06/18/2026
The History of Windy Hill Farm
Windy Hill Farm, located in Meigs County, Ohio, was purchased by Emmett and Norma Will in August 1920. Since then, six generations of the Will family have lived on the nearly 100-acre farm while raising hay, strawberries, garden vegetables, cattle, and chickens.
When Norma passed away in 1930 shortly after childbirth, Emmett's parents moved to the farm to help him raise their four children. As the years passed, their youngest son, Jim, and his wife, Dolores, continued to live and work on the farm. After Emmett's death in 1970, Jim and Dolores, along with their four children, continued operating the family farm.
Two of Jim and Dolores' children have lived on the property, further continuing the family's deep roots on the land. Windy Hill Farm, a name given by Jim because of the constant breeze that blows across Will's Hill, has a unique and rich history.
One of the farm's most treasured landmarks is the last remaining barn of five collectively built by Ohio Valley pioneer industrialist Valentine B. Horton shortly after the Civil War. Horton was not only a prolific barn builder but also served as a United States Representative and is credited with building the world's first towboat.
Over the years, the barn has housed countless stacks and bales of hay in its loft and continues to serve the farm today. To honor the barn's historical significance and its connection to Valentine B. Horton, Dolores, designed a special version of the Ohio Star quilt pattern featuring a heart at its center. Family members painted the design and mounted it on the front of the barn, making it the first Quilt Barn in Meigs County.
Dolores shared the history of the barn and the meaning behind the quilt pattern with students from local schools, helping preserve the story for future generations.
After Jim passed away in 2007 and Dolores in 2021, their four children sold the farm to Jim and Dolores' granddaughter and her family. Today, they continue the Will family tradition by caring for the land, expanding the livestock operation, and producing hay and fresh produce.
More than a century after Emmett and Norma first purchased the property, Windy Hill Farm remains a testament to hard work, family values, and the enduring agricultural heritage of Meigs County, Ohio.
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