Chester Brackett
In an area of Sale Creek commonly called "the ridges" which is simply the area from Sale Creek east to the river, there were many peach orchards. On Daugherty Ferry Road just about one-half mile from the intersection with Poole Road, Chester Brackett had a farm and orchard.
Chester Brackett was the son of J. T. Brackett. He married Ida Mae Potter, daughter of Bill Potter who also had an orchard in the same area and which was of approximately equal size as Brackett's.
The Brackett Orchard, by the best estimates, was planted prior to 1930, most likely prior to the big years beginning with 1925. It extended from the Esther Smith property today to a point joining with Walter Howard's orchard of approximately the same size near New Providence. Brackett's orchard contained approximately 2,000 trees or about 20 acres in size. Nearly all of the trees in this orchard were Elbertas with just a few Brackett peaches.
This orchard was a partnership between Chester and his father, J. T. Brackett. They raised all of the money to set out their trees and do all spraying and upkeep. They also did all of their own grading and packing except for one year when they hauled their peaches to Sale Creek and processed them through the Eli-Dee shed.
The Bracketts operated their peach orchard until Chester's son, John, returned home from service with the U.S. Army Air Force. Because of the condition of the orchards and the fact that it was increasingly difficult to get agricultural workers, after the war, Chester and John pulled up all of the peach trees in February of 1946.
Shortly, thereafter, Chester and John built chicken houses in which they
raised frying and laying chickens, which they bought as chicks from Waldo Card
in Bakewell. Chester also continued to raise corn, green beans, and beef cattle
on his farm.
"When Peaches Were King", The story of the Peach Business at Sale
Creek, Tennessee by Curtis N. Coulter. Page 26.