Lord's Acre

By Susan M. Thigpen © 1986

Issue: February, 1986

Harvesting the Lord’s Acre. Taken in the 1920-30 era. Photo courtesy of Frank Hylton.Frank Hylton stopped by again the other day with some more old photographs. The photograph accompanying this article is one of them. It was taken in the mid 1920-30 era.

I could tell right away that it was a picture of people working in a field and wanted to know more.

The people pictured were members of the Burks Fork Church of the Brethren, in Floyd County, Virginia. One of the members, Buren Hall, Mr. Hylton believes to be, the person whose land was being harvested.

The use of the land was donated to the church and tended by the members to grow a cash crop, green beans, which was then harvested and carried to market in Roanoke, Virginia.

There was probably 2 to 3 acres in the garden space, but it was called, "The Lord's Acre" because the monies produced from the sale of the crop would go to the church.

Most of us have heard of "Lord's Acre" sales, but this must have been the original meaning of the term.