and horses, Rusty and his father use and work around the barns built by Ray Carrington on land that has been in the Carrington name since 1912.