Unique Bedford County farm house saved from demolition – Lynchburg News and Advance

Upstairs, bedrooms radiate under the eaves from a large central hall, each room interconnected with closets. One bedroom was converted to a bathroom.

The house also features a hidden room, just three feet wide and six feet long. Inside the room, the couple found a packet of love letters, tied with a tattered pink ribbon, dating from 1887 to 1891.

The origin of these letters is unknown, the application reads. According to the names on the letters, they do not appear to have been written or received by anyone known to have lived in the house.

The love letters predate the house. Theres no access to the hidden room except for a ceiling panel in a closet.

It was definitely somebody special place, Jo Anne said. It was obviously somebody having an affair.

The farm also has changed in the almost 30 years the Millers have owned it.

When they closed on the farm, Jo Anne and Jay talked about what they wanted to do with the land. Jay suggested raising cattle, but Jo Anne didnt want to raise a cow only to find it on her dinner plate. Before long, they began taking in abused and neglected horses and nursing them back to health.

Jo Anne has an education background and soon began using these horses in a therapeutic riding program to help teenagers deal with their own traumas. The farm has helped 504 horses recover from malnutrition, abuse and neglect, while pairing them with teens that may have similar difficulties in life. All of the students who have gone through Brook Hill Farms programs have graduated high school and many have gone on to receive college degrees.

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Unique Bedford County farm house saved from demolition - Lynchburg News and Advance