|
Daddy Pete Farms Becomes a NC Century Farm
Daddy
Pete Farms in Stony Point, North Carolina has been
recognized as a North Carolina Century Farm. The
state honors family owned and operated farms for 100 years
of continuous agricultural heritage, which helps lead to the
rich heritage of the state. The farm is honored by the
NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and the
North Carolina State Fair.
The
Smith family has owned and operated the farm since the early
1900's. In December of 1907, Joseph Alan Smith bought 102
acres of land in Stony Point, North Carolina, for the sum of
$2,500. He was then faced with the task of building the
farmhouse and barns from the timber he gained clearing the
land. After clearing the land, he built fences and sowed
grass to prepare the farm for raising beef cattle. Molly,
Joseph’s wife, nicknamed him “Daddy Pete”.
Daddy Pete’s son, Sledge, took over the farm after the
death of Daddy Pete. Not only did Sledge inherited the farm
from Daddy Pete and raised beef cattle and turkeys, but he
also served as Sheriff of Alexander County from 1950 through
1959.
Sledge had a son and named him Gar Alan Smith, who attended
N.C.State University and studied agriculture. Gar
was drafted into the military during World War II, and after
the war came back home to Stony Point, where he married and
had three children. Gar’s only son, Alan, took over the
family farm in 1972 and made it a dairy farm in 1973.
Learn more about North Carolina Century Farms
|
|