Garrondale Farm
James H. Harrison
Jonathan Harrison established the Garrondale Farm in 1820. Harrison had earlier married Mary Garron, whose family originally owned much of the land. He eventually bought out much of the Garron’s holdings and began farming with 337 acres.
On this rich farmland, located between Lynchburg and Shelbyville, Jonathan Harrison grew corn, wheat, clover, and flax and raised sheep, cattle, and swine. In 1831, the farm passed to his fourth son, James H. Harrison, who served as a Bedford County magistrate for 40 years. He lived on the farm until 1897.
Upon his father’s death, Thomas F. Harrison inherited 120 acres of Garrondale and when his wife died 45 years later, the land was equally divided between his sons, Frank and James H. Harrison. From 1942 to the 1970s, James H. Harrison farmed the land, adding 115 acres to his original inheritance and growing tobacco and beans. Today, his widow, Mrs. James H. Harrison, still lives at the old Garrondale house, which was constructed in 1881.