The Bachman-McCoy Farm, upon the nomination of the Tennessee Historical Commission, has recently been placed in the National Register of Historic Places by the National Park Service of the United States Department of the Interior. The property is also listed in the Tennessee Register of Historic Places.
Located along historic Anderson Pike near the top of the W Road in the Town of Walden, the Bachman-McCoy farm was listed in the National Register for its association with significant events in American history. Bachman family members played important roles in local politics, social reform causes, and environmental preservation. In 1911, Nathan and Pearl Bachman purchased the property as a summer home. By 1918, the Bachmans had transformed the property into a full-time residence and gentleman’s farm.
With the farm as his home base, Nathan L. Bachman rose in Tennessee’s political world, serving on the Tennessee Supreme Court and as an important southern Senator in the U.S. Congress from 1933 to 1936 during the first phase of the New Deal. He played roles in the creation of the Tennessee Valley Authority and the passage of the Social Security Act. His wife, Pearl Duke Bachman, had significant involvement in the local Garden Club movement. She was an early advocate for land conservation and other social causes.
Their daughter, Martha Bachman McCoy, became a powerful voice for highway beautification, reverence for history, good citizenship, and mountain unity. Martha and her family became the farm’s primary residents around 1940. She, and her daughter Sally McCoy Garland, allowed for the Town of Walden to acquire the farm through a gift/sale so that it might serve the community as an arboretum, natural area, and venue for public and private events.
Executive director Melissa Nimon says, “Our successful application has been a long and rewarding process where many interesting facts about the history of the residents and the history of the buildings were uncovered. McCoy’s National Register Committee led by Susan Snow was aided by students and faculty from UTC’s Historic Preservation program and MTSU’s Center for Historic Preservation, as well as the State Historic Preservation Office.”
Today, the property, known as McCoy Farm & Gardens, covers 38 acres and contains the historic home, barn, and several outbuildings of the Bachman era, as well as many gardens, a Level 2 Arboretum with over 70 tree species, and 2.4 miles of trails. The grounds also include the site of the former home of artist, poet, and naturalist Emma Bell Miles. Docents provide guided tours of the Bachman-McCoy House on the second Sunday of each month from 2 to 4 p.m. McCoy Farm & Gardens is open daily, hosts various community events, offers a venue for private events, and is enjoyed by the broader community for its natural beauty and historic charm.
by Melissa Nimon
Located along historic Anderson Pike near the top of the W Road in the Town of Walden, the Bachman-McCoy farm was listed in the National Register for its association with significant events in American history. Bachman family members played important roles in local politics, social reform causes, and environmental preservation. In 1911, Nathan and Pearl Bachman purchased the property as a summer home. By 1918, the Bachmans had transformed the property into a full-time residence and gentleman’s farm.
With the farm as his home base, Nathan L. Bachman rose in Tennessee’s political world, serving on the Tennessee Supreme Court and as an important southern Senator in the U.S. Congress from 1933 to 1936 during the first phase of the New Deal. He played roles in the creation of the Tennessee Valley Authority and the passage of the Social Security Act. His wife, Pearl Duke Bachman, had significant involvement in the local Garden Club movement. She was an early advocate for land conservation and other social causes.
Their daughter, Martha Bachman McCoy, became a powerful voice for highway beautification, reverence for history, good citizenship, and mountain unity. Martha and her family became the farm’s primary residents around 1940. She, and her daughter Sally McCoy Garland, allowed for the Town of Walden to acquire the farm through a gift/sale so that it might serve the community as an arboretum, natural area, and venue for public and private events.
Executive director Melissa Nimon says, “Our successful application has been a long and rewarding process where many interesting facts about the history of the residents and the history of the buildings were uncovered. McCoy’s National Register Committee led by Susan Snow was aided by students and faculty from UTC’s Historic Preservation program and MTSU’s Center for Historic Preservation, as well as the State Historic Preservation Office.”
Today, the property, known as McCoy Farm & Gardens, covers 38 acres and contains the historic home, barn, and several outbuildings of the Bachman era, as well as many gardens, a Level 2 Arboretum with over 70 tree species, and 2.4 miles of trails. The grounds also include the site of the former home of artist, poet, and naturalist Emma Bell Miles. Docents provide guided tours of the Bachman-McCoy House on the second Sunday of each month from 2 to 4 p.m. McCoy Farm & Gardens is open daily, hosts various community events, offers a venue for private events, and is enjoyed by the broader community for its natural beauty and historic charm.
by Melissa Nimon
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