the farm...

October 23, 2013

the farm...

It was love at first sight. From the moment I saw this farm, I knew it was where I was supposed to be. It had all the things I have been looking for: it is within one hour of home, near a small town with an old fashioned town square, it has a few acres of land, a lake, barns, an old farmhouse, and the price was right!

A bit of history about this farm...it was originally 300 acres, and the home was built in 1875 by a Confederate Officer who had just returned from the Civil War. In 1900 the property was sold to another family, and it remained in that family over 100 years, until 6 years ago. The property had been abandoned and neglected, and last December the 300 acres were divided up into smaller parcels, and sold at auction. My parcel contained the home and barns and lake...the other parcels were all pasture. The gentleman that bought my parcel of 22.5 acres, was going to fix it up, but his wife was not keen on living here. He listed the property for sale in April, and that is when I saw it...overgrown and needing repair. I have always wanted to restore an old home, and knew this one had potential. The 100 acre parcel across the street was purchased by a man in town that owns the livestock auction house...so my only neighbors are cows!

Every week I get someone stopping by to tell me stories of this place...neighbors, family members of the original owners, old men who worked on this farm when they were young boys...it is such a blessing. EVERY single person that I meet, THANKS ME for restoring this home, because it has so much history and meaning for so many in this town. When the "for sale" sign was up, many feared this land would be turned into a subdivision, and the home would be torn down. It has been a relief to the community that it is being loved and restored. I have been blessed to find an amazing crew of 3 men, who are helping me restore this home. They are skilled craftsmen, and share my love of this old house. I have an awesome guy with a tractor (he's the Sheriff) and he has been mowing the pastures all summer, and helping me cut trees and weeds and vines and tame the wilderness. I also have family and dear friends that have been a HUGE help and source of encouragement:)

My vision for this farm is a weekend retreat, where my friends and family, children and grandchildren (someday) can come and enjoy the country life. Someday, perhaps, I will host an art retreat, or a country wedding. Cookouts, campouts, barn sales and more. I may retire here and have some farm animals...cows, horses, sheep, a pygmy goat. Bees, honey, lavender, a corn maze, fruit trees, a Christmas tree farm...my head is spinning with ideas. POTENTIAL. Next year, for sure, I am growing heirloom pumpkins. And flowers...lots of those! Someday, lots of things can happen...but for now, I am working on the house.

What attracted me to the home? Things such as: 11 foot ceilings, heart pine floors, 6 fireplaces, a wrap around porch, layers and layers of vintage wallpaper, but mostly, potential. With the property I inherited a fishing boat, a piano, and an antique piece of farm equipment. There was no electric, no plumbing, 3 (completely unusable) bathrooms, no insulation, no heat, no air. All the walls were plaster, many with layers of sheetrock over them. The front porch was sagging. Our first job was to jack up the foundation and repair/replace any rotten wood. This involved a lot of demo work. A LOT. Like 7 GIANT dumpsters FULL!!! It is a huge project and I am loving every minute of it!

here are some of my first impressions...

(the picture above is the vintage wallpaper in the dining room)

the road over the dam at the lake, leading to a pasture...