Beaver Dam Farms

marketed exclusively by

Bob Glascock

Sister Hood

404-495-8293 direct 404-233-4142 office bob.glascock@harrynorman.com

404-401-1163 direct 404-261-2700 office sister.hood@harrynorman.com

Buckhead Office-532 East Paces Ferry Road, Atlanta, GA 30305, www.harrynorman.com Betsy Franks-Broker. The above information is believed to be accurate but not warranted. Offer subject to errors, changes, omissions, prior sales and withdrawals without notice.

Be ave r Dam Far m s 3085 Smithonia Road | COLBERT, GA 30628

Quietly tucked away in the rolling foothills of Athens Georgia lies a rare and beautiful. Beaver Dam Farms, the ultimate retreat for family, friends, and associates.

Think Augusta National, yet private and exclusive.

Originally designed by Kenny Rogers as a personal estate and getaway for family and friends.

Beaver Dam Farms is an ideal place to step back from the stresses of the daily grind and take time to think, refocus, review, evaluate, set new goals, and plan for the future. Enjoy the comfortable accommodations, championship golf course, clay tennis courts, swimming pool, equestrian facility, lakes, gardens, and more.

We invite you to enjoy the tranquility of this beautiful Georgia resort with its acres and acres of manicured grass, beautiful waterfalls, shimmering lakes, and stunning landscaping.

It is with great pride that we welcome you to Beaver Dam Farms.

Music L eg end Ken ny Ro ge rs’ Former Estate

The home, personally designed and decorated

by Rogers, is listed with exclusive Affiliate Harry Norman, REALTORSÂŽ in Atlanta, Georgia.

Beaver Dam Farms features a 12,000 square foot main home, five guest villas, an equestrian facility, lake pavillion, barns, two swimming pools, and clay tennis courts. But the focal point of the property is the 6,285-yard, 18-hole executive golf course. Rogers took pride in the creation of the golf course, designing it based on the courses he visited during his travels. It has been played on by golf greats like Payne Stewart, Lanny Wadkins and Ray Floyd.

Pr ivate Ge orgi a Golf Course

The centerpiece of this remarkable resort is a scenic eighteen-hole executive championship golf course.

Weaving its way through lakes, waterfalls, and pools with sparkling jet sprays, this challenging Georgia golf course is enriched by hundreds of flowering trees, evergreens, and dozens of varieties of gorgeous shrubs, annuals, and perennials. Each hole is perfectly situated to the gently rolling terrain and linked by a system of natural pebble surfaced cart paths and handsomely crafted wood bridges. We are proud to have been compared to renowned Augusta Nationals.

But don’t let the good looks fool you - this golf course is no cakewalk. It is officially rated by the Georgia State Golf Association and chalks up impressive numbers. These include a White Tee Yardage Rating of 68.4, a 124 Slope Rating, and 6,285 Total Yards.

Among golfing greats who have played the course are Payne Stewart, Lanny Wadkins, and Ray Floyd.

Celebrity visitors include Michael Jordan, Kenny Rogers, Larry Bird, and Herschel Walker.

Acc om mo dation s

The 12,000 sq.ft main house is luxuriously appointed and finished with beautiful tile and carpet flooring, each room features its own character and unique theme. All rooms are equiped with high speed Internet access. Residence ccupancy of approximately 50 lodging guests.

Six guest cottages are scattered among lush gardens, ponds, and trickling water falls. The stunning beauty of this location offers breathtaking views from every guest accommodation.

Eq uestri an Faci li ty

Nestled among the pastures and forests of the estate lies a versatile 70,000 square foot multi-purpose arena. The facility was originally designed as a World class equestrian center providing stalls, turn outs, paddocks, pastures and a high-end indoor riding arena. This impressive resource has also been utilized as a conference center, special event location and concert venue. Possibilities are numerous as to the multi-use potentials that this unique facility provides to Beaver Dam Farms as either a private estate or commercial operation.

His tory of Sm i thson i a Smithonia was the home of James Monroe Smith, one of Georgia’s most successful and innovative farmers. Smith was born in 1839 in Wilkes County, the son of a middle-class farmer. He was an extremely intelligent and ambitious boy, who worked his way through Hiwassee College and studied law, but it was peddling and trading that gave him his start in the world. According to legend, a very prominent citizen suggested he should quit such a “contemptible” business as peddling and come to work for him. Smith retorted, “Some day my cow lot will be as big as your whole plantation.” Twenty years later, his prediction had come true.

In 1866, Smith and a partner borrowed money to purchase 1,000 acres of worn out farmland in northern Oglethorpe County. Hiring five men and working right alongside them in the fields, Jim Smith began farming in earnest. Within a year, he bought out his partner and became the sole owner of the farm. His farming methods improved the soil and produced record crop yields. He was constantly studying, experimenting, and improving his methods. People from all over the state came to see how he operated his farm. As his fortune multiplied, so did his acreage, giving rise to another local legend that quotes Smith as saying he would never rest satisfied until he “owned all the land that’s next to mine.”

Avocal advocate of diversified farming, Smith not only tilled the soil, but also raised 500 to 700 head of beef and dairy cattle. He was one of the first to use cotton seed hulls as cattle feed. When he had an oversupply of hulls, he burned them in furnaces to make power for running his machinery. Smith built a large brick warehouse on his plantation which could hold 4,000 bales so he could store his own and others’ cotton until the market price was at a peak.

In 1883, Smith built the first cotton seed oil mill in Oglethorpe County. By the 1890’s, he was operating the largest cotton gin in the state. A

guano factory was later added. In addition, the plantation boasted a grist mill, corn mill, woodworking shop, blacksmith shop, sawmills, planing mills, brick making operation, an enormous barn, numerous store houses, a hotel, a post office, hundreds of houses, and six schools. In 1900, the Atlanta Journal observed that, “Within the limits of his plantation he has established a little world of his own and it is seldom he goes to market to purchase even the common necessities of life.”

Smith built a railroad connecting Smithonia to Winterville and Comer. He also built a series of short run lines of two or three miles each running out in all directions from the depot at Smithonia to serve his factories and other plantation operations. On his lines, he ran two locomotives, a combination passenger and baggage car, seven boxcars, and three or four flat cars.

In all, Smith’s empire grew to encompass over 20,000 acres of land and approximately 500 buildings, one of the largest farms in the state. To keep all of this running, it is estimated that Smith employed between 1,000 to 3,000 wage hands, tenants and leased convicts.

Jim Smith did not devoted himself exclusively to his farming. He served in the State Legislature from 1874-1881 and was elected to the State Senate in 1884. He ran for Governor in 1906 but was severely criticized for his use of leased convicts to work his plantation and lost the election. Col. Smith returned to his plantation which he continued to run until his death in 1915, at the age of 76.

Smith, who never married or had children, left an estate worth several million dollars. Claimants, posing as relatives, came out of the woodwork and a lengthy court battle ensued. The bulk of the estate eventually went to a niece, who was beset by poor investments and a worsening economy. The money was soon dissipated and the land sold. By 1930, the once mighty Smith empire had crumbled.