Three Ponds Estate

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$1,100,000

315 Acres

Home & Land

East Orange, Orange County, VT

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Property Details

Location: East Orange, Orange County, VT

Price: $1,100,000

Acres: 315

Type: Home & Land

Introduction

This private high elevation property includes 315 GL acres of mature forest land and several structures, including a farmhouse built circa 1810, two large barns dated pre-Civil War, a separate two bedroom cottage, two partially finished cabins, a sugarhouse and a small greenhouse. A large majority of the trees on the forested acres are northern hardwood species, including plenty of sugar maples. There are three stream and spring-fed ponds with a population of native brook trout located near the buildings. The house and outbuildings are at 1,700 ft above sea level, and the height of the land runs to 2,000 ft. The land is in Current Use, with 8 acres of land excluded from the program, offering options for a true family compound.

Location

Three Ponds Estate is on Fish Pond Road on the east side of the Knox Mountain Range, and is separated from the 26,000-acre Groton State Forest by VT Route 302. The town of Orange, VT has a population of around 1,000 people and was first settled around 1793, making the farmhouse on the estate one of the oldest houses in town. The area is known for outstanding natural beauty with large tracts of undeveloped land to the northeast. Montpelier, VT is 24 miles away, so although the property is private, it’s not far from major towns with many amenities available. Boston, MA is only a 2:45 minute drive to the southeast, while NYC is 5:30 minutes to the southwest. Hartford, CT is 3 hours south, and Burlington, VT is just over an hour northwest.

Access

Do not rely on GPS for directions to this property. Three Ponds Estate is located in East Orange, VT on Fish Pond Road. From Route 25, take East Orange Road to Fish Pond Road. Turn right onto Fish Pond Road at the church and travel up the road for around 2 miles. The road dead ends and becomes a Class IV road at the farmhouse and barn location. There is no sign, but the address is 257 Fish Pond Road as noted on the mailbox.

Shown by appointment only, call today to find out more.

Site Description

The property contains a wide variety of natural resources including about 290 acres of mature private forest land with open woods roads and trails throughout the parcel. The estate land which is found on both sides of Fish Pond Road, is part of an area of land that was settled around the 1840s for farming and abandoned by the 1920s. There are many stone walls to be found inside the forest which are left over from its farming past. All of the water flowing from this property heads south and east via a series of tributaries into the Waits River. The entire parcel has been mapped by the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife as year-round habitat important to black bear. Along with bear, there will be white-tailed deer, moose, bald eagles, turkeys and smaller native wildlife found in the forest and fields of the property.

The ponds found on the property are fed from streams and springs in the forest. This cool water habitat is the perfect home to naturally spawning eastern brook trout. The ponds are large enough with open banks to support some relaxing fly fishing from shore. These ponds would also offer a nice way to cool off during the hotter days of the year, and they provide habitat for many species of waterfowl, shore birds and small turtles.

The large amount of sugar maples in the forest, combined with the sugar house, could support a sugarbush operation with the potential for 6,000-8,000 taps. The current owners have tapped 200-300 trees in the past, and had a hobby sugaring operation. This a rare and unique property, with endless potential and outdoor activities to be found right outside your front door.

Site Attributes

Notable to the property is its significant mountain ridgeline which includes seven peaks and associated saddles, together forming an oxbow with the ponds, meadows and the homestead at its center. This unique landscape offers scenic vistas to the land’s surrounding ridgelines, immense privacy, and a watershed that feeds the ponds entirely within the property. The ownership has developed an extensive trail network which is mowed annually, allowing for easy walking through the woods and onto the ridgelines and peaks.

Timber

Special to the land is its highly scenic, perfectly managed timber resource, including an exceptional, large sugar maple stand with its nearly 100-year-old trees and park-like aesthetics. This area of the forest has developed trails, and leads to the southern, western and northern ridgeline. All the forest stands are highly stocked with maturing trees of high value, a resource that will provide a source of endless enjoyment and financial dividends during each thinning cycle.

House / Buildings

The Farmhouse was built in 1810, and is one of the oldest structures in town. It has been restored with many of the original architectural details intact. The house has approximately 3,200 square feet of living space including 3 bedrooms, a study or office, 2-1/2 baths, 2 wood stoves, 2 porches, a deck, mud room and family room. Both of the large barns were restored in 2000 and feature pegged joints and hand hewn beams, indicating that they were built prior to the Civil War. There is also a new garage built in 2004 that is 24’ x 24’ next to the house.

The Pond Cottage is approximately 1,200 square feet with 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom, an open plan living room and dining room, kitchen, 2 decks and a woodstove. There is direct frontage on the third pond with a beach area next to the cottage. Two guest cabins are located next to the first pond but are separated from each other. They were rough finished with an installed septic system, and rough wired and rough plumbed. There are stoves and refrigerators, plumbing fixtures, and spiral stairways and some building materials located in a barn ready to be installed. This is an amazing opportunity for extra family housing or vacation rentals that only need some finishing work to be ready to use. There is a sugarhouse with an arch that could use some remodeling to bring it back to life, as it hasn’t seen much use recently. To support the sugarhouse, there are between 6,000 and 8,000 potential taps in the forest. Next to the main house is also a small hot house/greenhouse for gardening endeavors.

Parcel Map

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