The author and Betty Smith are pictured after completing final paperwork to put Mrs. Smith’s Anderson County property in a conservation easement. Shelby Lyn Sanders/Foothills Land ConservancyWhile they never did move out to the farm or have a big-time agricultural operation, the property’s rolling hills have seen many generations of cows, calves and critters crisscross the expansive pastures, as well as a curious child or two exploring the woodland, creeks and flowers.
Mrs. Smith’s daughter Barbara remembers spending many a warm summer day here as a little girl, a simpler time in a special place that still has that idyllic rural feel to it despite all the residential and commercial development creeping ever closer. It was that very reason that led Mrs. Smith to call Foothills Land Conservancy to find out how she could make sure that the farm would always be there, just as she remembered it.
FLC staff met several afternoons with Mrs. Smith and her family in her living room, making careful considerations about future uses of the land as well as the intention behind protecting it. Together, they developed a conservation easement contract that would preserve the farm in perpetuity while allowing future owners to live out their own dreams of having a piece of East Tennessee to treasure.
Per Mrs. Smith’s wishes, there can only ever be one single-family house built on this peaceful 100 acres, along with a provision for two barns. FLC will monitor the property at least once annually to ensure there are no stewardship issues, such as trespassing, unauthorized forestry activities or environmental concerns.
In this corner of ever-growing Anderson County, cattle will continue to roam the pastures, and a piece of the Smith family’s natural history and heritage will be preserved, forever.