This feels pretty out there, for America in 2015. The couple that owned Plum Hill, the South Carolina farm where that famous moss-draped oak tree from Forrest Gump is found, has gifted the land to their seven children and put it under a conservation easement, meaning that only seven residences can be built. Though the entirety of Plum Hill has been ballparked at around $6M, if any sibling wants to release their share, they have to sell it to a family member.
So says a recent Wall Street Journal piece on the property, which paints an interesting picture (with some pretty gorgeous photos) of a modern family trying to keep a historic property in their own hands. Which isn't always easy, money-wise:
Over time, the Gregories made gifts of the land to their seven children, creating equitable shares. Dr. Kulze oversees the complex task of collecting different levels of dues from family members, depending on how they use the property. It costs between $60,000 and $70,000 a year to pay for taxes and maintenance, Dr. Kulze said. Some family tension is inevitable when sums of money, partial ownership and conflicting needs collide, but it has never reached full Southern Gothic levels, she joked. Anyway. Go. Look. Read. Now.