Farm Photos

This partial view of the farm and house is across Cove Road or county road 608. Morris Knob, around 3400 feet, is the tallest mountain in the area. The Appalachians are some of the oldest mountains on earth, some say 300 to 500 million years. In comparison, the Himalayan Mountains are said to be 40 million years old. For more history on Tazewell County and the area, click here.

The Clinch Mountain Range circles the Cove and on the other side is the Jefferson National Forest. It's not unusual for the fog to spill over the mountain and, eventually, drift into the valley. 

The farm has a dedicated, approximately 9 acre hay meadow. There have been years we've gotten three cuttings but lately, I've opted for one cutting of 30 to 40 5x5 round bales that weigh about 1000-1100 pounds each. This hay has been used for horses, sheep, alpacas and cattle; what's not used on the farm is sold. During winter, animals are turned onto this pasture to graze; all pastures have access to water and three pastures have run-in shelter. 

The rear view of the house shows, from far left the white poplar sided studio, small brown garden shed, treated with water seal, and the roofs of the barn, garage and stable. 

The stables were sided in rough cut hemlock and, with the hand cut limestone foundation, should last another hundred years. There are five stalls inside and on building left is equipment storage in front and, in back, animal run-in shelter. On top, the hay loft is able to store a few thousand square bales of hay and on the right is more equipment storage and a run-in shelter. In the rear of this building are two small, fenced lots, both with water access. 

Downstairs Photos

Working kitchen fireplace  

wormy chestnut mantle

Fireplace re-built using bricks made on farm

Hand crafted birch cupboard, 

shelves can be repositioned

1914 Acorn cook stove

7 propane gas burners

3 electric ovens and 1 warming oven

(restored by Erickson's Antique Stoves)

Hand crafted sun room, approx. 33x16
hand crafted walnut floor with wood cut from neighboring farm

2 person Whirlpool jetted tub, next to sun room, 

Handicapped accessible shower in tiled bathroom, 

propane heater

all 2.5 bathrooms are tiled

Woodstock soapstone stove
Fireplace and chimney liner are new and chimney cleaned yearly.

fireplace was made with slave made brick from the 1800's

Lassie was filmed in this valley and is the farm shown on the poster.

Downstairs front hall with

refinished heart pine floor.

Original heart pine floors throughout house

Front porch, toward head of valley

Front porch , toward intersection of Rt 91 and Rt 608

Farm and Land Photos

The farm's 27+ acres are across County Rt. 608 and are on the corner of State Rt 19 and County Rt 608. There is approximately 1/2 mile of road frontage on both roads; Morris Knob is in the background left, elevation approximately 3400 feet. Most of the land in this valley has been in the same family for many generations, some eight or nine generations. This farm has been owned by two families since the War Between the States. In the 1880's, Mr. Shadrach White bought the original brick house, barns, stables and other outbuildings plus a few thousand acres of land for $300.00 in back taxes. Yes, that's three hundred dollars! His family sold the farm to Mr. Gillespie, Dave's family on his mother's side, and in 1995 we bought the house, buildings and 27 1/3 acres.

Prior to Anglo's coming here, the valley was home to a Shawnee tribe; across the road from the house, the scorched earth of village fires are still visible. One of southwest Virginia's major Civil War battles was fought along State Rt 19, bordering the farm, and across the mountain to Saltville.

360 degree stellar views. The property line goes to the tree at edge of State Rt. 91, in the distance, to the right of the chicken house or garden shed. This building does have electrical lines. 

Front yard has mature Oak, Sugar Maple, Tamarack and Norwegian spruce trees.

On other side of wooden fence is County Rt. 608. Land across the road belongs to neighbors. The drilled well is 650 feet and delivers 75 GPM (gallons per minute). The drilling company believes they may have hit an artesian aquifer.

View from side yard includes two pastures belonging to farm and land beyond belonging to neighbors.

On left, house with sun room, 12 x 12 studio building with heat and a.c. to the rear and mature walnut tree on right. The mountains beyond are owned either by a neighbor or are part of the Jefferson National Forrest. Little Tumbling is across the mountain and is one of the top ten trout streams in the USA.

