The lake area where our vineyard is located is known as Radford Ford. Click on the Google map pictures below to see a larger image.

This land first belonged to the Browns, William & Sally. They received the land patent from
the King of England for all the land on the Bedford side of the then Staunton
River in this area, including a ford across the river passable by horse and even
wading in dry summer months. In 1782 William Brown sold the land to
Robert Radford, who gave the ford and the immediate area the name it now has.
National Archives map 1864
In 1789 Aquilla Mitchell
bought the land from Robert Radford, and in 1808 passed in onto her son, John
Mitchell Sr. The Mitchell family owned over 600 acres in the Radford Ford area,
including the land the vineyard is on now, and was instrumental in the
creation of most of the first roads in this area of Bedford county.  John Mitchell Sr had at
least two sons, Stephen and Eldred, who bought the property from
their father in 1820 and 1821 and increased their land holdings to eventually
own hundreds of acres of land
and 3 mills, from what is now the SML Yacht Club down past Radford Ford to
Merriman's Run in their day. The local families of Mitchell, Franklin and Lynch
intermingled by marriage and the various land plots changed hands frequently.
USGS map
from 1887
In 1837 Henry W. Franklin
bought the land the vineyard is on from the Mitchell's for $150, as well as a mill down
from the vineyard by Radford Ford.
USGS map
from 1902
Henry Franklin held the
property and increased the farm land, particularly in 1861 when James Franklin
gave him power of attorney over his lands and left for the Civil War.
The farm property the
vineyard now stands on became contested when Henry Franklin died in 1866, and
after a lengthy court case between relatives John C Franklin purchased both
the mill and the farm properties in
1875. He sold off
the mill to Thomas Mitchell, and it was well remembered for the area's memorable social events hosted
there. The Lynchs, part of the
same family that gave rise to Lynchburg, owned the land just to the north of
Radford Ford, now known commonly as High Point. They operated a large quarry that
supplied Greenstone (a form of local soapstone) to many parts of SW Bedford
county. The quarry became a cove when the lake was flooded. There are stories of
the mule teams that pulled wagons loaded with stone blocks up the Radford Ford
Road.
It was in the 1880s that
the town of Big Lick changed it's name to Roanoke, and the Staunton River was
renamed the Roanoke River. Most folks think the town changing it's name was
probably a good thing. USGS map
from 1942
John Franklin passed away
in 1888. A local character named B.F.T. (Tom) Ayers owned a
great deal of property along the Radford Ford Road, and acquired the vineyard
property in 1890 from the estate of the late Franklin. He in turn sold the
vineyard property to the widow Edda Ayers Cundif in 1923 for the sum of
$1000.  Berry, Tom and Martha
Scruggs immigrated from Germany into Franklin county in the 1700s, and gave the
Scruggs name to that well known road and community near Westlake. Berry's grandson,
Tobe Scruggs, came across the river and married Edda Ayers Cundif in 1923, and
she had the current farmhouse built for $500 as a wedding present.Current GIS map
Edda passed away, and Tobe
was a familiar and colorful fixture to those passing along the Radford Ford
Road. When the lake was formed the dead end road was renamed from Radford Ford
Road to Hickory Cove Lane, and Tobe remained in the old farmhouse until he was
97 years old. The house had a hand dug well and still lacked indoor plumbing. Current GIS map
Roger and Judy Furrow would
drive past Tobe's farmhouse to get to Roger's parents lake cabin further
down, so from the 1960's on they grew familiar with Tobe sitting on his
farmhouse front porch waving at passer-bys. Current GIS map
When the Furrows began
looking for additional farmland near their lake house for an expanded vineyard,
the Scruggs farm was the perfect choice for them.  Current GIS map
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