Family and community come together at the Ponder family farm
Zeno and Nina Ponder own a six hundred acre farm, rent out two lakes, and raise four children. They also host community square dances on their property.
Citing this Excerpt
Oral History Interview with Zeno Ponder, March 22, 1974. Interview A-0326. Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007) in the Southern Oral History Program Collection, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Full Text of the Excerpt
Well, what were some other key election years? 1950 was one;
1954 was one. You took control. 1964 was one when you ran for the
state senate. It . . . maybe during those ten
years some other parts of the mountain culture, you know, were operating
in your life. You were building a farm, you were raising a family.
- ZENO PONDER:
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Well, I . . . yes, during those ten years we were, my wife and me, we
were heavily indebted really. We were . . . had the blessing of the four
children—three sons and a daughter—and I had this
huge farm here. Some 600 acres. It was bought originally. I had added to
it and bought some more land and leased quite a bit more. I had, at this
point in 64, I had formed three owned, three family operated
corporations. Ze-Nina Farms Incorporated which consists of some 400 or
500 head of beef cattle and dairy cattle. Some 5-600 acres of farm land.
18-20 acres of burley tobacco. Growing 2-300 acres of corn a year on
this operation. And then Ze-Nina Lakes—and that's Zeno and
Nina. My wife's name's Nina. Mine's Zeno, of course. And going from
there, you put the two together and you've come up with Ze-Nina. So
Ze-Nina Lakes Incorporated consists of two lakes for recreational
purposes back down on the west side of the farm. 13 acres of land and
big recreation house. We do a little square dancing there every Saturday
night during the summer time.
- BILL FINGER:
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You've been busy.
- ZENO PONDER:
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Have a 72 foot long front porch 12 feet wide. Two log cabins and a
self-supporting roof . . . I promised everybody that if they ever saw
another one like it I'd burn mine down and build it again. It's just
different.