Just the Facts
History of Long Property
Jeff Chupp, Pheasant Ridge Development, saw potential in a strip of land along the St. Joe River on CR 8, also known as the North River Road. Big enough for 6 or 8 spacious homesites, with just one obstacle: the historic house and barn already there.
Owned by the Long family from when Lincoln was President, owner John Long had had rented the over 100 year old home to a local family over 20 years ago when he moved to California.
Moving the Road
To preserve the mature trees and peaceful setting, Chupp bought the property and proposed to the County to fund improving the intersection, then set at a difficult angle as it curved about the river. After some initital objections, the work was approved and done over the next 2 years. A graceful aged pink and gray stone wall was added along with landscaping.
Moving the buildings
To move the building across the road near the northeast corner of CR 8 & CR 19, they were lifted off their foundations and put first on pilings and then on wheels to be transported across the road.
Spring of 2000, the house and barn were prepared for the move, planned for the lowest traffic: a weekday mid-morning. Meanwhile, work had begun on several homesites in the new development, as the two old structures were eased into place across the road, facing the river they had backed for so many years and offered for sale to a new family.
2000: Historic Barn & House moved
A long-time resident of Bristol, Mike Butler had watched with interest as the structures were moved from the riverbank in Spring of 2000. A contractor by trade, Butler liked the idea of restoring the old buildings. But once he was the new owner in 2001, he realized that this house, built of stacked timbers like a log cabin presented many challenges. He had to carve into the wood in order to add the electricity, plumbing and heating necessary to meet latest modern building codes.
Butler recalls that it became a bigger, more expensive project than he'd thought. But he was pleased with the results, where he lived with this wife, Lynn, and their 6 children.
Now, since all the children have grown up and moved out, the Butlers realized that they needed to get rid of a lot of things the children left behind in the barn. For the past two summers, they have held a weekend "empty nest" sale, where many curious shoppers stopped to tour the landmark building. The Butlers have listed the property for sale, as they continue to downsize to a smaller home. They hope new owners will enjoy it as much as they have.
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