Edgemont Farm Papers

According to John R. Hutcheson's farm history, "Edgemont Farm" (Folder 1), the history of Edgemont Farm is somewhat typical of what has happened on many plantations in Southside Virginia. The farm got its name when Thomas Edmunds Barksdale and his wife, Sarah Catherine Edmunds, bought 1000 acres of fertile land on the Dan River near the Southern Railroad known as Barksdales Station and established a farm there in 1851.

The farm remained in the Barksdale family and eventually was passed down through Mary Claiborne Barksdale who married Robert Francis Hutcheson to their sons, Thomas Barksdale Hutcheson and John Redd Hutcheson. After the death of Thomas B. Hutcheson in 1950, the farm was owned by Rosalie S. Hutcheson, his wife, and John R. Hutcheson. Supervision of the farm was under John R. Hutcheson with the assistance of T. B. Hutcheson, Jr., son of Rosalie Hutcheson, and the resident manager of the farm. In 1962, supervision of the farm was turned over to T. B. Hutcheson, Jr. The farm eventually was sold to David Barksdale.

John Redd Hutcheson (V.P.I. class of 1907, M.S., 1909) was the ninth president of Virginia Polytechnic Institute (1945-1947). He also served as director of the Agricultural Extension Division (1919-1944) and chancellor (1947-1955). Thomas Barksdale Hutcheson (V.P.I. class of 1906) was professor of Agronomy (1914-1945) and dean of Agriculture at V.P.I.. Hutcheson Hall at Virginia Tech was named for the brothers, John R. and T. B. Hutcheson. Thomas Barksdale Hutcheson, Jr., (V.P.I. class of 1950) was professor of Agronomy (1964-1968) and head of the Agronomy Department.