Rich Hill Farm in the 20th Century

Rich Hill Farm in the 20th Century. The Garners, Tenant Farmers of Rich Hill. , The Family , Thomas Adrian Garner, his wife Rosebelle, and their children lived on Rich Hill as tenant farmers during parts of the 20th century. Their yearly rent was paid with tobacco the family farmed on the property.,

My parents first lived at 'Cox's Place' from 1916 to about 1920. Thee of their children were born there: Naomi in 1916, Wilson, in 1917 and Tom in 1919. , , Margaret (Garner) Wedding, May 3, 2016

, After World War II, they moved back and referred to the farm as "Rich Hill." Along with her parents, Margaret lived there with her sisters Barbara, Ethel, Marian, Rose, Betty, Ruth, and Gladys and brothers Raymond and Russell. Raymond and Russell married and moved after about two years, so it was all the girls who helped their father in the tobacco fields and with the farm crops. Their mother, along with a hired woman, did the household chores and cooking., The 18 children of Thomas and Rosebelle Garner: , Bernard . Russell . Naomi . Wilson . Thomas, Jr. . Irene . Raymond . George . Georgetta . Gladys . Ruth . Betty . Rose . Margaret . Marian . Lillian . Ethel . Barbara, The Farm , On the farm they raised cows, chickens, turkeys, pigs, horses and mules. Their father grew tobacco to sell and farm crops to feed their family: corn, tomatoes, cabbage, eggplant, cucumbers, squash, cantaloupe, watermelon, string beans, peas, lettuce, sweet potatoes, white potatoes, turnips, and onion.,

Closest to the house on the west side was the outhouse and turkey pen. We only kept turkeys for two years because they were so mean. The Current woods to the west of the house were completely cleared and had a path to the pigpen. , Margaret

, Within the fenced back yard was an orchard that contained pear, apple and plum trees, along with the meat house., To the east of the house was a shed used to store wood in the winter and where their mother kept hams., In the field to the east of the house ws the very large barn. Behind the barn was enclosed pasture for cows and mules. It went beyond where we can see today and over a hill from which you could look down and see the neighbors. , Gladys,

My father formed tobacco and had two tobacco barns across the Bel-Alton Newtown Road, east of the house. All the girls helped with the planting, cutting and hanging of the tobacco; and when it was time to butcher a pig or chop the head off the chickens, we helped too. , Gladys

, In front of the barn was a tool shed.,

In front of the house and across from what is now the gravel parking area was the cornfield. In front of the house and somewhere along the old road was the wll with a trough for the mules to drink. , Ethel, The entire house had a fence around it, and in the front yard animals were put occasionally at night to graze, so you didn't have to cut the grass. , Ethel