1907 US 70 W. / FORREST FARM

In December 1922 Stephen Carl Forrest purchased this property (deed book 81, page 125). The Forrest family used this property as a retreat. An earlier house (demolished) may also have served as a rental.

In the mid-1920s the Forrests built a log house on the property as a secondary residence and for recreational use "that displays the rustic aesthetic popularized in the 1920s and 1930s by the National Park Service and later New Deal construction in national park construction."

The Forrests and four of their adult children continued to live in the same household in Efland through 1940. None worked in agriculture, although the barns on their rural property were rented out to house various livestock.

With the passing of Stephen Carl (in 1951) and Carrie (in 1978), their holdings were divided among the children, and S.C., Jr. and his wife Ida inherited the parcel with the log house and agricultural outbuildings. With S.C., Jr.’s passing, Ida split up the property among their children. In 1985 Ida granted the Forrest Farm property to their son, Richard, and his wife Betsy; they continue to own the property. During this period the log house was renovated, including the reconstruction of the front porch. In the 2010s the owners constructed a new primary residencenorth up the drive from the house and barns; the log house is currently a rental.

Circa 1925 log house, view north east

Circa 1925 log house, view west

Circa 1925 log house, view south east

Circa 1935 livestock/dairy barn and circa 1940 concrete silo, view north west

Circa 1955 secondary barn, view west

Circa 1935 shed and chicken coop, view north

OR3173, Forrest Farm site plan

Most of the above information and all the photos/images are from:

Mead & Hunt. Historic Architectural Resources Survey Report, Replacement of Bridge No. 32 on U.S. Highway 70 over the Eno River, Orange County, North Carolina. TIP No. BR-0091, WBS No. 67091.11, PA No. 18-09-0064. Report prepared for North Carolina Department of Transportation, July 2019.

The report is available online at: files.nc.gov/ncdcr/historic-preservation-office/PDFs/ER_19-2358.pdf