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A history of Haddie's property as told by the original owner, Penn Montgomery.
Once upon a time, God favored a plot of land located in Opelika, Alabama. He blessed this land with an unimaginable variety of trees including the majestic white oaks near Highway 29. He included wild dogwoods that bloom so white in the spring and sprinkled the entire landscape with the tall aromatic pines. He created fresh water springs that fed two beautiful small lakes. Additionally there were seven fresh water springs that created creeks with rapids so peaceful that frogs could sleep! This heavenly plot of land is what I named “The Dairy”. – WHY? It was because the first land acquired in the 600 acres was formally a dairy that actually milked cows and was owned by a family named Callahan. One of the spring ponds was used to wash the udders of the milk cows before milking. They cut hay for the animals in the creek bottom to the back of the property. About 280 acres of this property was formally owned by the Dr. Millard Samford family in Opelika and purchased in 1984 from his son Dr. Wescott Samford in Birmingham. As my quest to continue the expansion, I was able to purchase another 173 acres north of Lake Condy creek from the old Opelika family of Mrs. Electra Hopson. It is on this property that “The Barn” was constructed which is now “Haddie’s Home”. The barn was a labor of love that provided space but also views of the creek bottoms where herds of deer grazed without fear and turkeys could feed amongst the open spaces and harvest the acorns from various oak trees. My intention for this property was to further God’s creation and honor it by planting thousands for azaleas from Highway 29 north to the creek that was formed by the pure as snow Lake Condy spring. In my travels through Pennsylvania, I had come to love the Amish barns and through it would be great to authentically build one for a home. The “barn” was never a so called “hunting lodge” but a place to be in the great outdoors and enjoy plants and animals. The basic construction of the home is of steel I-beams and concrete. Most of this was done by Frank Reed doing the welding and James Hudmon also doing the fitting and welding. This construction was to protect the structure in case of the most severe weather. Much of the carpentry was done by an artist named Vince Palmer of Auburn. The materials included heart pine floors for the main room, black walnut paneling for the dining room and cypress wainscot for the main area. The rock work fireplaces and the brick work to build the silo was done by the best-Michael Gleaton and company. He also built the rock walls on the property. The fireplaces were constructed according to English standards called the “Count Rumford Fireplace”. They will not permit any smoke to enter the room but an old saying is that they work so well that they will “sic the sheets off the bed”. To allow for the many visitors, regardless of physical limitations, the silo was designed and build with an elevator. The swimming pool was built by myself and Vince Palmer along with the workers Willie Newsome and Robert Truitt. The consultant for the pool and its difficult construction was Scotty Lett of Lett Construction Co. In Auburn. The huge variety of horticulture was a great accent to the property. It consisted of planting several types of hollies so that they would grow and produce the red berries at Christmas. The Wansan cherry bloomed profusely in the spring with a fragrance that informs everyone spring is in the air. What a great opportunity for the girls using Haddie’s Home as a place to reclaim their lives in the midst of nature and peace. Once a person can commune and understand nature they can better understand life! – Sincerely, Penn Montgomery. |
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NOTE: In 2007 Earlon McWhorter purchased this property from Penn Montgomery. In 2014 Haddie’s opened its doors to make a difference in the lives of young ladies. Because of the generosity of the McWhorters, Haddei’s now provides a home where girls are loved and can see Christ fulfill His purpose for their lives. Haddie’s is “changing lives and restoring families.”