Photo taken February 2014 and includes two farm pastures and beyond, land belonging to neighbors. Clinch Mountain Range is on left and is part of Jefferson National Forrest.

Quick Overview

* Oral history says these 27+ acres are what’s left of a King George I land grant farm. 
* Approx. 5500 sq ft house w/R19 insulation 
* Built 1900-1902 by Thomas Hawkins, Master Carpenter 
* Owned by 3 families since War Between the States 
* ½ mile primary and secondary road frontage 
* Real estate taxes $.57 per $100
* No zoning restrictions 
* 50 year roof put on in 1997 
* Extensive hand crafted renovations 
* 1914 Acorn cook stove, one of two in existence; other said to be in Ralph        Lauren's CO kitchen 
* Maytag refrigerator, dishwasher, washer and dryer 
* Ceiling fans in 12 rooms; 10 foot ceilings 
* Woodstock soapstone wood stove 
* Gas logs, fireplace & heater 
* Central oil heat with oil fired furnace 
* Heat pump 
* House generator 
* Mobile phone booster 
* Original 9x3 windows with storm windows & screens 
* 4+ bedrooms approximately 20’x20’ each 
* 2.5 tiled bathrooms, one handicapped equipped 
* Whirlpool 2 person tub & original claw foot tub 
* Heart pine & walnut floors 
* Sun room & bath addition 33’x16’ 
* 3 porches, 2 with metal roofs 
* Updated electrical 
* 650’ drilled well giving 75 GPM 
* Incredible views in all directions where Lassie was filmed 

* 27+ acres 
* 4 lush pastures, 1 hay field all w/water, 3 small lots
* VDACS certified antique livestock weigh scales 
* 2 cattle chutes 
* Detached Mennonite made 12'x24' garage w/electricity, storage loft , metal roof w/10 year warranty 
* Original buildings recently sided with hemlock & all w/metal roofs 
* Barn w/5-stall stable w/2 storage areas, loft, 2 run-in shelters, electricity 
* Barn w/storage, loft, 2 run-in shelters, electricity 
* 4 room granary w/electricity, disconnected water, could be made into 2 bed farm cottage 
* Metal workshop, cement floor w/electricity, heat, lavatory, hot water, separate office 
* 12x12 poplar sided studio w/electricity, heat, a.c. 
* Garden shed 
* 3 stock water troughs, one with electricity for de-icer 
* Mature apple & walnut trees 
* Young apple, peach, cherry trees 
* Thornless blackberry, raspberry, blueberry bushes 
* Large garden lot 
* 60 foot round pen 
* $499,950.00 

e-mail southwestva13 at gmail dot com - use @ for at and . for dot -

Viewing by appointment only with bank pre-approval letter. Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed; buyer to verify. This is an historic property and being sold As Is.

House Information

Oral history states this farm was originally a land grant from King George II; house and farm are eligible for inclusion in Virginia Department of Historic Properties.

In the 1870's, Shadrach White purchased the land and brick house for $300 in back taxes owed since "The Late, Great Unpleasantness".  During Christmas holidays of 1899, the brick house caught fire and a hired man was sent, on horseback, to tell Shad his house was on fire. The owner, playing a few hands of poker down at the road at the Joe White store, was said to have exclaimed, "Let 'er burn. I'll build me a bigger and better one!"

In 1900 Thomas Hawkins, Master Builder, was hired to rebuild the house but Shad (pronounced in the English manner as "shade") asked for a clapboard house, "because a brick house would burn". Mr. Hawkins was a large man, weighing around 300 pounds, and, during the building process, would stand in the window frames of the house and bounce. If the frames moved the slightest bit, Mr. Hawkins had the workers re-build them. The original windows are about 9 feet by 3 feet with storm windows and screens added and windows have the original weights and pulley system restored and intact.

When adding central heat and electricity, the original slave made bricks were found being used as insulation in the interior walls; some of those bricks are stacked behind the house. The insulation value was R-1 and the decision was made to install R-19 insulation instead in both interior and exterior walls.

There are three porches, the front porch seen above, an L-shaped back porch and a porch off the sun room...all with incredible views. 

