Moon Creek Farm

A variation of Gentleman's Fancy is the pattern on the barn at Moon Creek Farm. The quilt was made by Mary Susan Mickle Ricker, great-grandmother of Robert Ricker, who currently runs the farm. Mary's family came to Greene County from Rock Hill, South Carolina when her father relocated to run the furnace at the local iron mine. Mary met and married Frederick K. Ricker and remained here with her husband when her family moved back to Rock Hill. Mary was the postmistress at Limestone Springs and her husband was Justice of the Peace. The couple owned a store and lumber company in the Houston Valley area. Mary's quilt is approximately 100 years old and is not a scrap quilt, as most of the quilts were at that time. The entire quilt is made of only three cotton fabrics, believed to have been from the family store. Mary was born in 1848 and died in 1922, after having made her home in her later years with her younger son, Mort Ricker and his wife Easter. The quilt was handed down to Mary's grandson, Louis, by Easter Ricker. The quilt is now owned by Louis' daughter, Nancy. Mort Ricker bought Moon Creek Farm in 1939 from Johnny Parker. The farm had been owned by the Campbell family for many years and was still known as the Campbell Farm although there had been several owners between the Campbell family and the Ricker family. Moon Creek, named for the creek that runs through a portion of the property, was the home farm for the Ricker family, although Mort Ricker owned other farms as well. Upon purchasing the farm, he moved his family from the Houston Valley area to Tusculum. The family had dairy and beef cattle and raised large quantities of tobacco. The barn was used as a dairy barn until 1982. In 1985, after the death of Mort's wife, Easter, their son, Walter Ricker, and his family bought the farm. Today, Walter's son, Robert, continues to raise tobacco and beef cattle on the farm. The original farm was approximately 165 acres and had remained intact until Highway 107 was enlarged to a four-lane and a portion of the farm was lost. It is believed that the barn was built while the farm belonged to the Campbell family. The barn and adjoining tobacco barn have always been painted red.