A Business History: Boom and Bust

“There is a love for the land in Rutherford County.” Those words, spoken recently by Chivous Bradley, a 34-year agriculture teacher at Chase High School, say, much about the history of this county. The Daily Courier takes a look at how Rutherford County has gone from agriculture to textiles and back to agriculture and entrepreneurship, which, in essence, is what farming always was, as a new day dawns in the county. —Daily Courier editor’s note

In the tradition of the late, great journalist and historian, Clarence Griffin, The Daily Courier has published an important week-long series on the past, present and future of Rutherford County’s economy.

Usually we wait for the paper’s stories to age a few years before we pester the Courier’s publisher to allow us to post them on Remember Cliffside, but we felt this series too timely and critical to let these articles languish in the archives. Our thanks to the Courier for its gracious cooperation.

The county is in dire straits, with record unemployment, and, with manufacturing nearly gone, many are turning back to the land, and to unique ways of making a living. Perhaps our readers will get ideas for putting their forgotten skills to work.