State and local dignitaries joined descendants of Frank Perdue to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Perdue family farmhouse and its inclusion in the Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties.
The farmhouse, which is part of the company’s logo and is located across the street from the corporate offices of Perdue Farms, was built in 1917 by Arthur W. Perdue. Three years later, he founded on his family farm what would become Maryland’s third-largest company and the country’s most famous brand of chicken.
“It’s an honor to have such an important part of our company’s heritage listed among the Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties,” said Chairman Jim Perdue. “The farmhouse is a daily reminder to all of us at Perdue of the tenets of quality, integrity, hard work and trust upon which my grandfather built his business, and of our beginning as a family farm.”
The house’s storied history began in 1917, with Pearl Parsons Perdue tending to a flock of egg-laying hens while Arthur saved up enough money to go into the business full time. In 1920, the year Frank Perdue was born, Arthur started the company as a table egg business, later moving to selling chickens. Over the years, the farmhouse became the site of a hatchery and later a research farm.
In 2007, the farmhouse underwent a restoration, revealing the original wood-sided exterior, and interior hardwood floors, woodwork and fireplaces. The work uncovered a wood shingle hidden in one of the walls, signed and dated “September 1917” by Arthur Perdue.
