I am a native of Blue Ridge and grew up on this farm. I love Blue Ridge and all it has to offer in the modern era, but want people to remember the days when it was a small farming community, largely isolated from the cities and home to mountain natives like my family, who grew their own food and made many of the necessities of life.

Cathy Cox-Brakefield purchased this farmhouse in 1950

My parents fell in love with this property and bought it in 1950. They alternated living in town in the home my mother owned and in the existing small house on the property until the early sixties when they began building the current house, one board at a time, while my dad worked as a carpenter and painter with a construction crew. We moved in late 1963 and my parents lived and worked here until my dad's death in 2001. My mother continued to share the property with my own family until her death in 2011. I wanted to preserve the beautiful features of my childhood home and the memories I hold of my parents and my childhood. We began to restore the property, refinishing the beautiful hand-laid hardwoods and cleaning the knotty pine paneling, as well as tiling the bathtub surround and installing new ceiling fan fixtures throughout. I have placed some of my parents artifacts and belongings throughout the home. The farm property has been restored to its former glory by my hardworking husband, who grows vegetables in the garden just as my parents did. The barn was built by my mother and her father shortly after the purchase of the property in order to accommodate the cattle that my parents raised and milked by hand. We have replaced the barn roof, making it an inviting place to play and explore. Our profile picture is from the gazebo at the intersection of our two creeks, where you can relax in the swing with a book and a glass of wine, or snooze while the creek tumbles over the rocks in the background. We hope to share our family's mountain story with you and your family.

We never gave a thought to tearing down this beautiful product of my parent's love for this property and did not want to turn it into a shabby long term rental. Cox Farm is an alternative to the cookie cutter log cabins that proliferate the area but do not express the true character of Fannin County.