Up | Tennessee Children's Home - NORTH CENTRAL BRIEF HISTORY
(formerly
Happy Hills Boys Ranch & Happy Hills Youth Ranch) In September of 1970, nearly 400 acres in Cheatham County just 10 miles north of Ashland City were secured for the Happy Hills Boys Ranch. This was a farm donated by Houston Ezell an elder at the Vultee Church of Christ.
At that time, the phrase “out were boys ought to be” was coined to
suggest that young men who were in need of special care would grow and mature
better in that kind of environment. The
boys would be taught the dignity of honest toil, good sportsmanship and fair
play, with a special emphasis on moral and spiritual values.
The mission of the Ranch was to provide a substitute home for dependent
and neglected children and to restore the broken lives of children and families. The goal of the Ranch has always been to
help a child become independent, capable of living and contributing in our
society, while dependent on God.
Founders and board members have been active in leadership positions in
area Churches of Christ. Clayton
Pepper was the first superintendent. Tom
and Maxine Stroud were the first houseparents at Happy Hills Boys Ranch.
Area congregations of the Churches of Christ built the houses and
buildings used to care for the boys. The
Vultee church built the first house with other houses paid for and constructed
by Joywood, Grandview, Hilldale, Bellview, West End, Chapel Hill, Springfield
and all the congregations of Cheatham County.
This has truly been a church family project.
In 2000 the Youth Ranch merged with the Tennessee Children’s Home. |