About The Farm
What is now The Vernon Farm was originally owned by the Meador family. In 1970, Clinton D. “Bobby” Vernon bought the house and one acre that sit on Ashley Loop at the entrance to the venue today. When the land adjacent to that became available, he purchased it and continued cultivating it as a tobacco farm as it had been used for many years. The tobacco barn that sits on the property today is 100 years old and was moved here by Bobby Vernon from another location in the 1970's.
As many locals know, Bobby Vernon was the Sheriff of Rockingham County for twenty years from 1979-1999. Sheriff Vernon passed away on May 5, 2018 at the age of 89. He is remembered by many as a public servant who took his role as sheriff seriously and cared deeply for the people of this community. In a tribute to him in the News And Record (May 20, 2018), one of his longtime friends and colleagues referred to him as “a big man with a big heart.”
Though he took his job as sheriff seriously, life wasn’t all serious business for Bobby Vernon. Many people who knew him well talk about his jovial nature and love of pulling pranks. He also had a fondness for animals, especially mules. Two of his prized mules were named for his sister, Blanche and his wife, Molly.
While the current owners, Rodney and Jamie Lloyd, are not members of the Vernon family, they wish to honor the memory of a local legend by continuing to refer to the farm and the venue as “The Vernon Farm.” They feel blessed to be entrusted with such an amazing property that holds so many memories of bygone times. Today, the farm is mainly used for hay production, but the tobacco barn and farm implements that decorate the structures hearken back to a time when this land produced a crop that was an important part of the economy of this area.
