The Spradlin Farmhouse

In the spring of 2006 the "Old Spradlin Place" as the farm is known locally was purchased by Thom and Tim Bogle. Tim relocated from Florida, where the brothers grew up, and moved into a home on the property. Immediately the brothers began major work restoring the decade's old farmhouse. Hundreds of tons of brush were cut down and thousands of man hours were expended clearing and cleaning up the surrounding acreage. Over 20 industrial size dumpsters of rubbish, rusted machinery, vehicle parts, fencing and junk were hauled away.

The old farmhouse, which is over 100 years old, was completely renovated in the first six months of the new owners taking possession. The original heart-pine floor joists and 1X4 heart-pine lumber on the interior walls, ceilings and floors was restored and retained wherever possible. Decades of layered paint on the exterior clapboard siding were scraped away over a 4 week period with 3 men working 8 hours days. The exterior was caulked and painted. The windows were replaced with new energy efficient windows. The entire house was insulated with R-14 insulation, and new heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems were installed. The entire electrical and plumbing systems were replaced with modern materials.

Structurally, few changes were made. The original kitchen was expanded and a new bay window overlooking the vegetable garden was installed in the north wall. Additionally, the original wall dividing the two rooms on the north side of the house was removed which exposed one of the 4 working fireplaces and created a large dining and living area. The kitchen has all new stone counters and modern appliances as well as a new pantry and laundry room.

Property Entrance and Public Access

Based upon a conceptual design by landscape architect Robert Mitchell, the entire front entrance and road system was reconfigured to create a gentler, pleasing approach and entrance to the property. The entrance, which was originally a straight drive cut through a barbed-wire fence, was completely reworked to include stone walls and both a vehicular and pedestrian gate accented by a grove of River Birch trees which are native to the property.

The original, flat appearance of the property and the single 'bowling alley' entry road has been entirely reconfigured with winding driveways, circular turnarounds and the creation of grass-covered earthen domes. Hardened clay roads have been converted to neatly maintained gravel drives. The road system was designed without sharp turns and was instead built around earthen domes which were created to add interest to the surrounding view.
To create these features, hundreds of truckloads of fill dirt were trucked in creating gently rolling contours in the elevation of the property. Numerous tons of boulders, found on the property were relocated to the front entrance and to create stone walls around the entrance and the farmhouse. These newly created outdoor rooms provide various places for residents and guests to gather, reflect and view the abundance of wildlife, trees and flowers.

Pond and Wetland Areas

Down the hill from the property's entrance lies a pond which was constructed by the WPA during the depression. The original pond was in the shape of a triangle with the longest side being the earthen dam---a hundred yard straight edge along the water. Based on architect Mitchell's design, the pond's shore has been reconfigured to create gentle, rounding curves and eliminating the long stretches of boring roadways. The elevation of the dam has been lowered and the edges of the primary pond have bee re-graded. The gentle slopes are being planted with water loving trees, plants and native shrubs.

Below the main pond were two smaller ponds. These areas, barely able to be seen in early 2006, have now been built into a single pond and a new dam has been constructed to retain the spring-fed water. The access road from the front of the property has now been reconfigured so that the approach by foot or vehicle to the rear of the property now includes a panoramic view of both ponds including 150 year old water oak trees. These ponds are spring-fed and are supplemented by some run off rain water from the surrounding pasture areas.

Along the western border of the property, behind the Three Sisters Cabins area, are 3 small springs which gently wind along the ground and converge into a small creek. This area, around the small, spring-fed streams, has been cleared of brush, briars and fallen trees to reveal an amazing natural growth of native ferns and grasses. This wonderfully natural park setting is rich with native bamboo, river birches, frogs, water oaks, sweet gums, salamanders and fresh water crayfish.