OVERVIEW

Basham Homeplace is a private 89+/- acre recreation property with great views and excellent building sites.  This property is the ultimate in a hunting, camping, hiking and ATV riding adventure. Situate just 30 minutes from the mighty New River, one of world’s oldest rivers, second only to the Nile and Amazon Rivers.

The homeplace is still standing and would make a nice getaway retreat or full time residence. The home is in need of some upgrades and renovations to the interior. The home is surrounded by nice meadows with long views and there is a large stocked pond.

The property is a mix of meadows and woodland offering a diverse mix of wildlife including deer, wild turkey, black bear, songbirds, rabbits, chipmunks and squirrels.  A well-constructed gravel state maintained road serves as the driveway winds its way through the property terminating at the homeplace and other attendant buildings. Electric and phone service is already in place.

The mature hardwood forest has an abundance of old growth hardwood trees and has the look of a park-like setting. has many different species of trees including black walnut, red oak, white oak, yellow poplar, black locust and sassafras.  In years past, some of the property was in cleared fields but has since reverted back into woodland and these areas offer great wildlife cover and food sources staghorn sumac, poke berry, blackberries and raspberries. The more mature trees provide hickory nuts, acorns, poplar seeds, walnuts and beechnuts.

THE NEW RIVER AND BLUESTONE LAKE

The New River Gorge was a vast and largely unsettled wilderness until the C&O railroad was built on the eastern side of the river in the 1880’s. The railroad opened up the rich coalfields and virgin timber stands of the region. Early “mountaineers” settled the area and soon were carving out mountain farms and raising families.

Basham Homeplace is located in the heart of the recreational mecca area encompassing 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 striped bass, and muskie are all common species of fish found in the New River and Bluestone Lake.

Bluestone Lake is 30 minute’s drive with 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.

SURROUNDING AREA

The surrounding area offers unlimited soft recreational activities including white water rafting, golfing, fishing, camping, hiking, bird watching and rock climbing. Snow skiing at the Winterplace Ski Resort is 20 minutes away. In 30 minutes, you can catch the Amtrak train in Hinton or in one hour at the Greenbrier Resort and travel to Chicago or New York City. The Beckley Airport is just 35 minutes away.

Hinton, the county seat of Summers County is a 30 minute drive. Hinton, founded in 1871, grew rapidly as the hub of a growing railroad industry serving the New River coal fields, passenger travel and coast to coast freight lines. Today, Hinton serves the growing tourist and technology industries. Situate at the confluence of the New River, Bluestone River and Greenbrier River, adjoining the 2000 acre Bluestone Lake, Hinton is truly a gateway to water recreation. The 80,000 acre New River National River Park, Bluestone State Park, Pipestem State Park Resort and 17,000 acre Bluestone Wildlife Management Area are recreational cornerstones in the area. The new 10,000 acre Boy Scout high adventure camp is an hour’s drive.  Hospital, grocery shopping, pharmacy, hardware/farm supply and dining are available.

Lewisburg, an 90 minute drive, is the county seat of Greenbrier County and home to the WV Osteopathic Medical School (800 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. The Greenbrier Valley and surrounding area is richly blessed with a wide array of cultural events that keep life in the valley interesting and satisfying. A year round live theatre, Carnegie Hall (one of four in the USA), fine dining, art galleries and boutiques make up the thriving downtown historic district in Lewisburg.

In 2011, Lewisburg was named Coolest Small Town in America and is just an hour 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 45 minutes away and has daily flights to Atlanta and Washington DC.

The world renowned 4-Star Greenbrier Resort, home of the PGA tour, is a 40 minute 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

ACCESS

Year round access to the property is provided by state maintained roads.  4WD or AWD vehicles are recommended for the winter months.

Forest management trails access nice stands of timber and provide access to nearly all corners for recreational opportunities including nature viewing, hunting, hiking, horseback riding and ATV riding.

UTILITIES

Electric – on site
Landline Phone – on site
Internet – HughesNet
Cable TV – HughesNet
Water – there is a drilled well in place
Septic system – in place,

FOREST/TIMBER RESOURCES

A new timber inventory by a professional forester will be available in the first week of October

The distinguishing features of the Basham Homeplace’s timber resource include its hardwood sawtimber and pole stocking along with a nice stand of native White Pine.  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.  A very selective timber harvesting was done many years ago but not within memory of the owners.