The house is approximately 5,500 square feet and, with few exceptions, remains true to the original floor plan. On the first floor, a half bath, sun room and bathroom were added. Adding a half bath under the front stairs made the first floor bedroom and parlor a mother-in-law unit. The sun room is approximately 30x16 feet and uses West windows (guaranteed for life), approximately 5x4 feet, to take advantage of the magnificent view seen in the header photo. The main tiled bathroom includes a two person Whirlpool tub, handicapped shower and toilet.

First floor

The house design is four up, four down with an L shaped addition; on first floor left are parlor and bedroom. The hall runs the center of the house, upstairs and down with two doors to outside. The downstairs rooms are approximately 20x20 feet and the sun room is approximately 16x30.

First floor right are formal dining room, living room, kitchen, pantry, mud room, sun room and handicapped accessible bathroom. A bedroom has door access to the back porch.

There are two sets of interior stairs, the primary are formal with additional "cook" stairs accessible from mudroom. The mudroom has back porch access and leads both into the kitchen and upstairs to the laundry room and rest of house.

On second floor left are bedroom and bedroom. On the opposite side of the hall are bedroom, two rooms which could be either bedrooms or offices, bathroom with original claw foot tub and a laundry room. The back stairs, accessed from the mudroom, exit into the laundry room. The second floor bed rooms are approximately 18x18 feet. The upstairs has a heat pump which supplies air conditioning.

second floor

The kitchen has a 1914 Acorn cook stove with seven propane stove top burners, three working electric ovens and a warming oven. David Livingstone, Massachusetts stove restorer, said this was one of two such stoves in existence; the other is in Ralph Lauren's Colorado home.

Acorn 1914 working cook stove

There are ten fireplaces; the living room has a working Woodstock soapstone stove, the kitchen and an upstairs room have propane gas logs.

The sun room has a free standing propane gas fireplace and wall air conditioner; the bathroom has a wall-mounted propane gas heater.

A mobile phone booster ensures cell phone service and satellite service provides i-net access or television.

The well is drilled to a depth of 650 feet and produces 75 GPM (gallons per minute). the limestone water is sweet and cold...perfection!

Two two-hundred seventy-five gallon oil tanks in the basement feed hot water pipes throughout the house. Should the power go out, the 1,000 gallon propane tank fuels the house generator to ensure heat, electricity in downstairs main living area, television, radio and computer. A Woodstock soapstone stove provides wood heat and a barn contains a winter's worth of seasoned hard wood. A heat pump provides back up heat and air conditioning.

In 1997, a 50 year roof was added.

Farm is less than 2.5 hours from 6 regional airports (in VA - Bluefield,  Tazewell, Roanoke; in WV - Charleston and Beckley and TRI in Bristol, TN), 3.5 hours from NC Charlotte International Airport and 2 hours from Amtrak in Hinton, WV.

Water Troughs

water trough serving stables, barn and pasture. water for livestock is fed from underground river and serves five farms.

small water trough serving 2 pastures









large water trough serving pasture, alfalfa/hay field and another farm.

seasoned hardwood for one winter

Landscape and Outbuildings

 mature sugar maple, oak, hemlock, walnut and tamarack trees

mature apple tree

12 x 12 office or studio with metal roof, poplar siding, propane heat and air conditioning 

former chicken house, now garden shed, with metal roof, water sealed, electricity available

Mennonite made 12x20 garage with storage loft, metal roof, electricity; "5 year Fix it All Warranty" (2016).

barn: on right -  one run-in shelter; on left front - one winter's worth of wood for house stove; in rear a run-in shelter. Metal roof, sided with rough cut hemlock, has electricity 

 5 horse stall stable with tack room, storage and run-in shelter on right, hay loft and, on left, equipment storage  with run-in shelter behind. Metal roof, sided with rough cut hemlock and access to water trough.

 Livestock scales building with metal roof, sided with rough cut hemlock, antique scales certified by VDAC (VA Dept of Agriculture) yearly. 

 Granary with electricity; water is available. Has four grain storage tanks upstairs and three rooms downstairs; could be made into farm cottage. Cement floor, run-in shelter on left and paddock behind; three windows are double pane. Metal roof and sided with rough cut hemlock.

 Metal grain storage tanks.

Metal shop building with electricity and cement floor; building has heat, both separate bathroom and office are tiled.