Chattahoochee, FL 32324 - Gadsden County

The Rowan Homestead is approximately 228 acres in western Gadsden County, Florida that has been in the Rowan family for generations. Remnants of the original log home and outbuildings remain on site, as does evidence of the familys use of an adjacent spring for water. Tales of farming the old fields by hand and mule abounded when Jim Rowan spun his stories to all who would listen when he and Ruth returned to the property in their retirement years. Jim was a Methodist minister and lover of the land, and Ruth was his devoted wife, mother of their children, and Queen of Patience with Jim. Jim restored the old family home to livable condition (Jims definition) and later worked with a contractor to construct a modern log home. Both remain on the property, although repairs are needed to both.

The property supports a variety of stands of timber that have substantial commercial value and that weave a highly diverse web of plant and wildlife habitat. There are approximately 58 acres of bottomland and slope hardwoods including at least six springs and Steep head ravines. These rare sites are living mini ecosystems unto themselves, offering opportunities for rare plants to flourish and for animals and humans to seek solace. The upland acres support approximately 57 acres of longleaf and wiregrass, approximately 28 acres of mixed pine and hardwoods, approximately 72 acres of loblolly pines planted in 1994, and approximately 8 acres of slash pines planted in 1980. The upland timber has been managed with fire and selective cuttings through the years and continues to offer opportunities for periodic income while supporting fantastic wildlife habitat.

The property is remote and accessed by private, all-weather dirt road from a public highway, but sits only seven miles from Chattahoochee to the north, seven miles from Greensboro to the southeast, and four miles from the Chattahoochee Interstate 10 interchange. Nearby are Lake Seminole, the Apalachicola River, Torreya State Park, Three Rivers State Park, Lake Talquin, and the Gulf of Mexico is less than an hour and half drive south.