Calvin Baldwin’s family farm meant everything to him. He couldn’t wait to return home after WWII, where he served his country and fought in the Battle of the Bulge, and to farm the land as generations before him had.

But no one else in Calvin’s generation was interested in farming. Rather than see the property change hands, he took out VA loans to pay off his father’s mortgage and ultimately assumed farm ownership and operations. Wilma Baldwin, Calvin’s wife, describes him as “a person of many hobbies and interests and someone who helped a lot of people.” She fondly shares stories of Calvin’s pet goat, Rambo, that used to follow him everywhere and even ride with him as he tended the hay fields. He always had dogs, and about 25 horses at one point – including miniatures.

Notably, Calvin convinced road crews to excavate a portion of the property. This way, they could use the rock for nearby road construction. The farm gained a pond, fed by a naturally occurring spring, which he then pumped to assist with landscaping around the house. To this day, the pond is still home to catfish, bass, crappie and sunfish.

He was a jeweler by trade who started two stores in Maryville – but a farmer at heart. The Baldwin’s property is a Century Farm, which means the land has been owned by the same family for at least 100 years. Calvin believed the best way to honor their family’s legacy and land was to preserve it, and that it made sense to look at conservation options. Wilma says she knows that placing an easement on the farm with Foothills Land Conservancy was what Calvin would have wanted.