12 building lots reduced to 1, historic and natural resources preserved
SPOTSYLVANIA, Va., Nov. 15, 2022 – The Land Trust of Virginia (LTV) is pleased to announce a conservation easement in Spotsylvania thanks to the generosity of landowner Robert Taylor. This 290-acre property will protect a variety of natural resources and a spectacular example of early American Architecture.
Taylor first heard of LTV’s conservation program from his good friend Rich McDaniel, who has completed two easements in Spotsylvania on over 1,600 acres.
“I have had several contracts from developers wanting to buy the farm, but I didn’t want to do that,” said Taylor. “This has been the best thing to protect the farm and it is a wonderful program that still allows me to sell it if I need to. It’s been a really good fit. Ashton (LTV’s Deputy Director) gets everything done and is just amazing to work with.”
Taylor’s property features a historic dwelling known as “Andrew’s Tavern,” individually listed on the Virginia Landmarks Register and National Register of Historic Places. It has served at various times as an ordinary, a school, a polling place, and a residence. Its fine masonry, simple but well-executed woodwork, and hall/parlor plan make it a model of countrified Federal architecture found in the Piedmont region of Virginia.
Additional natural resources protected include scenic open space with 0.7 miles of frontage on Lawyers Road, 223.8 acres of “Prime Farmland Soils” or “Farmland Soils of Statewide Importance”, 141 acres of forest, and 9.5 acres of wetlands.
“It is a real privilege to be recommended from one landowner to another and we are extremely excited to ensure the protection of Andrew’s Tavern and the land surrounding it,” said LTV Executive Director, Sally Price. “With each easement, we are preserving the early history of our nation that is found all throughout the Commonwealth.”
Taylor’s easement is the 225th easement completed by the Land Trust of Virginia. For more information about their work, please visit http://www.landtrustva.org.
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About the Land Trust of Virginia
The Land Trust of Virginia is a nonprofit organization that partners with private landowners who voluntarily protect and preserve properties with significant historic, scenic, or ecological value. LTV has worked with 225 families, conserving a total of 27,651 acres in 26 counties in Virginia. While LTV charges landowners for their services, the fees charged only cover about 28% of LTV’s actual costs so fundraising is essential to our mission.