Ten Horse Farm's owners were descended from a long line of Southerners dating back before the American Revolution. They migrated to South Carolina, to Middle Gerogia, then resettled in Southwest Georgia here at Ten Horse Farm to build a new life after the devastating close of the Civil War.
At the turn of the century, sizes of plantations were not measured by the number of acres they contained but rather by the number of horses (including mules) it took to farm them - thus the name "Ten Horse Farm." It was common during the period to refer to the size of a farm as a two horse farm, four horse farm, eight horse farm, etc. Few farms required more than ten horses because the critical mass of operating a larger farm was difficult to sustain. For this reason, ten horse farms were about as large as working plantations became.
Unlike Southern Anti-bellum Architecture depicted in movies like "Gone With The Wind," Ten Horse Farm's Planter's House represents a more typical plantation style. Plantation owners and their families (including the owner's children) worked side-by-side with tenant farmers and sharecroppers. Ten Horse Farm is noteworthy in that it was among the first to have gravity-fed running water from a water tower to the houses, barns and animal troughs. It was among the first to plant pecan orchards and planted pines. The Planter's House was one of the first in the community to be built with a Delco Plant providing electricty to a light bulb which hung from the ceiling in every room. The 2nd generation owner was instrumental in bringing electricity to this part of the country and was among the first presidents of the regions Rural Electric Company. At Ten Horse Farm, there was a wash house, smoke house, chicken house, mule barn, corn crib, hay barns and several tenant houses on the property. Crops grown consisted of cotton, corn, tobacco, cane, soybeans, peanuts, pecans and timber. Animals raised included cattle, hogs and chickens. Products produced included milk, butter, seed, sugarcane, turpentine and hay. From the beginning, Ten Horse Farm was in the forefront of modern agricultural practices, and invented more than a few.
Today, the historic significance of Ten Horse Farm is evident as you drive up the quarter mile-long drive to the Planter's House and surrounding barnyard. You will immediately sense the historic importance of this property and the tranquility that remains after a century of people living and working for the common good of the Ten Horse Farm community.
Ten Horse Farm was recently restored by the youngest member of the 4th generation.