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Upshur farm honored for 100-year history

The Inter-Mountain photo by Amanda Hayes Members of the Westfall family who own Westfall Farms accepted the Century Farm award at a recent Tygart Valley Conservation District banquet. From left are Kent Westfall, Trent Westfall, Carroll Westfall and Ken Westfall.

BUCKHANNON — A local farm was honored as a Century Farm for its 100-year-plus history at a recent Tygart Valley Conservation District legislative banquet.

Carroll Westfall shared how Westfall Farms came to be in his family’s name.

“Charles George, my grandfather, married Victoria Osburn and she lived in the Long Run area,” he said. “They lived for a while on the Middle Fork River and later purchased land made their residence on the hill near the Gormley School, which was a one-room school building. They moved up the hill in the early 1900s.”

The Georges raised four children on the hill including their child, Lula, Carroll’s mother. Carroll’s father, Brace, was assigned to be the teacher for the Gormley School about 1932 and approached the George family for a place to stay. He met Lula and the two later married.

After Charles George died, Victoria could not stay on the farm by herself so Brace and Lula Westfall returned to the farm with their young family.

“I attended the Gormley School for six years and my father was my teacher,” Carroll said. “I was the school janitor and my salary was $18 a year. Dad was a school teacher and so mom and myself kept the farm rolling. We worked very hard on the farm but we managed three meals a day. I must say those were good years and we enjoyed every day.”

The farm remains in the Westfall family today with Carroll’s two sons, Trent and Ken, residing on the farm.

“Another generation is waiting in the wings (grandson Kent),” he said.

The West Virginia Century Farm Program is designed to recognize families who have been farming the same tract of land for at least 100 years, according to information from the Tygart Valley Conservation District.

Another Upshur County resident, Charlie Radabaugh, was honored with the Upshur County Conservation Farm of the Year award.

Other winners included Proudfoot Mountain Farm (Century Farm award); Barbour County Conservation Farm of the Year – Martin Carpenter; Randolph County Conservation Farm of the Year – Randall Elza; Tucker County and District Farm of the Year — Brian Bennett.

The winners received their awards at the banquet held at Chapel Hill United Methodist Church in Buckhannon.

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