Patricia Valentine and Robert Whitacre met when they were students at Duke University. Their shared interest in antiques and history led them to develop skills in restoring antique furniture and remodeling their first home in New Jersey, where Pat was a teaching naturalist at an environmental education center, was active in historic preservation, and researched family genealogy. In 1982 they began the ultimate antique restoration project: an entire historic farm. Their two children and five grandchildren have learned about their own roots while observing life on Forefather Farm.