FARM OVERVIEW

The Huffman Farm is the classic old mountain West Virginia farmstead. The gently laying farm consists of 183+/- acres with a mix of crop, pasture and timberland. The vintage farm house boasts a hand-cut stone foundation and chimney. There is an 1800’s hand-hewn log smoke house.

HIGHLIGHTS

• 183+/- acres of gently laying land a nice blend of forest and field
• Located in the popular Greenbrier County
• 2400+/- SF Vintage farm house is in move in condition
• Hand-cut limestone foundation and chimney
• 2 barns, workshop, machine shed and potting shed
• 1800’s hand-hewn log smokehouse
• 65 acre of pasture and cropland and 90 acres of timberland
• Farm is currently leased out for hay production and cattle grazing
• 30 minutes to a world renowned water recreation mecca including the 2000 acre Bluestone Lake, Mighty New River, Greenbrier River and the heart of the white water rafting country the New River Gorge
• Several 100-200 year old “Heritage Trees” scattered about the farm
• Forest trails winding through a mix of cedar and hardwoods forest
• Rolling farm fields offer the flexible agriculture uses of meadows, crop and pasture land
• Dark skies provide for excellent star gazing and planet observation
• Wildlife is abundant with turkey, white tailed deer, squirrel, song birds, owls and hawks
• Stunning long range views of the distant mountains with striking sunrises and sunsets
• Emerging forest and field edges diversify the landscape and provide animal habitat
• Valuable timber and mineral rights will convey
• Winterplace Ski Resort located just 60 minutes away
• A small wetlands area creates an interesting ecological and wildlife habitat
• Land legacy of wildlife management coupled with outstanding long-term forest stewardship
• Location is perfect for anglers and water recreation enthusiasts
• High percentage of commercially – operable ground supporting farming, forestry, recreation
• Potential for residential/recreational development
• Elevations range from 1695’ to 1868’
• Year-round state maintained hardtop road provides excellent access
• Electric and phone on site
• Potential to qualify for the “Farmland Preservation” conservation easement
• Low taxes of $675/year and low population density

PERSONAL PROPERTY HIGHLIGHTS

Lots of great antiques and collectibles, glassware lots of tools household, and everything else from A – Z! – PLUS SO MUCH MORE! This will be a huge all day auction event! Many more details posted on our website www.weselltheearth.com!

LOCATION

The Huffman Farm is located in Greenbrier County, WV near Alderson. This 183+/- acre agricultural-timberland-recreational opportunity is located in the scenic, mountainous region of southeastern West Virginia. The surrounding Greenbrier County landscape is part of the southeastern Ridge and Valley Region, a scenic tapestry of elongated hardwood Allegheny & Appalachian mountain ranges. Much of Greenbrier County remains undeveloped and is characterized by its scenic farm valleys, small communities and large expanses of hardwood forest.

At 183 acres, the Huffman Farm represents an opportunity to create a classic family ownership legacy for the next tenure, or to carefully craft a rural residential project for future cabin sites. Terrain is typical of the region and considered rolling to mountainous.

Google Coordinates: 37.749075°(N), -80.630895°(W)

911 Address: 1434 Blue Sulphur Springs Road Alderson WV 24910
Former mailing address: Route 2, Box 30 Alderson WV 24910

Elevation Range: 1695 ft. to 1868 ft. +/-

HOME INFORMATION

The original Huffman house dates back to the 1880’s and has a foundation and chimney made of hand-cut limestone. There are some hand-hewn support timbers under the home. Later additions where made sometime in the 1900’s. The home is solid and is considered to be in “move in” condition.

The home was the full-time residence of the Huffmans and was, until just recently, occupied on a year-round basis. The original roof top lightning rods, with their blown glass centers, are amazingly still in place and harken back to a simpler time. In 1922, before electric service was available to the farm, George Huffman purchased a state of the art Carbide Lighting Plant from the Colt Co. The letter from the Colt Co. to Mr. Huffman was found in the old desk drawer.

