Welcome to Copeland Cedars
My Plans for My 5 Acre Riverfront Farm
Wow, If you’d would have told me I’d be the owner of a 5-acre river front farm, in my hometown, complete with +140-year-old farmhouse, I wouldn’t have thought this was possible.
Yet, HERE WE ARE! just a few hours after closing, looking back on the pain & stress of closing and dreaming about everything I want to do! Having 2 ginormous cedar trees on the property led us to the naming, Copeland Cedars.
I grew up here, my grandparents moved into this house the year I was born (note my grandfather lived on this street his whole life). I played in the yard, picked apples, berries and walnuts and enjoyed the river. When my grandfather passed in 2024, I was proud to jump in and keep the house for us and dream of making it something greater.
Me and My Grandfather, Maurice Copeland
Yes, this sounds super random and even "bandwagon”-y almost, but I don’t care. I worked in corporate tech for years and am a travel blogger but even my love of travel started here, with my grandmother sharing international foods with me in this kitchen. I’ve always had a passion for self-sufficiency, agriculture and animals, and I am extremely excited to continue that here!
I am more than happy to be the one to tell you that “No matter what you’re doing, you can ALWAYS try or start something unrelated and new!”
I have a bit of background help, My B.S. is from the Pennsylvania State University in Agricultural Animal Science, I’m Looking forward to using my degree!
House Renovations
Now the hard (fun?) part, updating this +140-year-old farmhouse on a flood plane to this century… there is sooo much work to be done and I’ll be sharing alll of the details (my planning steps, hurdles and cost) with you on this newsletter.
From the normal stuff like updating the bathroom and kitchen, to the wonderful rural specific challenges this gift has brought us like:
Figuring out internet options, with only an original Bell Atlantic phone line, in a valley
Navigating heating oil fueled appliances and insulating the house to eliminate the $600+ electric heating bill
Sorting out 2 water wells, that aren’t listed in the state records
Where in the world are the utilities underground, if we even have them
More odd farm things you couldn’t possibly even think of
and of course, the beautiful stuff like (hopefully) restoring the stone fireplaces, repurposing furniture and designing our river front outdoor area (outdoor movie action and river dock anyone?).
I hope you’ll come along as we fix up our lovely farm, even join us in our ceremonial 1970’s wood paneling bon fire (sans asbestos).
My Farm Plan
Our lot is long and thin, and very close to many outdoor activities like fishing, canoeing, hiking and the national GAP bike trail that will soon go from Washington, DC to Seattle, Washington, so I plan to break a chunk off for commercial use for a Farm/Trail Stand. Where you can stay overnight and even get a quick lunch, some essentials, enjoy a nice bathroom and relax by the river.
My site plan also includes an orchard, tons of garden beds and fields, a pond, a craft shed and many gardens! I am still very on the fence about keeping animals, we’ll see.
We have many local farmers (generations of which our families have gone to school together) in the area specializing in dairy and vegetables (which I’m so excited to highlight on the farm) so I plan to farm other things like flowers, tea and plants for natural dyes and essential oils for farm crafts that celebrate natural fibers like paper and canvas!
I also plan to build out a multi-use space for events and hold agricultural related education workshops!
Want to learn how to make cheese or butter? or maple syrup? or even how to process wool? maybe how to make chocolate and coffee? learn how to make essential oils or natural dyes? or even just come for a farm tour and look at farm stuff under a microscope and learn about it? or just watch migrating birds on the river? these are the things I’m dreaming of.
My goal for the space is to celebrate the diversity in local agriculture and making it more accessible with my farm products or ever sharing my visits to other farms.
So, If you want to come along with us on this journey, Sign Up for this Email Newsletter! (bottom of this page) Where I’ll be sharing all the deets on our renovation progress and building my farm! and eventually farm activities and products too!
Thanks for Joining Us,
Lydia Copeland
Owner of Copeland Cedars Farm