BLAZE Magazine Special Edition 2006-2016 | Page 24

Travel & Trails
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By Brigetta Giles, Forester
Alabama Forestry Commission
A
s you turn a curve on Highway 14, just seven miles west
of Marion in Perry County, it is like stepping back in
time. The community is Folsom. There you will find the
Holmestead Company’s Moore-Webb-Holmes Plantation,
one of the oldest continuous working family farms in the state
of Alabama, actively managed by Charles A. Holmes, the fifth-
generation descendant of the original owner. This TREASURE
Forest is certified as a “Century and Heritage Farm” by the Alabama
Department of Agriculture and Industries, the plantation is also listed
on the National Register of Historic Places.
In 1819 shortly before Alabama attained statehood, Charles’ great-
great-grandfather, William “the wagon maker” Moore, journeyed
here from South Carolina. The 80 acres he homesteaded has grown
over the years to several thousand acres. Strolling the quiet peaceful
grounds today, one can only imagine the hustle and bustle of this
busy plantation during a bygone era. Although the original house
was lost in a fire in 1927, you can still tour the family home site.
Several authentic structures remain intact and preserved, many of
them dating back to the 1800s and the handiwork of Moore “the
wagon maker.” There are more than 28 agricultural buildings
which include a carriage house; a smoke house; a chicken coop;
a potato house with a pit for storing vegetables, lard, and sausage;
a blacksmith shop; and barns housing farm equipment such as
wagons, plows, hay rakes, and other antique tools. In addition to
the new gin and seed house, there’s the original log seed house
that was used with the first cotton gin. One of the main attractions
is the plantation’s 1875 “Country Store” with its pot-bellied stove,
which features a deed signed by Andrew Jackson, as well as
other historic papers and items of interest.
in Oxford, England, studying British-American history, religion, and
British architecture. He will tell you, however, that his real education
came during the 20 years he served an agricultural apprenticeship
on the plantation under his two uncles, J. C. and Charlie Webb. After
they passed on, Charles and his family took the lead in operating the
farm. He and his wife, Jenny Cooper Holmes, raised their three sons
to actively participate in the family enterprise. All three and their
families live within a 10-mile radius of the farm! The two youngest,
Webb and Cooper, have followed in their father’s footsteps and are
now the sixth-generation farmers living on and working the same
land that has been passed down to them.
The Moore-Webb-Holmes Plantation consists of 6,000 acres, of
which 4,000 acres are forest land. With timber management being
the primary objective of this TREASURE Forest, the Holmes family
manages the forested acreage as a sustainable forest. Much of the
forest in the last few generations had been predominantly planted
in loblolly pine with a component of hardwood. These stands
have either been thinned or converted to longleaf pine. There are
Extremely proud of his inheritance, Charles Holmes works hard
not only to preserve it, but also improve it and share it with
others. I first met him during a Soil and Water Conservation
District meeting just after being assigned to Perry County, and
I knew immediately I would see a lot of him. After working as a
forester in a few counties, you quickly learn the characteristics
of a very active landowner. For one, they ask lots of questions,
and right away they invite you out to see their property!
A graduate of Marion Military Institute, Charles studied
agricultural economics at Auburn University. He also
completed a summer exchange at Christ Church College
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