Room Information
3 Bedrooms
2 Baths
Kitchen with Laundry
Dining Room
Breakfast Room
Living Room with Fireplace
Den
Sitting Room

Home Square Footage Summary
1,872 SF +/- First Floor
551 SF +/- Second Floor
343 SF +/- Garage
Total = 2,423 Square Feet

Home Room Dimension Summary
Kitchen with Laundry 12’6” X 20’6”
Dining Room 13’6” X 13’6”
Breakfast Room 13’6” X 14’
Living Room with Fireplace 15’6” X 17’
Den 12’6” X 22’6”
Sitting Room 8’ X 12’
First Floor Bedroom 13’6” X 15’
First Floor Bathroom 5’ X 11’
Second Floor Bedroom 8’ X 9’6”
Second Floor Bedroom 15’6” X 17’
Second Floor Bathroom 5’ X 11’6”
Garage 13’6” X 24’

BARNS AND OUTBUILDINGS

There are several outbuildings on the farm, all of them centrally located in close proximity of the home. These buildings are generally in good repair.

• Potting Shed: 7′ X 15′
• Spring Box: 6′ X 8′
• Main Two Story Barn: 47′ X 40′ with attached sheds: 31′ X 54′ and 12′ X 40′
• Pole Barn: 18′ X 40′
• Machine Shed: 16′ X 42′ with attached shed 15′ X 30′
• 2nd Two story Barn: 27′ X 32′ with attached shed 10′ X 27′
• Workshop: 19′ X 35′
• 1800’s hand-hewn log smoke house: 18’ x 18’. This historical two story log building has been re-chinked and is in excellent condition. The building is thought to have originally served as the farms’ smoke house.

MINERAL RESOURCES

All rights the owner has will convey with the property.

BOUNDARIES AND SURVEY

There are metes and bounds descriptions recorded for the tracts that comprise the property, and many of the boundaries are evidenced by fencing. The property is being sold by the boundary and not by the acre.

UTILITIES

• Electric and telephone service to the home. Electric to workshop
• Due to the mountainous topography, cell phone coverage can be spotty in the hollows but excellent on the ridge tops
• Television service may be provided by DirectTV or Dish
• Weekly trash pickup is provided by Greenbrier Solid Waste at curbside
• A drilled water well serves the home. There may be a cistern by the home
• Sewer is provided by a septic system
• Internet: May be possible through Frontier or HughsNet
• FedEx and UPS available as well as USPS

ACCESS/FRONTAGE

The property has over a mile of frontage on Blue Sulphur Springs Road WV RT 25, providing direct access to the public road system.  There are trails through the fields and forest that provide access to nearly every corner of the property.

ZONING

The county is subject to some zoning and subdivision regulations. All prospective buyers should consult the County Commission and also the Health Department for details regarding zoning, building codes and installation of septic systems.

PROPERTY TYPE/USE SUMMARY

The property is devoted to the grounds around the home and farm buildings, many pasture fields, areas of young woody growth, and forestland. A breakdown as determined from aerial is as follows:

Pasture and crop fields: 60 acres +/-
Forestland: 90 acres +/-
Home, Buildings, and Pond Grounds: 4 acres +/-
Formerly cleared but now brush: 29 acres +/-

DEED AND TAX INFORMATION

Deed Information: Will Book 25, Page 17
Greenbrier County, West Virginia

Total Acreage: 183.40 acres +/-
Real Estate Taxes:
Greenbrier County, West Virginia
Blue Sulphur District

TM 36 Parcel 38; 183.40 AC (CONS 2 TRACTS) EAST SIDE OF W.V. 25 1.6 Miles north of the Intersection of CR 25 & Route 12;
Tax Classification 2

2016 Real Estate Taxes: $674.69

AGRICULTURAL RESOURCES

The Huffman Farm has a rich agricultural history dating back to the 1800’s. At one time, nearly every acre was either in pasture or under cultivation producing corn, wheat, barley, buckwheat and sorghum. With the advent of modern farm machinery and livestock stocking change from sheep to cattle, some areas of the farm where no longer kept cleared and have now reverted back to timber and brush.

Today, about 65 acres of the farm remains in pasture and crop field. The fields are nicely laying and considered to be high quality.

About 25-30 acres of previous pasture area has just recently started to naturally regenerate into hardwood timber and other woody plants. With some time and effort, this area could once again become a productive pasture.

Perimeter fencing is considered to be adequate. There is some cross fencing separating pastures and crop fields from the woodland.

There are a few ancient fruit trees scattered about the farm indicating the farm once had established orchards.

