OVERVIEW

Smith Homeplace – 133 +/- acres is a beautiful recreational property and the perfect retreat for the outdoor enthusiast wanting a place to hike, hunt, watch nature or kick back and relax. The 10 acre bottomland field, farm house, nice creek, hiking and ATV trails and long mountain views make for a nice place to invest in for the long-term. The property offers rural estate qualities with the upside potential for future home or cabin site development.

The unspoiled hardwood forest offers a timberland investment opportunity with a ready-to-harvest timber resource. The 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.

Mountain wildflowers can be enjoyed every spring and summer including the rare “Ladies Slipper” and many others running the spectrum of mountain irises to daffodils.

Spectacular 20 mile long views from the upper reaches rival any in WV.  There is little light pollution and the night sky is filled with millions stars for hours of serenity in your personal mountain retreat.

There is over a mile of walking or ATV trails winding through the forest with the potential to add several more miles if desired. As you walk along the trails you will find many ancient “heritage” trees. These trees were here when the homesteaders moved in during the late 1800’s and have withstood the test of time and the elements.

Wildlife is abundant in the area and includes white-tailed deer, turkey, squirrel, rabbits and many species of song birds. Tree species include white oak, red oak, sugar maple, black walnut, hickory, tulip poplar, black cherry and mountain ash.

Not surprising, the, forest, shrubs hay and pasture grasses are highly productive in producing tons and tons of oxygen while at the same time eliminating huge amounts of Carbon Dioxide; Nature’s way of reducing our Carbon Footprint.

HIGHLIGHTS

*Large 133+/- acre parcel offers privacy and seclusion.
*Original 2400+/- sqft 4 bedroom farm house.
*10+/- acres of rich bottom land.
*Over 100 acres of mature harvest-ready hardwood timber.
*Back Creek is a blue line clear water stream flowing for about 1600 feet along the bottom land field.
*Several ephemeral streams create and interesting terrain.
*Renowned locally as a premier wildlife sanctuary in Monroe County.
*Land legacy of careful wildlife management coupled with outstanding long-term forest stewardship.
*Spectacular long range views approaching 20 miles with a 200 degree viewing shed.
*High percentage of commercially – operable ground supporting farming, forestry, recreation.
*Potential for residential/recreational development.
*Elevations range from 1680’ to nearly 2040’
*1700’ of year round state maintained hard top access.
*Electric and phone available on site.
*Low taxes, low population density,
*Little or no light pollution reveals a canopy of starts overhead.

LOCATION

The charming village of Union, which is the Monroe County seat, is just a 15 minute drive. Banking, healthcare facilities, drugstore, grocery, hardware, auto parts and farm supply are readily available. Some of the friendliest people in West Virginia can be found in Monroe County. Monroe County has a population of about 13,000 residents and does not have a stoplight and has more cattle and sheep than people. There are no fast food restaurants but there are the local restaurants, Corner Café and the Kalico Kitchen, in downtown Union that are great place to meet friends and enjoy a great home cooked meal.

Historic Lewisburg is located just 45 minutes to the North with all the charm of a small town and all the amenities of a larger city. Designated the “Coolest Small Town in America” in 2011, fine dining, arts and entertainment flourish in the Lewisburg area while “big box” stores like Walmart and Lowes are also available along with the Greenbrier Valley Medical Center and other medical services.

Lewisburg is also home to Carnegie Hall, Greenbrier Valley Theatre, the WV School of Osteopathic Medicine, a community college, and is the county seat for Greenbrier County. The Greenbrier Valley Airport with daily flights to Atlanta and Washington, DC is located just outside of Lewisburg and just 35 minutes from the property.

The world famous Greenbrier Resort is 45 minute drive and Snowshoe Ski Resort is within a 2 hour drive as well.

Within an hour to two hour drive are located some of the finest recreational facilities in West Virginia. Snowshoe Ski Resort, whitewater rafting / fishing on the Greenbrier, New River and Gauley River, 2000 acre Bluestone Lake, 919,000 acre Monongahela National Forest 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.

This 133+/- acre agricultural- timberland-recreational opportunity is located in the scenic, mountainous region of southeastern West Virginia. The surrounding Monroe County landscape is part of the southeastern Ridge and Valley Region, a scenic tapestry of elongated hardwood Allegheny & Appalachian mountain ranges. Much of Monror County remains undeveloped and is characterized by its scenic farm valleys, small communities and large expanses of hardwood forest.

