Historic Hazel Hill Farm Offers Family Fun

Just a short drive down 58 Highway will take you on a journey into the past as a visit to Hazel Hill Farm is a perfect get-a-way for something different to do for family-style entertainment.

Jon and Stacey Howerton and their family now own the Queen Anne-style historic 1896 farmhouse and offer different events on their sprawling 40 acres.

Jon grew up in Chilhowee on a seventh generation hog farm and Stacey is from Mississippi.

The Howertons delight in sharing their property with family, friends and new friends they make at their events.

Upcoming events include Movie Nights on the Farm, which will be held every other Thursday, from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. In fact, tonight is movie night!

The movies actually start around 8:30 p.m. and are shown in the open air barn on the Howerton’s property.

Cost is $5 for anyone age four years and older and admission includes a bottled water and popcorn to enjoy while you watch the movie.

Outside food and drinks are also allowed, so feel free to bring your own movie treats.

The schedule for movie nights is tonight, July 1, July 15, July 29, August 12 and August 26.

All movies are family-friendly and include titles such as Moana and The Karate Kid.

Other movies shown are to be decided. You are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets for your family to sit on to watch the movies.

The first event the family held at Hazel Hill Farm was a May Day celebration on May 1 of this year.

Stacey shares they had a great turnout, with around 350 people attending.

The next big bash at the farm, called a Family and Friends event, is their July Jamboree event.

It will be held on July 24 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

There will be something for everyone to enjoy, including shopping, blacksmith demonstrations, bounce house and pony rides for the kids, yard games, food trucks and much more!

Admission is $5 for ages six and up and everything is included in that price.

In October, the Howertons will host another Family and Friends fall event, similar to the one in July.

Mark your calendars and don’t miss this opportunity to enjoy the beautiful countryside and the Howerton’s hospitality, and make new friends while you’re at it!

That event will be held on October 16, also from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Hazel Hill Farm is located a short drive from Centerview proper, right on 58 Highway.

The address is 43 Route 58 Highway, near Crest Ridge Schools on the east side of the highway.

For more information about upcoming events, visit their website at hazelhillfarmco.com.

It lists all details and what’s coming up. They also have a Facebook page called Hazel Hill Farm and an Instagram page @hazelhillfarmmo.

An event on Facebook has been created under the name “July Jamboree” and “Movie Night at the Farm”.

You will find details on all events so you can make plans to take your family for a visit.

The Howertons are planning for the future and earlier this spring they planted 1,000 Christmas trees to become a local Christmas tree farm for area families to visit and pick out their own trees.”

Although the trees won’t be ready to sell for five years, we hope the community will still be here and ready to buy local Christmas trees when they’re ready,” Stacey said. “We hope to be a fully functional Christmas tree farm in five years but will start to sell pre-cut trees before that!”

The Howertons love to share the beautiful property that is their home and the site of the historic homestead that has only been lived in by three families since its construction in 1896.

“Our desire is to create and cultivate this lovely environment that makes people feel at home and leaves them wanting to come back over and over,” Stacey explained. “We hope everyone sees something different in us and this place!”

Their goal is to make Hazel Hill Farm a place that people want to come for a visit, enjoy the events and relax in the lovely natural beauty that makes up the charming property.

The inside of the house has most of the original features, including a grand staircase, hardwood floors, transom windows, and three-sided bay windows still in place, though a lot of the exterior work exempts it from being on the National Historic Register, according to the Howertons.

The home was built around 1896 and would have possibly taken up to four years to complete.

There have only been three families who have lived in the home and on the land – the Wells family, the Steinbachs, and now the Howertons.

Mr. and Mrs. J.F. Wells, Sr. were the original owners and built the large, stately house.

The house remained in the Wells family for many generations, eventually passing to their children J.F. Wells, Jr., who was a State Representative from 1964-1970, and Miss Nellie Wells, who was a teacher and Johnson County School superintendent.

They were the only two of the Wells children left unmarried still continuing to live in the house and would do so until their deaths.

As Miss Nellie grew older and talk of what would happen to the house and farm grew more prevalent, it was rumored that other family members just wanted to tear the house down and get rid of it.

Miss Nellie was determined not to let that happen. She designated in her will that the house would either be sold to her dear friends, the Steinbachs, or go to the MO Conservation Dept, no one else.

Larry and Phyllis Steinbach purchased the home from the Wells estate in 1976 and lived and raised their family there until 2020, when the Howertons bought the property.

Stacey shared the history of the home, because of her love for it. “I really just want to recognize the home and people who have lived here before us – their stories, the history, it’s really all just so beautiful and deserves to be preserved in history,” she said.

Stacey and Jon appreciate the history of the property and want to share the elegance and lovely acreage with friends, both old and new.

Right now, Stacey gets to stay home and care for their four children, ages eight, five, four and two.

The oldest two are homeschooled. The Howertons are delighted to share their home and property with the public and want people who are looking for something to do close to home to check out what’s happening at Hazel Hill Farm.

Visit their website or make plans to attend movie nights or one of their other upcoming events, you’ll be glad you did!

Step back in time to enjoy the special historic farmhouse and learn the history of the old homestead.

Visit the Howertons and enjoy some family-friendly entertainment in nearby Centerview and relish the outdoors and nature at its best!