FOREST RESOURCES

The forest has a good hardwood sawtimber and pole stocking. This well managed timber resource can provide a great deal of flexibility to the next ownership in terms of potential harvest revenue and can be managed to provide cash flow opportunities to offset holding cost and long-term asset appreciation. Capital timber value has not been established at this time.

Species composition:
The forest’s predominately well-drained upland terrain has led to a resource dominated by hardwood species. Overall, the species composition is highly desirable and favors Appalachian hardwood types, consisting primarily of: White Oak/Chestnut Oak, Red Oak Group, Black Walnut, Poplar/Cucumber/Basswood, Sugar Maple/Soft Maple and a host of associate species.

Stocking, Stem Quality, and Forest Structure
Forest-wide, most stands are adequately stocked, providing the next ownership with a great deal of flexibility in shaping their own silvicultual legacy. Stem quality forest-wide can be considered good with the forest containing future sawlog and veneer source.

The timber component has been well managed over the years and generally consists of three age classes that have been managed under various silvicultural guidelines. The predominant timber stand contains 40-120 year old stems ranging in size of 10”-28” dbh. This stand was selectively thinned under a professional forester’s guidance about 15 years ago. This stand is on the cusp of graduating into higher-value sawtimber diameter classes over the coming decade.

The second distinct stand was established over the past 40 years when some of the farm fields and pastures were abandoned and the forest began to naturally regenerate. This stand represent a quality hardwood resource and will be reaching economic maturity in the next 40 years.

A third stand of 25-30 acre was former pasture and has just recently started to regenerate naturally into hardwood timber and other woody plants. This stand could be cleaned up and once again become productive pasture.

Several “Heritage Trees” are scattered throughout the forest and field edges. These ancient trees, some 200-300 years old, have withstood the test of time, weathering forest pests, ice, wind, lightning strikes and fire.

The forest is healthy and there are no signs of pest infestations of Gypsy Moth. The Emerald Ash Borer and the Hemlock Wooly Adelgid is present and the Ash and Hemlock trees are severely stressed and will die out over the next decade. There have been no forest fires in the recent memory.

The forest floor is home to several types of mushrooms, medicinal plants, wild ginseng, ferns and cool green mosses. One could spend a lifetime getting to know this inviting environ.

WILDLIFE

The Huffman Farm is a wonderful wildlife sanctuary. The mixture of hayfields/pasture, mature forest, abandoned farm fields, cedar thickets and marsh, coupled with the water supply from the pond, create the perfect wildlife habitat. The miles of “edge effect” created between field and forest is the perfect habitat for all the resident wildlife. White tail deer, wild turkey, squirrel, raccoon, fox and many species of songbirds, woodpeckers, crows and raptors make up the resident wildlife population.

The hardwood forest provides the essential nutrient source and produces tons of hard mast including acorns, hickory nuts, beech nuts and black walnuts. Soft mast includes stag horn sumac, black cherry, tulip poplar and maple seeds, autumn olive berries and blackberries.

A number of Bald Eagles have been spotted up and down the Greenbrier and New Rivers and are a thrill to see with wingspans of 6-7 feet.

WATER

The Huffman Farm has several ephemeral streams that flow during rain events and snow melt. There is a small farm pond and drilled water well. There also appears to be cistern located near the home.

AUCTION TERMS

Terms Summary: A 10% buyer’s premium is in effect and will be added to the final bid price of both the realty and personal property. Sole and exclusive venue shall be Greenbrier County WV. Deposit for the property will be $18,300.00. Come prepared to buy, the farm subject to HIGHLY Motivated attorney-in-fact confirmation. Full terms will posted at www.weselltheearth.com.

THE SURROUNDING AREA

The Huffman Farm is just minutes away from the Town of Alderson, West Virginia, known for its friendly residents and laidback lifestyle. The largest and most popular 4th of July day parade in the state is hosted by the Town of Alderson.

Alderson’s amenities include churches, elementary school, grocery store, hardware/farm supply store, motel, bank, Dollar General, gas/convenience stores, medical clinic and restaurants. Alderson, West Virginia is located along the Greenbrier River in Greenbrier County and Monroe County, incorporated in 1881. Alderson was originally settled in 1777 by “Elder” John Alderson, a frontier missionary for whom the town is named, who organized the first Baptist church in the Greenbrier Valley. In 1763, the nearby Muddy Creek settlements were destroyed by Shawnee Indians under Chief Cornstalk. During the early 1900s, Alderson became a hub of higher education in the state. It was home to three separate institutions of higher education, including the Alderson Academy and Junior College, which eventually was integrated into Alderson–Broaddus College in 1932. Alderson is also home to “Camp Cupcake”, the minimum security federal prison where Martha Stewart spent her vacation.

