About

Our story begins well over a century ago, with our great-great grandparents, Thomas and Polly Ann Brown, who owned the land where the farm is today. Their son, William D. Brown, our great-grandpa, was deeded the land in 1920 from his mother. “Papa Willie” was a farmer and tended the land with his wife, Nettie, and their four children, Dorthy, Stacey, ND and Shelby. The area around the farm was known then as the Cranberry community, which had a one-room schoolhouse, general store and church, all bearing the Cranberry name, as well as the creek that winds through the property as it meanders its way to the Yadkin River.

Our grandpa, ND Brown, grew up on the family farm, attended Cranberry School, and joined the US Army at 18, serving in Europe during World War II. He was part of an Army anti-aircraft battalion stationed in England until the D-Day invasion and was in Paris when they announced the war’s end. After returning from the war, ND married his sweetheart, Nola Campbell, and they made their home on the family farm. Soon after, they were tending the land and milking cows by hand. In 1948, they built the two-story hay barn, using wood timbered from the farm, as well as the block milk house. They sold milk to Coble Dairy in Lexington, NC.

ND and Nola raised their two children on the farm. Their son, Vernon (who was named after Pa’s best friend in the war), worked alongside his dad while growing up — milking cows on the dairy and tending crops in the fields. When Vernon graduated from high school, he became a partner in the business with his dad. Vernon married Brenda Armstrong, and they made their home on the family farm as well. In the 1970’s, additional structures were added to the farm, including the six-stall milk parlor with a pipeline milking system, cattle free stalls, concrete lot, and silo.

As the years went by, Vernon and Brenda had three sons — Darin, Dwayne & Neil. The boys grew up on the farm, learning to work the land, milk cows, tend to calves, raise tobacco, harvest corn and soybeans, chop firewood, mend fences and help with the many chores. Rain, sleet, or snow — cows had to be milked twice daily, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. There was never a shortage of things to do on the farm!

ND & Vernon retired from farming in 1998, after milking cows for over 50 years and putting in countless hours of hard work, day in and day out. It was a big decision, but the day had finally come.

This is our history and therein lies the vision behind The Barn at Cranberry Creek. Times spent with family on the farm — learning the value of a hard day’s work, living a life of honesty and integrity, grandparents who left a Godly legacy and are missed every single day.

In mid-2017, The Barn at Cranberry Creek became the vision of the three Brown brothers and our venue opened in Spring 2018. Although the family farm has now been transformed and given new life, great efforts were made to maintain the historic character and authenticity of the farm.

This is where our story now becomes your story. Become a part of our family. See for yourself what our farm has to offer. Make yourself at home! We promise, you’ll want to come back again and again.