IT’S MORE THAN A NAME, IT’S TENNESSEE HISTORY

Amon Haile, from North Carolina, settled in Flynn’s Lick in approximately 1790. He was a Revolutionary Soldier who took up a lot of land along Flynn’s Creek. That’s where the Hix Farm is now. At that time, there was a large Shawnee Indian Village located in Flynn’s Lick.

The Flynn’s Lick Academy was built on property donated by Dudley B. Haile, which is believed to be Amon’s son. People came from all over the Upper Cumberland and adjoining counties to attend the Academy. A large dormitory was built near the school building. The property was school grounds until the new school was built on Highway 53. Some of the foundation of the school can still be seen on the farm, including the old school bell.

According to JB’s mother, Amon Haile used to own about 8,000 acres in Flynn’s Lick and parts of that were either given or sold to his family members. Approximately 200 acres has been in JB’s immediate family since Amon Haile owned it. At one time, Flynn’s Lick was a thriving community. Today, it’s only a shadow of what it used to be when JB’s mom grew up there. JB’s grandfather and his brother, Alvin,  built and ran their first gas station and garage in Flynn’s Lick across from the Church of Christ. There were two grocery stores, a feed store, a school house and two churches at the time. All that remains today is the Church of Christ. When JB”s grandfather and his brother realized that there was a need for a tractor business, they started Hix Brothers Tractor Service in Cookeville and they owned that and the Crossville location for 30 years before selling it to the Brown Brothers.

Hix Farm is still a working farm that is home to crops and cattle. It’s kept by JB’s cousin and we even started growing hops on the farm and used them at the brewery when we created our Amber IPA, Hix Harvest.