The Greenbrier Valley is richly blessed with a wide array of cultural events that keep life in the valley interesting and satisfying. A year round live theater, Carnegie Hall (one of four in the USA), fine dining, art galleries and boutiques make up the thriving downtown historic district in Lewisburg.
Lewisburg has been named Coolest Small Town in America and is just a 20 minute drive to complete shopping, churches, schools, medical-dental facilities, fine dining, and a modern hospital. The airport, with the longest runway in the state is just 25 minutes away and has flights to Charlotte NC and at times Washington DC.

Lewisburg is also the county seat of Greenbrier County and home to the WV Osteopathic Medical School (600 students) and the New River Community and Technical College. The area is a strong economic generator with a solid workforce employed in county/state government, tourism, hospitality, education, retail, construction, wood products, mining and agriculture.

Within an hour’s drive are located some of the finest recreational facilities in West Virginia. Winterplace Ski Resort, whitewater rafting / fishing on the New River and Gauley River, 2000 acre Bluestone Lake, Pipestem State Park and Resort and the 80,000 acre New River National Gorge National Park. Five other area state parks and state forests offer unlimited hiking, horseback riding, ATV riding and rock climbing opportunities. Snowshoe Ski Resort is a 2 hour drive through some of the most scenic country on the East Coast. The new 10,600 acre Boy Scout High Adventure Camp and home to the US and World Jamboree is an hour fifteen minute drive.

The world renowned Greenbrier Resort, home of the PGA tour, is just 35 minutes’ drive. Several other area golf courses are available in the area. Rock climbing, ziplining, horseback riding and the 100 + mile long Hatfield-McCoy ATV trail makes for a very active recreation area.

THE GREENBRIER RIVER

At 162 miles long, the Greenbrier is the longest untamed (unblocked) river left in the Eastern United States. It is primarily used for recreational pursuits and well known for its fishing, canoeing, kayaking and floating opportunities. Its upper reaches flow through the Monongahela National Forest.

The Greenbrier is formed at Durbin in northern Pocahontas County by the confluence of the East Fork Greenbrier River and the West Fork Greenbrier River, both of which are short streams rising at elevations exceeding 3,300 feet and flowing for their entire lengths in northern Pocahontas County. From Durbin the Greenbrier flows generally south-southwest through Pocahontas, Greenbrier and Summers Counties, past several communities including Cass, Marlinton, Hillsboro, Ronceverte, Fort Spring, Alderson, and Hinton, where it flows into the New River.

It has always been a valuable water route, with the majority of the important cities in the watershed being established riverports. The river gives the receiving waters of the New River an estimated 30% of its water volume. Over three-fourths of the watershed is an extensive karstic (cavern system), which supports fine trout fishing, cave exploration and recreation. Many important festivals and public events are held along the river throughout the watershed.

Along most of its course, the Greenbrier accommodated the celebrated Indian warpath known as the Seneca Trail (Great Indian Warpath). From the vicinity of present-day White Sulphur Springs the Trail followed Anthony’s Creek down to the Greenbrier near the present Pocahontas-Greenbrier County line. It then ascended the River to the vicinity of Hillsboro and Droop Mountain and made its way through present Pocahontas County by way of future Marlinton, Indian Draft Run, and Edray.

THE NEW RIVER AND BLUESTONE LAKE

The Huffman Farm is a 30 minute drive to the New River and 2000 acre Bluestone Lake at Hinton. The New River is the second oldest river in the world, preceded only by the Nile; it is the oldest river in North America. The New River is unique because it begins in Blowing Rock, N.C. and flows north through Virginia into West Virginia. The Nile and Amazon are the only other major rivers that also flow north. Year after year, it produces more citation fish than any other warm water river in WV. Smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, crappie, catfish, sunfish, hybrid stripped bass, and muskie are all common species of fish found in the New River and Bluestone Lake.

Bluestone Lake is over 2000 acres at summer pool and is the state’s third largest body of water. Great hunting and fishing opportunities abound at the 17,632 acre Bluestone Wildlife Area adjacent to the park and nearby Camp Creek State Forest.