Located 15 minutes from historic downtown Lewisburg, this mountain top farm has river frontage, long views, rolling fields, meadows and mature timberland.

DESCRIPTION

The Forren Farm is the classic West Virginia mountain farm, sustaining several generations of farmers since the 1880’s – over130 years – The farm is a multi-use property located in the quite river valley community of Fort Spring. There is something for everyone: long peaceful views, river frontage, crop fields, rolling meadows and an exceptional forest with magnificent old growth trees.

The panoramic views stretch for miles in every direction across the surrounding mountains and valley farms. There is no better place to sit and enjoy the beauty of the West Virginia Mountains than from the kitchen of the old farm house. Sunrise and sunset are very special times on the farm.

The Forren Farm adjoins the lazy Greenbrier River for about 8/10ths mile (4000’+/-). Lots of fun can be had skipping stone, fishing or turning over rocks to find Crawfish and salamanders, while just being a kid playing on the river bank. Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn would be well at home here. Access to the river is limited by the river cliffs but it should be possible to establish a hiking trail from the farm’s meadow down through the cliffs to the river. Public access to the river below is just a short walk or fun bike ride.

A long and easy to traverse hiking trail winds over the meadows and through the woodland. Early morning or late evening is the perfect time to enjoy a stroll along the trail and let the birds keep you company with their singing. Late summer evening brings the night sounds of crickets, bullfrogs, cicadas, owls and doves cooing all within the flashing backdrop of countless lightning bugs.

The cool temperate climate and loamy soils are conducive for the production of grapes, apples and peaches. The pastures may be used for grazing sheep, cattle, llamas and donkeys and all do well on the native bluegrass that grows so well in the region. Pigs do well here too and love munching on acorns, hickory nuts and crabapples from the native trees in the fall of the year.

Beekeeping is also a very popular pastime in the area and the Forren Farm would be well suited for the production of honey with some well-placed hives.

A portion of the property is also suited for the production of row crops and vegetables. Several nice garden spots are available but be sure to plant a little extra for the rabbits to enjoy. Pumpkins will do well here too.

The trees scattered about the farm are very beautiful with some old growth Walnuts and Oaks that started growing in the 1800’s. The song birds, deer, rabbits, wild turkey, and squirrels thrive here as the gentle laying land, abundant water and vegetative diversity create the perfect wildlife habitat. The Greenbrier Valley has more cattle per square mile than people and the night sky is filled with stars and not light pollution. Adjoining Monroe County is noted as the #1 producer of sheep.

For the water enthusiast the Greenbrier River is short walk and a 30 minute drive to the New River and 2000 acre Bluestone Lake. The area offers unlimited soft recreational activities including white water rafting, golfing, fishing, camping, hiking, bird watching and rock climbing. Snow skiing at the Winterplace Resort is 45 minutes away. In 10 minutes you can catch the Amtrak train in Alderson and ride to the Greenbrier Resort, Chicago or New York City. The Beckley Airport and Greenbrier Valley Airports are just 30-40 minutes away.

THE HOME

The original farm house is circa 1880 and has beautiful long range views in every direction. The homes lives very comfortably and has a grand staircase that is still well known after 130 years in the area for it beauty, charm and graceful architecture and still is. The original hardwood floors are in excellent condition and there are no less than 6 fireplaces. Plenty of windows let the light stream in and when opened, sometimes the muffled rumble of a train and its whistle toots can be heard in the distance before entering the Fort Spring tunnel.

The old fashion front porch overlooks the distance hills and farms on Flat Mountain and is the perfect place to rock away the hours, enjoy a sunset over the far distant mountain, read or just spend time with friends and family.

DIMENSIONS

First Floor 1232 sq ft
Living Room: 14′ x 14’
Kitchen: 20′ x 14′
Dining Room: 14’x14’
Family Room: 14’x14’
Utility/Mud Room: 8′ x 6′
Foyer: 10×12

Second Floor: 808 sq ft
BR1:12’x14’
BR2:12′ x 14’
BR3:12′ x 14′
Storage: 12’x12’
Bathroom:8’x8’
Storage:8’x12’
Attic: not finished, storage only

HOME INFORMATION

Historic: circa 1880 Two Story Farm House
Siding: Wood
2040 sq. ft.+/-

Main Floor Sq. Ft. – 1232’ +/-
Upper Floor Sq. Ft. – 808 +/-
Basement: parcel
Covered Front porch
Covered Back porch

Total Rooms: 12
Bedrooms: 4
Total Bathrooms:2 1/2
Full Bathrooms: 2
Items to Convey: outside wood burning stove, antique kitchen cook stove

Lot Acres: 285+/-
Foundation: Cut Stone
Roof: Galvanized Metal (original?)
Date of Roof: 130 years (?)
Floor: Hardwood, Linoleum
Heat: Outside woodstove (hot water baseboard)
Air-conditioning: none, seldom needed
Water: 2 drilled wells one for house, one for barn.
Sewer: Septic
Crawl space: yes
Sump pump: none
Generator: none
Telephone: Landline
Cellphone Coverage: Excellent
Hot water: electric
Electric: 200 amp, needs updated

BARN-OUTBUILDINGS & IMPROVEMENTS

Barn lot, meadow and part of woodlot fully fenced. Other sections need fence replaced or improved
Spring fed concrete water troughs
Large barn with tin roof-needs to be dismantled-lots of beautiful old growth lumber to be repurposed (paneling, flooring and moldings)
Woodshed
Large wooden open machine shed
Corn crib
2 Storage wooden buildings

THE SURROUNDING AREA

The Forren Farm is supported with a great community known for its friendly residents and laidback lifestyle. Lewisburg is just 15 minutes away and 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.

