On a quiet farm in Anderson County, generations of the Smith family have tended the land and watched the seasons change, year after year. For Mrs. Betty Smith and her daughter, Barbara, the property is more than just acreage to farm. It is brimming with life − fireflies and fish, deer and raccoons. It’s a place where birdsongs still echo just as they did decades ago.

Betty Smith and her husband Paul purchased this property from the prominent Hollingsworth family in the 1960s while living nearby in Clinton, with big dreams about owning a farm close by to work and play on. They never did move to the farm or have a large agriculture operation, but the property’s rolling hills have seen many generations of cows, calves, and critters cross the expansive pastures. A few curious young explorers have also been attracted to the woodlands, natural spring, creeks, and flowers; they’re an idyllic way to spend a summer day.

Betty reached out to FLC with a simple but powerful goal − ensure that the farm stays just the way it is, now and forever. Through a voluntary conservation easement, the Smith family placed permanent protections on their property in the Cane Creek area. Now, the property will remain just as it is − a place of peace, memory, and rural beauty − for generations to come. Only one single-family house can ever be built on this peaceful 100+ acres, along with a provision for two barns. It will never be subdivided, paved over, or cleared for commercial use. The Smiths even took measures to ensure no trees would ever be cut unless they were dying or diseased.

FLC will monitor the property at least once annually to ensure there are no stewardship issues, such as trespassing, unauthorized forestry activities, or environmental concerns. In this corner of ever-growing Anderson County, cattle will continue to roam the pastures, and a piece of the Smith family’s natural history and heritage will be preserved, forever.