The Smith family and the early fields
The farm was established in the 1970s by Jim Smith and his family. Contemporary 1974 newspaper coverage documents the early blueberry operation on the property, while the farm’s own historical account describes work to determine which blueberry varieties were suited to north Georgia conditions.
That account says Highbush plants struggled and Rabbiteye varieties proved the better choice. Several varieties were planted in the main field, and limited pick-your-own sales began after the plants had time to establish. Many of the large bushes have long been described as original plants from that era.
Smith-family blueberry operation develops on the property.
The farm’s historical account says the south field was added on the south side of the driveway.
Joe and Simone Kilpatrick become the owners. Georgia Market Bulletin listings document them at the farm that same year.
The physical character remains recognizably continuous: old bushes, the small kiosk, hand-lettered signs, buckets, shade, and a trust-based self-serve routine. The family tries to plant 30–50 new plants each year for future generations to enjoy.
The Kilpatrick family
Since 1997, the farm has continued as a small family-operated U-pick. Old farm copy speaks of the “happy voices of generations of people who come to pick here,” language that closely matches Simone Kilpatrick’s current description of the farm’s soul.
Continuity by accretion
The farm did not become a polished attraction as it modernized. Instead, newer conveniences accumulated onto familiar structures: QR payment information next to a hand-lettered “Payment Box” arrow, newer colored buckets on the old kiosk, a little library, a shade shelter, and other small additions. That layering is part of the identity rather than something to design away.
