Ivy Point Farm

Henry and Caty had a number of children, one of which was John Welborn Hardin. John married Margaret Duke and they raised nine children in a Log Cabin on the west side of what is now the Golf Course Road. Jim’s Grandmother, Eleanor Nellie, was one of these children. She married Julius Speers and they moved to Gary, West Virginia, where Julius ran a store for a coal mining company. They moved back to Ashe County and purchased the land that is now called Ivy Point Farm in 1905. Julius raised sheep and horses on the farm until his death in 1943. He also ran a country store on the Norfolk and Western railway line that was known as “Donation Siding”. The railway was located where the current road runs. We still find railroad spikes from time to time on the farm. Nellie was one of the first members of Saint Mary’s Episcopal Church. When the Episcopal Bishop came from Asheville to consecrate the Church, the Baptists and the Methodists surrounded the building and would not allow them in. They moved to the Hamilton home close by and consecrated Saint Mary’s there. This is now known as one of the Fresco Churches. There is a stained glass window in the church that was donated by Jim’s family in honor of Julius and Nellie.

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Julius and Nellie had Elizabeth and Virginia who lived on the farm until their deaths in the early 80s. Virginia never married and managed a florist and gift shop in West Jefferson. Elizabeth taught english, journalism and dramatics in the Ashe County school system for 43 years. Continuing the family tradition in the arts Elizabeth was one of the founding members of the Ashe County Little Theater. Jim, who is Elizabeth’s son, and Kathy moved into the farm house and have lived there since 1983. After retirement from Wells Fargo Advisers and Ashe Services for Aging, Jim and Kathy have operated the old home place as a full time farm. They have seen numerous difficulties on the farm to include, too much rain one year, followed by too little rain the next. One year they had a wonderful crop of corn that was just ready for harvest and the local raccoons had a party in the corn field the night before ruining the entire crop. They love growing things and have enjoyed their time on the farm even with the difficulties.

The future of the farm rests with Jim and Kathy’s children. Juli Barlow Gardner, who takes after Caty and Elizabeth with a love for arts and teaching. She is the Principal of the Middle School at The Community School of Davidson. J. Adam Barlow takes after Captain John Cox as he is a Lieutenant Colonel in the U. S. Army Commanding the 3rd Battalion of the 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment in Anchorage, Alaska.

Henry, Caty, John, Margaret, Nellie, Julius, Elizabeth, and Virginia are all buried in the Duncan, Hardin Cemetery which is one quarter mile north of the Home Place.

Ivy Point Farm is a certified Century Farm by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and the North Carolina State Fair.

Your presence on our farm is very welcome. We truly appreciate your business and will welcome your return.

Jim and Kathy Barlow