The forest’s predominately well-drained upland terrain has led to a resource dominated by hardwood species and several very large native White Pine are interspersed with the mature hardwood trees. Overall, the species composition is highly desirable and favors Appalachian hardwood types, consisting primarily of:

Sugar Maple
Poplar/Cucumber/Basswood
Red Oak Group
White Oak/Chestnut Oak
Soft Maple
Hickory
Ash
A host of associate species (black cherry, black walnut, birch, beech)

Forest-wide, most stands are fully stocked, providing the next ownership with a great deal of flexibility in shaping their own silvicultual legacy. Stem quality forest-wide can be considered excellent with the forest containing an abundant current and future veneer source.

Basham Homeplace’s timber component has been well managed over the years and generally consists of two age classes that have been managed under even-aged silvicultural guidelines. The predominant timber stand contains 40-120 year old stems ranging in size of 10”-28” dbh. This stand is ready for harvest should the new owner choose to generate the value of the timber.

The second distinct stand was established over the past 50 years when some of the farm fields and pastures were abandoned and the forest began to naturally regenerate. These stands represent a quality hardwood and some White Pine resource and will be reaching economic maturity in the next 30-40 years.

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 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 may be present and it is anticipated that the Ash component will come under attack by the borer in the next decade. There have been no forest fires in the recent memory. Some of the White Pine timber stand experience damage in an ice storm a few years ago.

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

Basham Homeplace has an abundant wildlife population.

The mixture of mature forest, emerging forest and abandoned farm fields, old fruit trees, coupled with a steady water supply from the stocked pond, ephemeral creeks and spring, create the perfect wildlife habitat. The hardwood forest produces tons of acorns, hickory nuts beech nuts and black walnuts. White tail deer, wild turkey, squirrel, raccoon, fox and many species of songbirds and raptors make up the resident wildlife population. It is hard to find a property that has a better mix of wildlife as there has been little to no hunting pressure for many years.

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

Basham Homeplace is blessed with a steady water source. A large stocked pond, two large hollows, several ephemeral streams and a few springs provide topographic relief throughout the property that flow during rain events and snow melt.

MINERAL RESOURCES

The mineral title to the property is Fee, less Coal. The owners have not leased any oil and gas rights and all mineral rights the owners have will convey with the property.

LOCATION, TAXES, DEED AND LEGAL INFORMATION

Google Coordinates: LAT 37.6420260 N; LON 81.0336514 W
Elevation: 2360′-2760′
Two tracts or parcels of land
Total Deed Acreage: 89 Acres (46 Ac. Tr. and 43 Ac. Tr.)
Jumping Branch District (5)
Summers County, WV

SOLD BY BOUNDARY, NOT ACRE

Tract One:

Summary:

Deed Book/Page: Acquired through settlement of estate.
Deed Acreage: 46.00
Deed Ownership Interest: Fee less Coal
Taxed as Tax Map 13 Parcel 10; Tax Acreage 46.00 Acres
Tax Location Description: White Oak Mountain
Taxed Ownership Interest: Fee less Coal
2015 Taxes: $315.06

Boundary Description: The property boundary is described by metes and bounds and is shown on a survey plat drawn as part of the deed to Juanita M. Basham from J. W. Basham, dated March 27, 1933, and recorded in the Clerk’s Office of the County Commission of Summers County, West Virginia in Deed Book 65 Page 266.

Tract Two:

Summary:

Deed Book 214 Page 21; Date November 7, 2003
Deed Acreage: 43.00
Deed Ownership Interest: No specific minerals reserved in this deed. See additional information below for the statement of a reservation of coal in Deed Book 32 (29?) Page 321.
Taxed as Tax Map 13 Parcel 11; Tax Acreage 43.00 Acres
Tax Location Description: White Oak Mountain
Taxed Ownership Interest: Fee less Coal
2015 Taxes: $305.42

Boundary Description: The property boundary is described by metes and bounds and is shown on a survey plat drawn as part of the conveyance to Grace Eastridge and Lee Eastridge from J. W. Basham, single, by deed dated March 27, 1933, and recorded in the Clerk’s Office of the County Commission of Summers County, West Virginia in Deed Book 65 Page 247.