The farm has a stream called Meadow Creek running through it. This Continental Divide is located on the adjacent farm, approximately one half mile west. Springs on that farm and those on the Canode Farm constitute the headwaters of Meadow Creek. These waters eventually flow into the James River and then into the Chesapeake Bay. The original name of the farm (if it had one) is unknown, but it was named MONT VIEW by the Rowan family (it was also known as the Meadow Creek Plantation in some Rowan documents) and then LAKE PARK FARM by Mason and Coty Canode.

The land where the farm is situated was settled by the Givens family and others in the late 1700’s. This group was of Scotch-Irish descent and settled in the area together due to a religious movement known as “Back to the Bible” which later became the Christian Church, or Disciples of Christ.

In 1782 and 1783 there were Land Office Grants to Daniel Givens for tracts of this land.

Daniel Givens built the one story log cabin on the farm around 1820 at the site of the old farmhouse. There may have been another or other cabins prior to that time. The cabin was upgraded with a second story around 1843.

The Givens family lived on the farm until around 1857, at which time it was sold to the Rowan family. Around this time, the house was “improved” with the addition of a second wing, a mirror image of the first part. The breezeway between the two sections was enclosed and stairs to the second story were added. Bricks were hand made on the site for the chimney and other fixtures in the new wing.

A kitchen wing was added to the rear and two limestone chimneys with fireplaces were added either before or after the second wing. One of the limestone chimneys was constructed by Daniel’s grandson James in 1857.

The farm remained the property of the Rowan family for the next 90 years. The Rowans raised race horses and constructed a race track complete with pond and grandstand on the parcel on the south side of the highway. The pond remains today, but little evidence of the racetrack can be seen.

Mason and Coty Canode moved to the farm in 1946 and purchased it from the Rowan family. They lived in the old farmhouse and raised two children, Sam (1948) and Connie (1953) there. They built a new brick ranch house near the highway and moved into it in 1957. Mason lived there until his death in 1982 and Coty lived there until declining health required her to move out in 2002. The farm remains the property of Sam and Connie Canode with plans to pass ownership on to their children Alan Canode and Brett Buckland.

Hurricane Hugo blew the roof off the old farmhouse in 1989 and the family did not have the desire to have it repaired. The house, plus the large barn built of hand-hewn beams, were sold to a log cabin reclaimer. The house was disassembled and rebuilt in Troy, Montana and stands there today. The barn was disassembled and moved to Mississippi as a studio.

The Canode family desires that this farm remain in much the same condition that it has existed in for the past 200 years and therefore wish to have it put into a Conservation Easement.