Photo by Skye Marthaler
Jonathan Webster (1767-1843) and Sarah Jossey Webster (1783-1830) married in 1805. (Jonathan’s first wife was Mary Williams and died prior to 1805.) The Webster family moved from Georgia to Maury Co. and built a 2 story brick home in 1810 they called Webster Hall whose address is 3166 Hampshire Pike. In 1826, they were successful enough to add a larger 2 story Federal addition to the existing home.
Their plantation comprised 1,000-2,500 acres along Tombigbee Creek (now Bigbee Creek). The area was a cane break. Webster constructed a grist mill along with operating his farm. On land, he raised primarily cotton and also sheep, horse, hogs, cattle and mules. Webster tried to establish a mail line from McMinnville to Bedford and Coffee Counties and west. From 1813-17, Webster was a representative in the 10th & 11th General Assembly. From 1817-19, he was a senator in the 12th Assembly. Then served in the 15, 18, 21st Assemblies as senator. In the 21st General Assembly, he served as Speaker of the Senate. Early in his career, he was allied with Andrew Jackson’s Democrats, but later moved to the Whig Party.
He and his family introduced mules to Maury County which established a great reputation for the area. Webster also became very involved with horse breeding and racing. A few years after Johnathan's death, about 1847, the Webster Farm comprising about 770 acres was sold out of the family to a Mr. Harlan.
The Harlan family kept the farm well into the 1900s. They pursued progressive and modern agriculture techniques and products. In the 1950s, the Osborne family purchased the property. By 1966, Mrs. G. A. Osborne was the owner. The area was originally called Webster or Webster’s Mill. Later it was known as Lipscomb, and currently is Cross Bridges. According to lore, it was the first brick house between Bigbee Creek and the Mississippi River. The Webster Farm returned to family ownership when Mike and Jill Webster purchased it in 1994 with about 96.5 acres. Mike is the great x3 grandson of Jonathan and an attorney. They raise corn, hay, orchid grass and clover on the farm. To the northeast of the property, there is a long road called Harlan Farm Rd. and there is also a stream called Harlan Branch. NRHP 1996 See George Webster House, Vine Hill
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