Bicentennial Farm Profile – Three Springs Farm

The farm today. Today, the Smiths are the sixth generation to operate the farm’s current 80 acres, which are used to grow soybeans, corn, and hay, and raise beef cattle. 

The farm in 1803. In 1802, Fredrick Harman built on the farm what is now known as the Harmon House, the oldest log cabin in Fairfield County. The cabin, which was built from trees on the property, is located near three springs that still run today. Generations of Harmons are buried nearby the house in a well-kept cemetery. Before 1815, Fredrick Harmon organized one of the earliest county schools when a small class of students would assemble in the second story of his log house for lessons. The land was heavily wooded, so the early years on the farm were devoted primarily to tree removal. 

Notable ancestors and accomplishments. Fredrick Harman traveled from Westmoreland, Pennsylvania and acquired 640 acres from his service in the Revolutionary War in 1799, before Ohio was even a state. He had traveled alone to stake his claim, and when he was ready to ride the 300 miles back to Pennsylvania to get his family, he discovered his horse had been stolen by Indians. Undiscouraged, he walked the entire way back to pick up his wife, Esther, and their children. Harmon House is currently the home of descendants Howard and Dixie Smith, and was listed on the Register of Historic Ohio Homesteads in 1978. 

“Quotable quote.” “Today more and more Ohio farms are being sold for developmental purposes. We need to try and preserve the older homesteads and farms for not only historical reasons but also legacies. Families need to have a family home or farm to return to in this age of mobility and relocation.” –Dixie Smith on the importance of preserving her Ohio bicentennial family farm.