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Journeys of Discovery: Hohenwald, Tennessee’s legendary 1970’s counter-culture “Farm” still rocks

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Douglas Stevenson's book cover--an insightful chronicle of the legendary "Farm" and its 50 year history.

Tom Reed came to Hohenwald, Tennessee back in 1971 as a vanguard member of a commune dubbed "The Farm”. Hundreds of hippies arrived in their vans and more than 80 school busses adorned with banners proclaiming “Out to Save the World”. They purchased 1,750 acres and settled in, and the Farm is still thriving in the Hohenwald, Tennessee countryside.

Reed eventually left the commune but he and his wife returned to Hohenwald toward the end of their careers in the health care field. Today they are intimately involved in the community’s cultural and non-profit enterprises.

Join Reed at the old Hohenwald Train Depot as he takes us on a time trip back to 1971 when the hippies first descended upon this rural Tennessee town to make a new life.

Reed also takes us on a fast-forward trip to the present world of Hohenwald and how the region, with its relatively extremely affordable real estate prices, is attracting a new generation of urban immigrants seeking an enhanced quality of life.

The Hohenwald "Farm' show is the eleventh in a series showcasing Nashville’s Big Back Yard--an economic and tourism initiative encompassing the Natchez Trace National Parkway in Tennessee’s southwest quarter down to the Shoals Region in Northern Alabama. The town of Hohenwald is located along the fabled route of the Natchez Trace, 80 miles southwest from Nashville. 

You are invited to subscribe to the Lowell Thomas Award-winning podcast travel show,  Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer, featured on the NPR Podcast Directory,  Apple Podcast, the NPR One App & Stitcher.com. Twitter: TomCWilmer. Instagram: Thomas.Wilmer. Underwriting support provided by The Society of St. Vincent de Paul.

Tom Wilmer produces on-air content for Issues & Ideas airing over KCBX and is producer and host of the six-time Lowell Thomas award-winning NPR podcast Journeys of Discovery with Tom Wilmer. Recorded live on-location across America and around the world, the podcasts feature the arts, culture, music, nature, history, science, wine & spirits, brewpubs, and the culinary arts--everything from baseball to exploring South Pacific atolls to interviewing the real Santa Claus in the Arctic.
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