‘We are really thrilled:’ Family donates 300+ acres to Foothills Conservancy

By Brittany Whitehead

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    MORGANTON, North Carolina (WLOS) — A Rutherford family has donated the first in a two-part gift of land to the Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina, which the family has lived on and enjoyed since 1978.

The donation of 222 acres, made official on June 29, lies in the Thermal City area of Rutherford County. David and Martha Cameron, with their son, Rob Messick, are making this gift to the conservancy, and the Camerons will bequeath the remainder of the land — 101 acres — in their estate, which includes two homeplaces.

The property includes several rare plants and unique features, like a van-sized balanced rock. The Camerons’ historical account of the property notes that the rock came down from Harris Mountain during the Great Flood of 1916 and landed on a small rock, where it still sits today.

The Cameron property is mostly underdeveloped forested land in a mountainous section of the county that borders private conservation lands, through which the Wilderness Gateway State Trail is planned to run. The headwaters of Cathey’s Creek also flow across the property and continue downstream.

The Camerons have many favorite spots and features on the property, and said they are ready to share it with the public, as they said conservation has always been their ideal outcome for the property. They call the home they built “The Treehouse.”

“One of my favorite parts of the property is that, upon turning a corner, as you come up the relatively flat driveway, there is a mountain right in our backyard,” said David. “We call it ‘The Foothill,’ like it’s our special piece of the region.”

It is the Camerons’ dream for their property to become a new public park — named Cameron Park in memory of David’s parents — and to be enjoyed by generations to come.

“We would love to see trails built across the property for people to explore,” David said. “We are really looking forward to sharing this land that we’ve loved for so many years.”

In 1978, David and Martha group-purchased the property with others who shared a similar desire to get out of the city and own land. As time passed, the land changed hands a few times, until the Camerons and another couple were the sole owners.

From there, they divided the land into two parcels — with the Camerons keeping approximately 100 acres and the old homeplace, which was built in 1852 (before the Civil War) and upgraded over the years. After 20 years, the Camerons built a new house and the other couple decided to sell their plot. The Camerons bought the remaining acreage back and have been the sole landowners since.

“For us, it seemed logical to give our land to the conservancy,” David said. “We’ve known about the organization for a long time. Rob has been good friends with Land Protection Director Tom Kenney for many years. We are really thrilled with the way this has all worked out.”

Rob Messick is an old growth forest researcher and currently resides in the old house on the property. David is an exhibit specialist for KidSenses Interactive Children’s Museum in Rutherfordton, and Martha is a recently retired massage therapist.

“Foothills Conservancy greatly appreciates these generous property donations from David, Martha and Rob,” Kenney said. “It is a tremendous legacy that they will make by the permanent conservation of their ecologically significant lands.”

Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina is a nationally accredited regional land trust that inspires conservation in Western North Carolina by permanently protecting land and water for the benefit of people and all living things. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Foothills Conservancy serves eight counties: Alexander, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Cleveland, Lincoln, McDowell, and Rutherford, in three major river basins: the Broad, Catawba, and Yadkin. Information about Foothills Conservancy, including ways to support its work, can be found online at foothillsconservancy.org or by calling 828-437-9930.

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