Historical Significance

These acres of farmland were owned and farmed by Rigdon ‘Bigson’ Kornegay who was born into slavery in December 1828 in Wayne County, North Carolina. He was 34 when The Emancipation Proclamation was signed on January 1, 1863. Rigdon died at the ripe old age of 80 on March 23, 1907. His wife Amy reached 90 years of age and died on October 29, 1929. The final resting place for himself, his wife Amy, some of his descendants, and those affiliated with his offspring can be found next to the old homestead at Buckhorn Memorial Gardens. While the old houses were ravished and torn down due to previous floods, the private family cemetery remains. Farming remained in the family throughout the generations.