Anderson family hopes Anderson Circle Farms auction will "put the land and homes in the hands of people who can enjoy it for generations"

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 8, 2011) -- Since 1967, Ralph G. Anderson and his family have persevered in a major quest to acquire and restore the remarkable historic estates that have become a part of the famous Anderson Circle Farms estate. But now, the properties are being prepared for a major auction, with Schrader Real Estate & Auction Company marketing the properties and conducting the sale.

"Anderson Circle Farms was my father's passion, but now that he's gone, we're not using it to its full potential. We got together as a family and decided that it would be better for us and for the Harrodsburg community to sell it at auction and put the land and homes in the hands of people who can enjoy the property for generations," said Candace Anderson McCaw, Ralph Anderson's daughter.

Schrader will auction the property in 54 tracts, permitting bidders to purchase the various estates that are part of Anderson Circle Farms, including the Walnut Hall Estate, the Chapline Estate, the Wildwood Estate and several others. Most of the properties are contiguous.
"Over the years, Mr. Anderson had acquired a number of magnificent estates, and he had engaged in extensive restoration of many of them. But his passion was equally in the land, which includes a great deal of productive pasture where he raised his Angus cattle around Harrodsburg, near Lexington. There are also 3,500 acres of very high quality, well managed tillable farmland," said Gene Klingaman, vice president of the auction company.

"The entire estate is some 5,529 acres, and while it's possible that someone might buy the entire property, I think we'll likely see more participation by individuals seeking homes and parts of the pasture, farmland and woodlands. For example, people will be able to bid on the Walnut Hall Estate with 40 acres, then they may want to bid on some of the land around it in individual tracts," said Klingaman.

Several of the restorations are described in the book, "Anderson's Legacy," which traces Anderson's career, including the remarkable story of Belcan, as well as the acquisition and preservation efforts that made up Anderson Circle Farms.

"Mr. Anderson was a true innovator, often using technology developed by Belcan to manage the property. For example, every building, road, gate, fence, utility line and meter was recorded and coded. And the land itself has benefited from sound practices such as limited chemical usage and no-till management to control erosion," said Klingaman.

Read More Auction Articles & News