Farm History and Tours

History

Russell Farm is an historic farm on the south side of Burleson that was donated to the City of Burleson in October 2011 by the Boren family for historical, art and agricultural/natural uses. The farm has been passed down through the family over the years.

Historical Artifacts

Visitors will be treated to a wide range of historical artifacts, such as a 1918 Edison Victrola and an icebox that preceded present day refrigerators. Additionally, the several buildings comprising the Russell Farm contain many works of art, including sculptures, paintings, and other artwork. Some of the sculptures are work of the renowned artist, Charlie Boren, who owned the property until he and his wife, Louise, donated it to the City. Local artists will be on site, working on their own creations.

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Tours

Guided tours of Russell Farm are available on the first Saturday of every month from 10 a.m. until 12 p.m. Docents will tell stories of the families who lived here and demonstrate how the house grew from the original 3-room home to the much larger home it is today.

Martha Glenn Russell 

Martha started the farm in 1877. She and her husband, Dr. Robert Russell, moved to the Marystown community, Johnson County in 1874. He built a country store and practiced medicine. Two years later he passed away.

Martha had 5 young children to raise alone so she sold their store and bought 540 acres of land at what would become the Russell Farm. She moved her family into a new 3-room home on Christmas Eve of 1877. Even today, the central core of the farmhouse is made up of 2 of the 3 original rooms built in 1877. View Martha's Story PDF

In order to ease the workload of maintaining the farm, Martha opened some of the land to settlers who could raise their families while sharing some of the labor around the farm. Martha died February 7, 1931 and was buried beside her husband in the Marystown Cemetery.

Texas Family Land Heritage Program

The Russell Farm was entered in the Texas Family Land Heritage Program in 1977 by Martha Russell’s grandson, Russell Lace. This program honors family farms that have been in continuous operation for at least 100 years.

Charlie Boren

Russell & Gigi Lace chose their nephew, Charlie Boren, to keep the heritage alive. Charlie, along with his wife Louise, moved to the farm in 1979. For more than 30 years, Charlie worked to achieve excellence in the artistic use of wood. Charlie’s sculpture is displayed at Russell Farm Art Center and has been exhibited in museums and galleries and private collections throughout the world.

Throughout their years in Burleson, Charlie and Louise’s vision transformed the farm into Russell Farm Art Center, whose focus is art, history, nature, and education. In 2012 Charlie and Louise donated their 30-acre historic farm and art center to the City of Burleson. Friends of Russell Farm is a 501(c)(3) Texas nonprofit corporation that lends additional support to Russell Farm Art Center. Charlie passed away in 2018, and Louise passed in 2023.

Learn more by visiting the Charlie Boren website.

Map of Russell Farm