About Us
How we came to Be . . . . The Past
RiverView Mounds Century Farm is a continuation of a family's love & passion. Our farm has been in the Rinehart family for 177 years. It all began in 1833 when Jacob Rinehart came to Tennessee from North Carolina. He purchased 130 acres to raise corn and livestock. Through the years our family has raised soybean, corn, tobacco, wheat, sorghum, hay, cattle, hogs & chickens. Since Jacob purchased the first parcel, the farm has grown to nearly 400 acres!
In 2006, brothers Chris & Steve inherited the farm from their father, John Boyd. Similar to many other family farms, the farm had become a means to supplement family income. Uncertain of which way to proceed, we contemplated various options. However, selling the farm was never considered!
Currently, the 6th & 7th generations of Rineharts are living on & working the farm!
After much contemplation, we decided upon blueberries and Chardonnay grapes. These crops appealled to use for many reasons. The main one being their sustainability. These were planted in 2007 and 2008.
On a Kindergarten Pumpkin Patch field trip with their son, Chris & wife, Scarlett, felt certain they had been blessed with an answer. "Agritourism" blended their three biggest passions, family, education AND agriculture! They eagerily returned home to share their new found inspiration with brother, Steve. He liked the idea instantly!
And so it Begins . . . . The Present
2008 began our newest family tradition - a pumpkin patch & corn maze. We had a terrific turnout & very positive feedback. Providing a family friendly and inexpensive activity to the community was a fulfilling experience which inspired us to do it again. In 2009, we held our first Spring Festival with Easter Egg Hunts and Hayrides and later our Fall Festival. 2009 also marked our first Christmas Festival. We featured Santa, his elves and Rudolph. Our Spring Fest in 2010 featured BarnYard Babies and visits by our BirthDay Barn characters. Although the flood of 2010 put a hold on our farm market dreams, we have pressed on and began opening during the summer months for birthday parties. We are now putting the finishing touches on Fall 2010. Our featured attraction this season will be pig races! Our cute little pigs have been named Jeff Snortin', Kevin Hogvick and Hammy Hamlin. For those of you familiar with NASCAR, you might recognize these names!!
We have just received the award of "Tennessee's Small Farmer of the Year" 2010 by Tennessee State University in July. We feel so honored to be among those who have received this award! After being awarded this title - we know we're on the right track!
Looking Ahead . . . . The Future
Just like many other traditions, we will become better with time! Later this year we will be building an enclosed facility that will house year around field trips. Our Christmas Festival will reopen in late November, so don't forget about us when your ready for a precut tree! Spring Fest is still on, though we haven't decided yet what our featured attraction will be. God willing, we will attempt another produce garden for the Farmers Market and will be taking reservations for a small CSA in Summer of 2011.Our blueberries will be ready for picking in Summer of 2012 as will our Chardonnay grapes.
We are blessed beyond measure and so grateful for the opportunity to be part of the lives of so many. We look forward of making years of memories together!