Skyline in Jackson County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)

Skyline Farms

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, February 13, 2021

1. Skyline Farms Marker (Side A)

Inscription.

Skyline Farms. . History excerpted from various articles written by Dr. David Campbell, president of Northeast Alabama State Community College. Skyline Farms was an effort to build a “new world” in rural America where tenant farmers, hit hard by the Great Depression, would become self-sufficient landowners and live in an idyllic village. The program was started by the Federal Emergency Relief Administration in 1934 and operated later by the Resettlement Administration and the Farm Security Administration. Skyline Farms, carved out of the mountain wilderness, was one of some 40 farm communities established during President Franklin Roosevelt's administration. The Federal Government acquired some 18,000 acres of land for Skyline Farms, initially called “Cumberland Mountain Farms.” The program was intended to help tenant families get a new start in life by acquiring a home and eventually their own 40-acre farm. The program also provided work for the unemployed in the area through construction of roads and buildings. Additionally, the government built a small factory at Skyline, and then leased the facility to a private company., Despite its good intentions, the Skyline Farm community project was charged with waste and mismanagement and only a few of the selected families were able to acquire their units. Most families could never make the one-fourth down payment and finally, under pressure from Congress, the Farm Security Administration ended its farm community programs and units at Skyline were sold to private buyers. Sadly, Skyline Farms families who could not make their down payment were forced to leave their homes. Skyline Farms did have its benefits: It carried many families through the worst part of The Great Depression and people received adequate healthcare, food, clothing, and housing during very hard times. Many participants learned skills at Skyline Farms that permitted them to find work as painters, stonemasons, or carpenters after they left the project. The children of the project obtained educations that would last a lifetime.

History excerpted from various articles written
by Dr. David Campbell, president of
Northeast Alabama State Community College Skyline Farms was an effort to build a “new world” in rural America where tenant farmers, hit hard by the Great Depression, would become self-sufficient landowners and live in an idyllic village. The program was started by the Federal Emergency Relief Administration in 1934 and operated later by the Resettlement Administration and the Farm Security Administration. Skyline Farms, carved out of the mountain wilderness, was one of some 40 farm communities established during President Franklin Roosevelt's administration. The Federal Government acquired some 18,000 acres of land for Skyline Farms, initially called “Cumberland Mountain Farms.” The program was intended to help tenant families get a new start in life by acquiring a home and eventually their own 40-acre farm. The program also provided work for the unemployed in the area through construction of roads and buildings. Additionally, the government built a small factory at Skyline, and then leased the facility to a private

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

company.

Despite its good intentions, the Skyline Farm community project was charged with waste and mismanagement and only a few of the selected families were able to acquire their units. Most families could never make the one-fourth down payment and finally, under pressure from Congress, the Farm Security Administration ended its farm community programs and units at Skyline were sold to private buyers. Sadly, Skyline Farms families who could not make their down payment were forced to leave their homes. Skyline Farms did have its benefits: It carried many families through the worst part of The Great Depression and people received adequate healthcare, food, clothing, and housing during very hard times. Many participants learned skills at Skyline Farms that permitted them to find work as painters, stonemasons, or carpenters after they left the project. The children of the project obtained educations that would last a lifetime.

Erected 2010 by Alabama Tourism Department and the Town of Skyline.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Charity & Public Work. In addition,

Skyline Farms Marker (Side B) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, February 13, 2021

2. Skyline Farms Marker (Side B)

it is included in the Alabama Tourism Department series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1934.

Location. 34° 48.756′ N, 86° 7.451′ W. Marker is in Skyline, Alabama, in Jackson County. It is at the intersection of County Road 25 and County Road 107, on the right when traveling north on County Road 25. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 801 County Road 25, Scottsboro AL 35768, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in North Alabama.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Deep South,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the original Cherokee Nation,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 11 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Skyline School (approx. 0.2 miles away); Cumberland Mountain Road (approx. 4.1 miles

Skyline Farms Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, February 13, 2021

3. Skyline Farms Marker

The former commissary building, now a museum, is in the background.

away); Paint Rock Valley High School (approx. 7.1 miles away); Russell William Clay Cemetery (approx. 7.2 miles away); Commemorating Trenton Presbyterian Church (approx. 8½ miles away); Phillip Hamman (approx. 9.6 miles away); Old Baptist Cemetery (approx. 10.7 miles away); Scottsboro Railroad Depot (approx. 10.7 miles away).

Another marker is no longer nearby. Phillip Hammon (was approx. 9.7 miles away but has been permanently removed).

Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker.

Also see . . .
1. Skyline Farms. A brief video overview of the social experiment. From Alabama Public Television's "Alabama Legacy Moments" series. (Submitted on February 18, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

2. Skyline Farms: A 1930's Experiment in Alabama. From the Alabama Yesterdays blog. (Submitted on February 18, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)

Credits. This page was last revised on February 18, 2021. It was originally submitted on February 18, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 1,184 times since then and 27 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on February 18, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.