Bicentennial Farm Profile – Harness Farms  

Antique tractors are one passion for Bob Harness. This Farmall H is an original and has never been used on any other farm.

The farm today. The farm is approximately 1,128 acres and is used to produce grain, including corn, wheat, and soybeans. It is managed by Robert Harness, who is the great, great, great grandson of the founder.  

The farm in 1803. The Harness family turned the open land into a farmstead becoming recognized as breeders of fine horses and good cattle. The primary uses of the land were livestock and grain, but it was also used for thoroughbred racehorses. (The farm maintained facilities that included a horse racing track, until the 1937 Great Scioto River Flood destroyed the barns and track.) The family also raised Shorthorn cattle. Dorothy Harness and her husband, George Renick, brought the first Shorthorn cattle into the Ohio territory and operated the first cattle drive to the eastern markets in Maryland from Ohio, traveling through the Appalachian Mountains.  

Notable ancestors and accomplishments. “Uncle Dan” was the most famous of the Harnesses and the owner of the famous thoroughbred racehorse, Imp, considered one of the two greatest racing mares in the country. She was the first mare to win the Suburban in 1899, and no mare has duplicated her record. Also of note: Thomas Jefferson and James Madison both signed the land grant for the Harness farm in 1799. It is believed George Washington was a visitor on the farm. 

“Quotable quote.” “With each farm that is sold for purposes other than farming, we place ourselves in jeopardy of having to rely on food sources from other countries. We not only lose our ability to provide for ourselves but we send money out of the country that could have otherwise remained in the economy. Farming skills have provided many families with a strong work ethic, and strong families make for a strong community.” – Ann Perdue, on historic agricultural preservation of her family’s Harness Farms.