The Beckett Farm is an outstanding property in a very special part of Monroe County WV. The farm offers spectacular long range views and is just a few minutes walk to Second Creek where fly fisher's have public access to a stretch of excellent trout fishing.
Several homesites are available with easy access and spectacular views.
The charming village of Union, which is the Monroe County seat, is just a 10 minute drive. Banking, healthcare facilities, drugstore, grocery shopping and great restaurants are readily available. Some of the friendliest people in West Virginia can be found in Monroe County. Monroe County has a population of about 13,000 residents and does not have a stoplight and has more cattle and sheep than people.
The Greenbrier County Airport, which has WV's longest runway, is located just 30 minutes away and has daily flights to Atlanta and Cleveland. The world famous Greenbrier Resort is about 30 minutes drive and Snowshoe Ski Resort is about 2 hours drive.
Well know amongst caving enthusiasts throughout the country, Crowder Cave is located on the property and contains the largest flowstone formation in the state along with many centuries old stalactites and stalagmites.
The farm is well suited for raising horses and cattle and is already fully fenced and cross fenced with excellent watering facilities. The boundary has been limed and fertilized on a regular basis and is capable of supporting an unusually high number of cattle during the grazing season. There is also a well kept barn in place.
LOCATION
The Beckett Farm is located in Monroe County, West Virginia, about 10 minutes north of the historic village of Union (county seat).
Google Coordinates are:
Latitude 037.6819565 N
Longitude 080.5011605 W
Elevation ranges from 1885' to 2152'
AGRICULTURAL RESOURCES
The Beckett Farm contains approximately 219 beautiful acres of rolling agricultural land. Cattle graze on seasonal grasses in the pastures. About 10 acres of the land is fenced for row crop production.
The pastures are fenced and cross fenced and the fencing is considered very good to excellent. Water for the livestock is provided by a well located on the adjoining farm and is pumped to a shared watering trough in the line fence.
There is a small spring fed pond on the northeastern portion of the farm. A seasonal stream is located on the southeastern property line.
Monroe County ranks 3rd out of 55 counties in WV for the production of beef and first in the production of sheep. The Beckett farm is considered to be one of the county's best grazing boundaries.
A large, well maintained pole barn is located by the roadside and will convey with the property. The water source for the barn is from the adjoining property and a new written agreement will be drawn up to assure that water will be available to the barn.
FOREST RESOURCES
The Beckett Farm, for the most part, has been cleared and is currently utilized for grazing livestock grazing and some row crop production.. However, several Heritage Trees can be found scattered throughout the boundary. These ancient trees, some 200-300 years old, have withstood the test of time, weathering ice, wind, lightning strikes, fire and of course&.woodpeckers. One extremely large American Sycamore (Platanus Occidentalis) growing by the creek has a circumference of over 180 inches (5 feet in diameter).
Some of the species found on the property are Black Walnut, White Oak, Tulip Poplar, Red Oak, Sugar Maple, Hickory, Sycamore and Mountain Ash. No forest pests such as Gypsy Moth or Emerald Ash Borer have been found on the property.
Some areas of the farm that were once cleared for pasture have been abandoned for agricultural use and are evolving into a well stocked hardwood forest that will be ready for harvest in the next 20-25 years.
The farm is home to a wide array of wildlife which includes a variety of song birds, owls, hawks, woodpeckers, ravens and wild turkeys. White tailed deer, raccoon, opossums, rabbits, chipmunks, coyotes and bobcats may be found on a stroll across the boundary.
MINERALS RESOURCES
The Oil and Gas rights have been leased to Northeast Energy Resources. All mineral rights the sellers may own will transfers to the purchaser at closing. All prospective purchasers are encouraged to have an attorney do a title search prior to purchasing.
The Marcellus Shale underlies the property at a depth of 5000'+ and oil and gas companies are actively leasing for the natural gas in the area. The east coast Marcellus Shale Region is thought to contain enough natural gas to power the United States for over 100 years. The horizontal drilling technology necessary to reach the mile deep shale strata has rapidly evolved and drilling in the Marcellus strata is a reality in WV.