Smith Homeplace 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, with upland hardwood flats and ridges separated by narrow hollows that flank the lower lying stream drainage of Back Creek.

Google Coordinates at the farm house: 37.5478297N -080.6407064W

ACCESS

Year round access to the property is excellent. The property fronts the hard-top state maintained WV RT 23/7 (Back Creek Road) for 1600’ on the southern portion of the property.

Internal access is considered excellent with over one mile of forest trails that access nice stands of timber.  These trails provide access to nearly all corners for recreational opportunities including nature viewing, hunting, hiking, horseback riding and ATV riding.

AGRICULTURAL RESOURCES

A visit to Smith Homeplace is stepping back in time some 100 years. This early farmstead is an excellent example of the how the early settlers lived and is a testament to hard work, perseverance and ingenuity.  Manpower and horsepower were the tools of the trade in the late 1800’s.  There are some 50 acres of old fields no regenerated to timber, the result of countless hours of backbreaking work. The work is preserved in stone piles found around the property.

The 10 acres of bottom land is mostly open but in need of brushogging.

FOREST/TIMBER RESOURCES

The distinguishing features of Smith Homeplace is the rich mix of hardwood sawtimber, pole timber, cedar thickets and regenerated farm fields. This stocking level of trees is well above average for the region. 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.

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 or Emerald Ash Borer. The Hemlock Wooly Adelgid is present and the majority of the  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

Smith Homeplace is renowned locally as a premier wildlife sanctuary in Monroe County. The mixture of cedar thickets, mature forest and abandoned farm fields, coupled with a steady water supply from creeks and springs, create the perfect wildlife habitat. The “edge effect” created between old 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 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 seeds, autumn olive berries and blackberries.

Smith Homeplace is blessed with a year-round water source. Back Creek is a blue line stream running for about 1600’ on the property and several 40 ephemeral streams that flow during rain events and snow melt.

A small bog can be found in the bottom land with bullfrogs, newts and crawdads inhabiting this unique environment of rushes, sedges and cattails.

MINERAL RESOURCES

The owner has chosen not to lease out any mineral or oil and gas rights and all rights the owner has will convey with the property.

BOUNDARIES AND SURVEY

The 133+/- acre property has been surveyed in times past and some of the deeds recorded in the courthouse have metes and bounds calls. There is not a current survey plat on file. The property is being sold by the boundary and not by the acre. Buyers are welcome to conduct a survey at their expense prior to closing. Old fences can be found along some of the property lines.

Google Coordinates at the home are 37.5478297N -080.6407064W

TAXES AND ZONING

Property taxes for the 201 tax year were $836.94. The parcel is listed in Springfield District, Monroe County on Tax Map 15, parcel 21. The deed for the property is found in Deed Book 60, page 449.

911 Address: ______________
Local Post Office: Greenville WV 24945

As of October 2014, there is no countywide zoning in effect in Monroe County. However, all prospective buyers should contact the Monroe County Assessor in Union regarding any issues involving zoning, developments or building codes.

UTILITIES

Electric – Mon Power
Propane – can be delivered
Landline Phone – Frontier
Internet – May be available through Frontier
Cable TV – DirectTV or Dish Network
Sewer – Septic (condition unknown)
Water – Drilled water well serving the farm house (condition unknown).
Trash Pickup – Curbside
Cell phone coverage is spotty in this area.
USPS and Overnight Couriers deliver to the area

FARM HOUSE

Den: 14×14
Kitchen: 10×14
Bath: 7×8
Utility Room: 7×7
Parlor: 14×14
Dining Room: 14×14
Bedroom: 14×14
Bedroom: 14×14
Bedroom: 10×10
Bedroom: 10×10
Bedroom 12×12
Attic: small unfinished
Front Covered Porch 13×47
Back Porch 8×10

Foundation: Stone
Siding: Wood
Heating: None working
Cooling: None. Passive (open windows) or AC window units, seldom necessary
Roof: Metal
Flooring: Hardwood, Carpet, Linoleum

Items to Convey: To be determined at time of sale.
Items Negotiable: To be determined at time of sale.

Please call Richard Grist @ 304.646.8837 or email to Richard@foxfirenation.com to schedule a tour of this fantastic old mountain farm and woodland property.