Conservation Easement Executed: November 2001,
Location: Crestwood, Kentucky, Oldham County,
Size: 175 acres
The Cedar Hill Farm, one of the oldest farms in Oldham County, has been permanently conserved with a River Fields conservation easement since 2001. The house was built around 1830 and is one of the earliest brick structures in the county, and the springhouse is one of the oldest stone structures surviving in the county. These buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and the Kentucky Heritage Council co-holds the conservation and preservation easement with River Fields to ensure these important historic structures survive for future generations.
William Hoke Camp and his late wife Edith F. Camp donated the easement to protect this important farm in 2001, selecting the partnership of River Fields and KHC to ensure the property’s resources are protected forever. The easement donation represents a very generous act that gave up much of the property’s development rights to protect the property from being lost to residential development that is increasing in the region. In the decades since that generous donation, River Fields, the Camp family, and KHC have cooperated to protect the entire 175 acres of the property and its unique cultural landscape.
The property features a picturesque oak-lined driveway leading to the historic homesite, and an extensive wooded riparian area along a tributary to Harrods Creek. Several ponds also provide habitat, in addition to the woodlands and open fields on the farm. Corn and soybeans are grown on the agricultural fields and horses graze pastures around the bucolic farmstead with large barn. In recent years, the owners have allowed members of a local recreation group use an equestrian trail on the property, allowing more people to experience this treasured landscape. All of the resources on this diverse property are conserved forever, thanks to River Fields and thanks to your support which makes all of our work possible.
