MECKLENBURG COUNTY, N.C. — Several acres of land in western Mecklenburg County is now permanently conserved, which environmental advocates say will help protect a historical farmhouse.
The Catawba Lands Conservancy announced 10.9 acres of land between the US National Whitewater Center and the Iswa Nature Preserve will not see new development, which has been building up across the Charlotte area. The land is located along a tributary of the Catawba River.
The conservancy said the Sandifer-Wilson Conservation Easement was once part of a 246-acre farm that extended all the way to the river, and includes a perennial stream and mature hardwood forest. It's also home to the Thomas T. Sandifer farmhouse, which was designated as a landmark by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission. The farmhouse was built in the 1850s and is one of the few remaining antebellum houses built along the river.
“We feel that protecting wild lands and historic properties like ours is one of the greatest services a family can do for their community,” said property owners Missy Eppes and Jake Armour. “We really hope our conservation will inspire our neighbors throughout the Northwest Community to do the same.”
The property owners donated the easement and said they're working with Preserve Mecklenburg to ensure the farmhouse can't be demolished. Support from the North Carolina Land and Water Fund mini-grant program provided funds for transaction expenses.
The Catawba Lands Conservancy is a nonprofit land trust that aims to preserve land in the Southern Piedmont region. The conservancy currently protects more than 17,000 acres of land across six Charlotte-area counties and also leads the Carolina Thread Trail network of greenways, trails, and blueways that links more than 2 million citizens through 15 counties in both Carolinas.