Madison County

PEC’s Madison County office supports our land use and land conservation activities in the County. PEC is dedicated to promoting healthy communities and the preservation of Madison’s rural character, environment and historic resources. 

Remembering Celia: Honoring one of Madison County’s 2012 easement donors

Remembering Celia: Honoring one of Madison County’s 2012 easement donors

Celia Porter Dollarhide (January 1940 — December 2012) and her siblings never quite had a hometown. Their father, Robert Porter, Jr., was a general in the U.S. army and the family moved often. So, when General Porter retired in the ‘60s and settled at Middle River Farm in Madison County — the 140 acre tree farm became the family’s home base.

Wolftown Farm with Historic Round Barn Protected

Joyce Gentry lives on the land where she lived as a child-a farm in Wolftown in Madison County, toward the foothills of the mountains, that has been in her family for generations. Mrs. Gentry, a retired math teacher, says, “I’ve lived on farms my whole life.” Her son and daughter-in-law Brad and Amy Gentry now raise beef cattle on the family farm-a 145 acre spread with a horizon full of mountain views.

Mrs. Gentry’s strong ties to the land motivated her to protect it with a conservation easement last year. “I’m trying to keep the countryside like it is,” she says.