A SHORT HISTORY OF HIGHLAND WOODS
Welcome to Highland Woods Landowners Association, (HWLA). Perhaps you are a new
landowner, thinking of becoming one, or a member checking us out. Before you read the
covenants and bylaws and policies which bind all members, let us give you a short history and
introduction.
What we now call Highland Woods was formerly known as the Martin Farm. It was the
piece of land where 350 longhairs landed their 50+ psychedelic buses and trucks in the Spring
of 1971 to found The Farm. Before we became The Farm we were The Caravan circling the
country with Stephen Gaskin who was on a four month speaking tour of various campuses
around the country. This occurred in the charged atmosphere of the Nixon years, with the
Vietnam War and the 60s counterculture as a backdrop. The Caravan had returned to Nashville
to purchase land and form a permanent community because of the friendliness of the people
here. We were camped out near Percy Priest lake. One of our folks was in downtown Nashville
at Gruhn Guitars where he met Amy Martin. She had read in the paper that the group was
having trouble finding an appropriate piece of land to purchase, and secured her family’s
permission to rent their 680 acres in Lewis County to us for $1.00/year as a stop gap. Soon,
much to the surprise and shock of Lewis County residents, the miles-long Caravan glided
through Summertown, up Drake Lane, off on a side road and onto the Martin Farm. The road
was quickly closed behind us and there we sequestered ourselves from April through August of
- At that time we purchased the neighboring 1000 acre Black Swan Ranch. The Farm
purchased an adjoining 750 acre piece within the next two years.
In the following decade The Farm sustained itself as a collective Spiritual Community,
grew to 1500 people, and delivered over 600 of our own babies along with hundreds more for
non members. We ran our own K-12 school, (which continues today), and our own health care
system. We entered the local economy providing labor and services to the surrounding towns.
We traveled farther afield to find work so as not to take work from local folks. We started
numerous small businesses and industries, including The Book Publishing Co., Farm
Construction, Solar Electronics, Farm Foods, Solar Energy Works, the Soy Dairy and the
Tempeh Lab. The Farm became a strong voice in the Back to the Land culture. It made
contributions in the areas of midwifery, vegetarianism, electronics and community building.
In 1983 financial pressures forced us from a collective to a co-operative financial
structure. This period we call the Changeover. It required every family to become financially
responsible for itself, no more collectivism. The population dropped to around 200 sturdy
souls who over the next decade paid off the debt and since have steadily improved all material
aspects of The Farm Community. Those who left after the Changeover became a diaspora of
many hundreds who spun out to every corner of the country. Most remain connected to The
Farm, which recently celebrated its 50th anniversary.
In 1994 Farm residents heard that the Martin Farm was about to be purchased by a
timber company whose intention was to clearcut the hardwood forest. A group of current and
former Farm members began building a platform to purchase the land. Mary and Nick
Hubbard, Carol and Don Nelson, and Susan Solomon and Howard Switzer contacted realtors,
mapped out plots in minimum 3 acre parcels. Julia and Robert Duncan helped figure out the
organizational structure and the finances. This core group reached out to the large ex-Farm
network and began showing parcels to prospective buyers. By and by 53 families, individuals,
or groups pledged to purchase parcels ranging from 3 to 100+ acres. Financing was secured,
Farm Net and Highland Woods were incorporated and the land officially surveyed. Enough
money was raised upfront for a down payment. Most new landowners agreed to pay a
moderate amount, $50 per month for ten years, and in ten years the land was paid off.
We had saved a large piece of forested land on the Farm’s boundaries from being
clearcut. Mission accomplished. To the core founders this felt miraculous. In a short time
everything had come together to take this land out of harm’s way and put it into the hands of
Farm members and alumni. From a group of like minded activists we realized that we had now
become neighbors.
We closed Farm Net Corporation, our platform for purchasing the land and began to
inhabit Highland Woods Corporation, the legal platform for our new cooperative neighborhood.
We were both amused and consternated to understand that what we had just legally formed
was a subdivision. We had to have a name, Someone suggested “Brave New Subdivision” to
honor the spirit of our collaboration and cooperation in the future. We settled on Highland
Woods, inferences aside, denoting our position on the southwest rim of the Nashville Basin. Till
now we had been a bunch of like-minded friends more focused on saving the land than
developing it. Yet, we knew that development was going to take place. When we first
incorporated we had to come up with a set of covenants and bylaws. The founding core wrote
the original document based on feedback from members, favoring a minimalist approach. This
served well enough for the first ten years. However, as soon as members started moving onto
their land, situations arose for which there were no prescribed remedies. Also, we were
missing codes for building and sanitation. As Highland Woods Landowners Association grew,
some of the original bylaws seemed too strict and had to be relaxed while others were too
vague or non-existent to deal with the realities of developing homesites. The Board of Directors
of HWLA, a group of volunteers elected to three year terms, took up the task of growing and
adjusting this document of covenants and by-laws and developing policies as needed. As
more people move onto the land new issues arise. Here, now, as we near our 30th year in
existence, we continue to refine this document. We still take seriously our original
commitment to preserve and protect this unique natural ecosystem. At the same time we are
dedicated to helping our members live with each other in a balanced and fair way.
If you have purchased land on Highland Woods we welcome you to the neighborhood.
However, you are bound by all Covenants, Bylaws, and Policies. We ask your cooperation.
Please read them carefully and completely. You will avoid misunderstandings and conflicts by
knowing in advance what these agreements are.
The Highland Woods Landowners Association Board of Directors.