Beautiful 40 acre homestead with cob cottage for sale in western NC!

Hello everyone,

After four years stewarding our beautiful land, my husband and I have decided to make a big move. We love our property so much, but it's time for a change in our lives. We really want the land to go to an individual, group, or family who will truly love and cherish it as we have done! It's a rare and precious piece of heaven, with everything needed for a rich life in the country.

Our land, Earthsong, is a 40 acre parcel that lies on the edges of Cherokee County, NC, at the point where the states of GA, NC, and TN meet. It is approximately 40 minutes from the town of Murphy, NC, with the world-renowned John C. Campbell Folk School. It is also 20 minutes from the town of McCaysville, GA, and 35 minutes from the large and popular town of Blue Ridge, GA. It is a 1.5 hour drive to Chattanooga, TN, and 2.5 hour drive to Atlanta, GA. We are in a very quiet, private setting with few neighbors and total peace and stillness at night. We enjoy very little light pollution and almost no noise pollution. We are close to the Cherokee National Forest and to many gorgeous hikes and river experiences.

Our 40 acre parcel consists of a ring of 25 acres of diverse native woodland surrounding an inner open pasture area of 15 acres. The land is not flat but gently rolling, with a wonderful dynamism to it. The pasture is of excellent quality, being maintained mostly in fescue and through minimal rotational grazing since we bought the land four years ago. There is a large human-made pond in the center of the pasture, and the forest is rife with creeks and natural springs. The central pasture is bounded by two creeks on either side.

We grew a large organic, no-till market garden here and found the pasture land to be of incredible fertility. Our vegetable grew rapidly and to great size! The land has been kept free of chemicals since we took over ownership, and we have taken great care to protect the wildlife and the nature corridors along the streams that support a plethora of butterflies, bees, wasps, and moths. Our land is home to foxes, several species of turtles, a dizzying array of native pollinators, frogs, toads, armadillos, song birds, hawks, turkey vultures, and many more small mammals and reptiles I will not name. From May through August we have an astounding firefly show! We have kept the grass fairly long and refrained from mowing or tilling so as to support this vibrant insect life to thrive.

Over the past four years we have worked very hard to improve the infrastructure on the land. We have installed a well that now produces clean, delicious water, and we have the following structures on the land: 2 insulated off grid tiny wood cabins, 2 large army-style canvas wall tents on wooden platforms, 1 earthen-plastered and insulated Community Building complete with kitchen, living room, wood stove, and bathroom with washer/dryer, bathtub, and toilet, 1 large garage, 1 small storage shed, 1 beautiful kept 8 stall horse barn, 1 totally gorgeous off grid Cob Cottage with earthen floor and all accompanying artistic sculptures, glass bottles, etc., 1 covered outdoor cob kitchen with rocket mass stove and oven, 1 high-heat, Italian style wood-fired pizza oven, and 1 large open-floor plan house with all the expected amenities. The large house is set up to easily accommodate 3 bedrooms, all it would need is to put up a couple wooden walls to separate the spaces and enclose the rooms for privacy.

The Cob Cottage is truly the gem of all the structures on the land, and is the building in which we have slept for the past two years. In 2023, my husband and I hosted a cob building workshop at Earthsong, and the cottage was the outcome of that wonderful project. Built from the ground up by loving human hands, it incorporates beautiful sculptures of native animals, a roundwood reciprocal roof built from trees from our land, a living roof, a gorgeous rocket mass heater, a naturally waxed earthen floor, and big windows from which you view the pasture and can see the sunset each evening. It is off grid, so we have used it primarily as our bedroom. But it could easily be used as an artist studio, yoga studio, healing space, or even a full time living space for an individual or a couple if you made some adjustments.

The pizza oven is also a real standout feature! My dad, a life-long stone sculptor and landscape designer, built this large, beautiful oven as a wedding gift this past year. It is his own design he has developed over the years, and is able to cook a pizza in 30 seconds-1 minute when at peak heat. We have had numerous pizza parties with it which have been such a joy! It can also be used to cook meat, veggies, dry herbs, and bake bread.

Our deepest wish is to find a buyer/buyers for this land who are excited about all this unique place has to offer, and who share our values for caring for the natural world with love. We are looking to sell for $650,000 if you are willing to work without a realtor. With our realtor, it will go on the market at $700,000. We intend to put the listing up in April 2025, so we would love to hear from anyone before then who might want to buy at the reduced price. The realtor fees in NC are high, so the price difference accounts for that. We are also very open to doing owner-financing, which would enable a buyer to close the deal with a smaller payment with an agreement about ongoing payments moving forward until the full amount is paid.

Please reach out to me if this speaks to you! If you are dreaming of a vibrant homestead with gardens and livestock, of a peaceful setting surrounded by nature, or if you are a fan of natural building and have been dreaming of having your own cob cottage, Earthsong might be the right home for you.

Contact: Molly.winslowhanson@gmail.com