In 2011, Lewisburg was named Coolest Small Town in America and is just a 15 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 20 minutes away and has daily flights to Atlanta and Washington DC. The week-long WV State Fair is held here each year in August.

The world renowned 4-Star Greenbrier Resort, home of the PGA tour, is a 30 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.

The state’s largest and most popular 4th of July day parade in the state is hosted by nearby Alderson. The sleepy town of Alderson is a 10 minute drive and amenities include churches, elementary school, grocery store, hardware/farm supply store, motel, bank, Dollar General, gas/convenience stores, medical clinic and restaurants. Alderson is also home to “Camp Cupcake”, the minimum security federal prison where Martha Stewart spent her vacation.

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.

GREENBRIER RIVER

The Forren Farm adjoins the lazy Greenbrier River for about 8/10ths mile (4000’+/-). Access to the river is limited by the river cliffs but it may be possible to establish a hiking trail from the farm’s meadow down through the cliffs. Public access to the river is just a 5 minute drive or bike ride. The Greenbrier River is 173 miles long is the last free flowing river east of the Mississippi. It is an excellent river to float or canoe and is well known for its large and small mouth bass fishing. It is the gateway to water recreation and fun as it is at most times lazy and easy to navigate. Lots of fun can be had skipping stone, fishing or turning over rocks to find Crawfish and salamanders while just being a kid playing on the river bank.

The Greenbrier River is formed by the confluence of the East Fork Greenbrier River and the West Fork Greenbrier River in the town of Durbin, West Virginia. From Durbin the Greenbrier River flows southwesterly through Pocahontas, Greenbrier, Monroe, and Summers Counties. It flows through several communities including Cass, Marlinton, Hillsboro, Ronceverte, Fort Spring, Alderson, and Hinton. The Greenbrier River joins the New River in the town of Hinton, West Virginia.

The property is a 20 minutes ride to the Greenbrier River Trial and is operated by the West Virginia State Parks. The trail is a 77-mile long former railroad, now used for hiking, bicycling, ski-touring, horseback-riding, and wheel-chair use. The trail passes through numerous small towns and traverses 35 bridges and 2 tunnels as it winds its way along the valley. Most of the trail is adjacent to the free-flowing Greenbrier River and is surrounded by peaks of the Allegheny Mountains.

THE NEW RIVER AND BLUESTONE LAKE

The Forren Farm is a 35 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.

TIMER RESOURCES

The timber on the farm is comprises about 130 acres and is exceptionally well stocked with mature timber as well as young and vigorous growing stock. Some trees are well over 100 years old and classify as “Heritage Trees”. These wonderful trees have withstood the test of time and lend an air of grace and permanency to the property. A portion of the property was selectively thinned about 10 years ago and the forest has responded very well and is growing at a rate of around 4-10% per year.

The 40 acre river front forest growing between the cliffs and the river has not been harvested in several decades, if ever, and supports a unique and diverse timber and plant population. Some of the trees are 200-300 years old, and some maybe even older. The Nature Conservancy may have an interest in purchasing this area to forever protect this very special waterfront environ.

With excellent hardwood quality and numerous pole-sized and sawlog-sized stems, the remaining 90+- acre woodland tract is dominated by Sugar Maple, Yellow Poplar, Black Walnut, Black Cherry, White Oak and Red Oak, Sycamore and Basswood.

The forest is healthy and there are no signs of pest infestations of Gypsy Moth or Emerald Ash Borer. There have been no forest fires in the recent memory.

WILDLIFE

The mix of mature timber and meadows creates the perfect wildlife habitat. The lush 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. Several species of ducks, egrets, herons and geese live along the river.

Of course, the Greenbrier River is one of the best small mouth bass rivers in WV and is loaded with bream and catfish as well.

MINERAL RESOURCES

To the Sellers knowledge, there have been no gas wells drilled on the property and no coal mining has ever been done. The Sellers are conveying all coal, quarry stone and timber rights they own. The oil and gas rights do not convey with the property.

ACCESS, BOUNDARIES AND SURVEY

Access is provided by Route 43, an all season state-maintained paved road. There is over 3000’ of road frontage.

The property consists of approximately 285 acres. The property has not been surveyed recently, although many of the adjoining properties have been surveyed so most of the boundary lines are well established on the ground. The boundaries consist of the river, state road, fences, former rail grade and cliff line. Property is sold by the boundary and not by the acre.

TAXES AND ZONING

Property taxes for the 2012 tax year were $1,113.26. The parcels are listed in Irish Corner District, Greenbrier County on Tax Map 3, parcel 3 and Tax Map 8, parcels 16, 48 and 51. The deed descriptions for the property are found in Will Book 61, page 677.

Greenbrier County has a Subdivision Ordinance and all prospective buyers contemplating division of property into lots should consult the Greenbrier County Planning Commission. All prospective buyers should contact the Greenbrier County Commission and Health Department when considering purchasing or developing any property in the county to determine if the property is subject to any additional zoning ordinances.

UTILITIES

Electric – Mon Power
Propane – R.T. Rogers
Landline Phone – Frontier
Internet – Hughes Net/Frontier
Cable TV – Direct TV
Water – Wells {2},
Sewer – Septic
Trash Pickup – Greenbrier Valley Solid Waste at curbside
Cell phone coverage is excellent in this area.
USPS and Overnight Couriers deliver to the area
Topographic Map: Fort Spring Quadrangle on USGS 7.5 minute series – this map can be found on the photo tour page for The Forren Farm on this website www.foxfirenation.com

LOCATION:

Greenbrier County
Fort Spring, WV
Route 43 (Fort Spring Pike Road)
Address: Fort Spring, WV 24936

GOOGLE COORDINATES:

LAT 37.7398786N
LON 080.5366457W