In 1876 Martin Brinegar bought a 125 acre farm from Henderson Crouse, the uncle of Caroline Joines, and two years later Martin and Caroline married when he was 21 and she was 16. They first lived in a one-room cabin already on the property, where their children Alice, Sarah, and John were born, and as the family grew Martin built the cabin that stands here now. Their last child, William, was born in that cabin but died as an infant. The family carried out the usual work of farm life by raising crops and animals, preserving food, and cutting firewood. Martin also made shoes for neighbors, served as a local justice of the peace and notary public, and for many years was clerk of Pleasant Grove Baptist Church. Caroline made clothing for her family and added to the household income by gathering medicinal plants such as bloodroot, snakeroot, and black cherry bark to sell to nearby drug merchants. In 1925 Martin was caught in a storm while returning home from church and died of pneumonia eight days later at age 68. North Carolina bought the farm in 1935 as part of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Although Caroline had lifetime tenure in her home, she moved to live with her daughter Sarah when the place became too noisy for her, and she died in 1943 at age 82.