It had been for sale for six years. A calendar on a bedroom wall was from the 1960’s. Wildlife had moved in. Squirrels had filled the kitchen cupboards, so pecans poured down when you opened a door. It was a decaying, moldering time capsule, filled with the detritus of the same family since 1790, but old house renovator Marianne Yost wanted it. “I wasn’t looking, but when I saw it, I knew I was meant to have it.”
Set on a hilltop to catch the rare breeze, most of its land had been sold off but for 100 acres with ramshackle buildings covered by a jungle, relics of a long-ago way of life. But the farmhouse walls were still straight, built of indestructible old heart of pine. It had a septic, a well, and one functioning electric outlet. She bought it, moved in, and got to work. She took showers under a hose on the back porch before there was a bathroom. “It was like camping. It was fun and how I bonded with the house.” Her friends thought she was crazy. Maybe.
But the friends fueled her, stopping by to pick up a paintbrush, bringing homemade ice tea, or putting their back into pulling off tacky aluminum siding.
Three years of hard labor has revealed a stylish home she now enjoys sharing with others. “Hospitality is in my DNA. After all the hard work, it’s gratifying to share Whisper Farm with others. The dinner parties on the front porch have become legendary.” Yost also offers overnight accommodations in the farmhouse for a few lucky guests traveling with their horses. Guests enjoy perusing Yost’s fascinating collection of rare books and art. Outside, there are scenic walking and riding trails. “There are now 80 hydrangeas and 50 encore azaleas overlooking the valley. Spring and summer should be gorgeous!””
Whisper Farm is Yost’s 20th house.
“There’s enough land and projects here to have fun for the rest of my life. Finally, I think I've found my forever home.”
