For a brief historical sketch of each farm, click on the farm name.
The following map provides a general geographical understanding. It does not provide specific locations of the farms because of privacy reasons.
Helene W. Lusty
In 1904, S. E. Bedford established a farm of 65 acres where he
raised cattle, corn and hay. His daughter, Ruby Bedford and her husband C. S.
Wiseman., acquired the property in 1918.
Stone and Bedford Wiseman were their sons and helped the family raise
cattle and corn primarily. The family
recalls that people came to vacation near the spring that was the only source
of water on the farm. From here, water
was pumped to the house and for the livestock. Thirteen stone steps lead down
to the spring house. In the winter, the
whole neighborhood gathered at the Wiseman’s to butcher hogs and process the
pork. C. S. Wiseman passed away in
1958 and left his interest to his sons and his wife, Ruby. In 1968,
Bedford Wiseman’s widow, Helene, now married to Stuart M. Lusty,
manages the land with the help of her cousin, Billy McGee, and raises cattle
and hay. The spring house, now over
eighty years old, still covers the water source that remains an important part
of this farm.
Butch Burt
In
1875, J. E. Harris established the Burt family farm ten miles northeast of
Edward D. Burt, the great grandson of J. E. Harris, acquired
55 acres of family land in 1975. After Edward died, his wife sold some of the
property and moved away. However, Butch Burt, Edward’s son, owns some of the
acreage today.
Ruth Cochran
Elizabeth Cochran
Lisa Martin Cochran
Nathan Cochran
During the mid-nineteenth century, John R. Bagley founded the
Chestnut Ridge Farm. John and his wife Martha Elizabeth Driver Bagley had eight
children. In 1851, their son-in-law, James Asberry Prosser, married to their
daughter Rebecca, became the owner of
the land. On 180 acres of land, the Prossers raised mules, horses, cows, corn
and tobacco. In addition to farming, the Prossers helped with the development
of the surrounding community by giving land to build the
John J., one of the Prosser’s eight children, acquired the farm in
1885. John and his wife Della Bell Brents cultivated crops such as corn,
tobacco, hay, wheat, Irish potatoes, fruits, pumpkins and lumber. They also
raised cattle, hogs, chickens, sheep, mules and horses. A house was built in 1890 and a barn in
1903. Gas lighting was installed in 1910
and the system and fixtures are still intact.
After John’s death in 1946, Della operated the farm for 27 years until
her own death in 1973. John and Della
had no children, so the property was willed to his nephews and nieces. Eventually, his nephew Henard O. Cochran
bought out his cousins and became the sole owner of the farm.
Henard and his wife
Photo: A
farmhouse on the Chestnut Ridge Farm.
Bratten Ferrell
In 1873, Annie and W. A. Nix acquired a 124 acre
tract, located six miles north of
In 1959, Frances Bennett Ferrell obtained 40 acres of the
family land. The great great granddaughter of the founders, Frances is the
spouse of Bratten Ferrell and the mother of two boys. The Ferrells raise Angus
cattle and grow tobacco and the family lives in the farm’s original dwelling
that dates to the 1870s.
Reagor Parks
In the 4th District of Moore County, just
northeast of
In 1951, Reagor Parks, the grandson of the founders,
inherited one-third of the farm from his parents and purchased the remainder
from his brother and sister. Currently working approximately 264 acres, Reagor
specializes “in raising replacement heifers for dairies” and produces “as much
pasture and hay as possible.” Parks Pastures Farm is a modern agricultural
operation. Indeed, according to the family, “the biggest change for this period
has been the change from mules to tractors. The hills are no longer used for
row crops (since) erosion can be controlled much better with (the fields) sown
in grass for pasture.”
The farm’s mid-nineteenth century barn once contained a huge loft and mule stables, but Reagor has “remodeled again, doing away with the mule stables and the loft, making it into a livestock working facility.” The barn gives the farm added significance because its changing appearance and use mirrors the history of Parks Pastures.
Todd F. Jennings
Walter B. Jennings, III
For the sum of $207.00, Thomas
Shaw Holt purchased a parcel of land north of
In 1942, Tommie became the second
generation to own the property. During her ownership, the farm supported
cattle, mules, tobacco, corn and cotton. Tommie was married to Walden Jackson
“Jack” Ervin and their children were Guy
Holt, Horace William, Sarah Nell, and Mary Walden. During World War II, the family grew “
Guy Ervin and his wife Mary Louise
Owens Ervin, the next generation to live and work on the farm, produced cattle,
mules and horses. They donated ½ acre of land for the construction of the
County Line Church of Christ.
In 2005, the grandchildren of Guy and Louise Ervin, Todd F. and Walter B. Jennings III, sons of Buford and Nancy Ervin Jennings, acquired the property from their grandmother. Todd and Walter, along with their father, are involved in the farm’s management and operation. They raise cattle and hay and continue to use the 1949 barn.
Photo: Tom Shaw Holt operated this general store in the County Line community in the late nineteenth century.