The Cheatham Farm

by Barbara Clay Cheatham

On August 15, 2007, the Cheatham Farm on Red House and Bear Creek Roads was recognized as a Virginia Century Farm. To achieve this recognition, a farm has to have been owned and operated by the same family for one hundred or more consecutive years.

The history of this farm begins with Daniel Thomas Cheatham, who was born and raised in Appomattox County, but courted and married a Campbell County girl, Sara Elizabeth Cardwell. They were married in 1894 and for some time lived in homes and worked on property belonging to her family.

In November 1906, he purchased his first farmland in Campbell County. He began farming that land and also opened a blacksmith shop. By this time he and "Bet" had three sons and two daughters. Tobacco, corn, wheat and other small grains as well as large vegetable gardens were raised. Dan Cheatham planted fruit trees, grapevines, and raised prize watermelons. He eventually built a home on this land and there his family grew up. In 1908, he bought more property and increased the farm acreage. Around 1915 he built and opened a general store which became the center of what was called Gravel Ridge Community. Around this time his oldest son, Thomas Alexander, went to work in the Norfolk Shipyard for some time, but later came home to take over the farm operation. He and the rest of the family kept busy with flue-cured and fire-cured tobacco, wheat, corn, and other grains. The work was all done with mules, but tractors were added later. As time went on, the other sons, Daniel and Edward, went to work in Lynchburg, settled there, and raised their families there. The daughters, Annie and Elizabeth, married brothers of a neighboring family. Annie's husband was wounded in World War I and spent the rest of his life in a VA hospital. She remained in the family home ad there raised her two daughters. She helped with her parents as they grew older.