The historic Reeves Homeplace Farm in the Little Sandy Mush community has been in the Reeves family for more than 160 years and is now permanently protected for agricultural use. 

“When the housing market was going well, developers offered a substantial amount for this place, but Daddy never wanted it to be sold,” recalls Robin Reeves, the seventh generation to farm the land. “He wanted it to stay in the family, and wanted to see it continue to be used as farmland.”

The family agreed to permanently restrict the land from any sort of development in exchange for monetary incentives, obtained by SAHC through grants and donors.

“We competed for grant funds across the nation and state to accomplish the protection of this historic valley farm and scenic mountain grazing land,” said William Hamilton, SAHC’s Farmland Program Director. “This farm is representative of agriculture in Western North Carolina.”