There are no known coal reserves underlying the property.
TAXES AND DEED INFORMATION
The property is assessed as 219.25 acres in the name of James Dale and Carol M. Beckett. There is a small lot on the southwestern boundary, containing about 1/4 acre and mobile home, is not being conveyed at this time. However, the seller is willing to grant the purchaser first rights of refusal upon sellers decision to sell the lot. This lot is surrounded by a board fence and is adjacent to the pole barn.
2 tax parcels located in Second Creek District(#4) , on Tax Map 10, parcels 10 and 12 consisting of 44.5 acres and 174.75 acres, respectively.
Taxes for 2009 were assessed as Class II property in the amount of $2,104.97. Tax information may be found online at www.MonroeCountyWV.net .
The deed is recorded in the Monroe County Courthouse, Union, WV in Deed Book 256, page 519.
ZONING
There is currently no county zoning in this area of Monroe County. All prospective purchasers are encouraged to contact the Monroe County Health Department for answers regarding installation of septic systems and water wells. Further information on county zoning may be answered by contacting the county commissioners at www.MonroeCountyWV.net .
ULTILITIES
There is electric and phone service on the property. Public water, sewer or cable is not available at this time.
Water may be provided by drilled well or spring. Sewer would be provided by installing a county approved septic system.
Satellite providers such as HughesNet provide high speed internet service. Television reception may be provided by either DirectTV or DishNetwork.
Cell phone coverage is adequate in most places on the property.
Weekly trash pick up, daily newspaper and daily mail delivery is available at roadside. UPS and FedX service this area also.
ACCESS AND BOUNDARIES
The property does not have a recent survey and the property is being sold by the boundary, not by the acre. The owners do not know of any encroachments or disputes regarding the property lines. The entire boundary is under fence.
Access to the property is excellent and is served by a year round, state maintained paved highway and also a state maintained gravel road. The property fronts on these roads for 1.5 miles. Public school buses run daily when school is in session.
CROWDER CAVE
The Beckett Farm is home to one of the premier caves in WV, known locally as Crowder Cave. The entrance to this fantastic cave is surrounded by a grove of trees and is 60' deep, 125' long and 75' wide, forming one of the largest cave entrances in the state. Once inside, there is a large flowstone formation 10' in diameter and it stretches an amazing 60' to the ceiling. The average growth rate of these flowstones and stalactites is around 5 inches every 1000 years!
At the end of the 180' long main chamber, the cave abruptly turns due south and forms a spectacular gallery that is 45' wide and 75' high. This is where a huge brightly colored, flowstone Altar is found, which is the largest of its kind in a WV cave. Stalactites, columns and large flowstone draperies (one in the form of a huge chandelier), decorate the walls and ceiling.
Ice has been collected from the cave by local residents as late as the last as July from under rocks at the north end of the cave. During the Civil War, Confederate troops removed the saltpeter deposits to manufacture gunpowder.
This is a very special area of the farm and members of the WV Cave Conservancy (WVCC), www.WVCC.net , have been actively visiting the cave since the early 1970's, when they surveyed and mapped the caves' passageways and recorded its very unique mineral formations.
WVCC is a wonderful organization made up of volunteers dedicated to the preservation of caves and their environs. It is a non-profit corporation whose mission is to preserve and maintain access to the cave and karsts resources of West Virginia and Virginia for future generations. WVCC also provides education to landowners, local governments, developers, and the general public on the value of cave and karst resources.
Please visit www.WVCC.net for more information relating to cave conservation.
Google Coordinates for the cave are: 037.6834045 N 080.4996486 W
SURROUNDING ATTRACTIONS
MORGAN ORCHARD Just across the road from the property. www.morganorchardwv.com
STATE FAIR OF WV www.StateFairofWV.org
STATE PARKS, HIKING AND CAMPING www.wvstateparks.com www.nps.gov/neri/ind
Beckett Farm - Topographical Map ›