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Five More Properties Protected By Upstate ForeverUpstate Forever is honored to have received five new conservation easements since our last newsletter. Following are descriptions of each of these important properties:
Fall Creek on the Chattooga Ridge is making history: it is the first-ever easement recorded in Oconee County! This tract also set a statewide precedent for using South Carolina Conservation Bank funding to leverage private conservation efforts. The Conservation Bank funded 25% of the easement, and the property owners donated the rest. The easement covers 94 acres of stunning riparian forest habitat. Fall Creek, a significant tributary of the Chattooga, a National Wild and Scenic River, runs through the property, which also borders the Sumter National Forest. In addition to its ecological value, this tract includes the historic Fall Creek Mill (see cover photo).
Berry’s Mill is another site with both environmental and historic significance. This beautiful site in northern Greenville County contains the foundation of a textile mill that was established in 1820, making it one of the first textile manufacturing operations in South Carolina. Its 27-acre mill pond is over 100 years old, and upstream are over 20 acres of wetlands that provide valuable habitat for wildlife. Beaverdam Creek, which flows through the property, is a tributary to the Middle Tyger River, one of the principal sources of the water supply in western Spartanburg County. SJWD Water District acquired the property from Ladson and Carl Berry, direct descendants of the original owner, and then granted a conservation easement to Upstate Forever to ensure preservation of the site, which is an important part of the watershed that supplies drinking water to SJWD’s customers. This is only the second easement by a government entity in the Upstate.
Built in 1790, the Blythe-Goodwin-Hagood House in northern Greenville County is one of the finest surviving examples of early architecture in the foothills and mountain regions of the South. From 1840 until 1900, the house served as the midway stage stop for travelers on the old road between Greenville and Asheville. The House has been nominated for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places. The adjacent red building served as an area post office and store for travelers well into the 20th century. Upstate Forever applied for and received a grant from the South Carolina Conservation Bank to purchase a conservation easement on the 11-acre site, including the house and other structures.
The 500-acre Burban Creek property was placed under protection by the Burban Creek Plantation Homeowners Association. Located near Tigerville in northern Greenville County, the site possesses special natural beauty, a variety of flora, valuable habitat for wildlife, and several significant streams. The Broad River II Tract in Union county consists of 220 acres of significant wildlife habitat owned by Broad River Plantation, LLC, which also owns a neighboring property protected by Upstate Forever.
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