THE DELTA 319 DOCKERY FARMS If the Delta is considered the birthplace of the Blues, then Dockery Farms should be considered its epicenter. Built in 1895 as a cotton farm, the Dockery family were unique in that they paid fair contracts to all of the workers on the farm. Blues legend Charley Patton grew up on Dockery Farm while learning to play music, write, and compose the distinctively haunting melodies of the blues.