The
Land
F.M. 900 Farm is located on 65 acres of land in Purley, Texas of Franklin County purchased by the Kern family in 2004.
The property sits adjacent to Farm-to-Market (F.M.) 900 Road at the junction of F.M. 900 and Highway 37, just under 100 miles East of Dallas and under 10 miles West of Lake Cypress Springs.
F.M. 900 Road bifurcates the tiny town of Purley; aptly named, Farm-to-Market roads historically connect farmers, ranchers, and rural communities to market towns.
A PIECE OF FAMILY HISTORY
It seems that kismet is the start to the story of F.M. 900.
While residing in Dallas, the Kerns purchased the property in 2004, leaning into an inexplicable connection to the area and looking for a retreat for three siblings to freely play after overcoming unexpected hardship. The Kern family has continually visited the property over the past twenty-years, spending countless hours understanding the creeks, the animal trails, the distinct trees, the ponds – they are all memorized markers we proudly return to.
In 2009, the Kerns began digging into their family history and discovered that their great grandmother, Maedelle Johnson, was born in Purley, the tiny town of less than 100 people that the property sits on; their great grandpa, Winfield Johnson, was a farmer in the neighboring town of Mt. Vernon and several of their relatives rest at Providence Cemetery, a 10 minute drive from the property.
Since then, Anna Kern, her fiancé Michael Hitchcock, and her brother Elliot Kern, have crafted a love letter to the land, to family, and to the surrounding community – F.M. 900 Farm.
Both the Kerns and Hitchcock come from a long lineage of farmers. We are are incredibly grateful for the opportunity to honor our roots.
A PIECE OF EAST TEXAS HISTORY
Franklin County was first a part of Red River County, one of the 16 original counties in the Republic of Texas. It is generally accepted that Franklin County was named after Benjamin C. Franklin (1805–1873), the first man to hold a judicial position in the Republic of Texas.
The town of Purley in Franklin County was first settled in the 1850s. William Henry Cannaday named it for his former town in Tennessee — Puryear.
The Cannaday family was one of the first families to own a large portion of the F.M. 900 property.
