Sometimes it seems as if every house in Leiper’s Fork has a good story to tell, and certainly that’s the case of the one at 5539 Big East Fork Road.
The 97-acre property is known as Covered Bridge Farm, named after the antique red bridge that spans the Harpeth River tributary flowing alongside the road, creating a charming driveway entrance.
Previous owner Jim Leeson purchased the bridge in New England in the early 1960s, transported it to the farm and reconstructed it on the site.
Around the same time period, Leeson also had the original homestead cabin, built in 1820, moved from across the street onto this site, where descendants of the cabin owners, the McPhersons, had built a clapboard house in 1910.
Twenty-three years ago, Leeson sold the property to award-winning singer-songwriter John Hiatt.
Hiatt, wife Nancy and their kids and horses have been there ever since, until earlier this year when they decamped and listed Covered Bridge Farm for $2,690,000.
During their time there, the Hiatts renovated and greatly enlarged the 1910 house, even incorporating the old log cabin into the floor plan as a new first-floor master bedroom.
Their sensitive adaptations earned kudos from local preservationists, but even non-experts can appreciate the use of native and reclaimed materials in a project that combined two historic homes — one from the 19th century and one from the 20th — with 21st-century construction.
Yellow stone quarried from a hillside on the farm itself was used in the fireplace surround in the 19-foot-by-21-foot family room that the Hiatts built in 2002, just as the builders of the 1910 portion of the house used stones from the creek in front of the property in the fireplace mantel in the study off the front foyer.
The vaulted ceiling of the family room incorporates pine beams reclaimed from the demolition of Nashville’s Union Station shed, and the floor is heart of pine reclaimed from a Boston warehouse.
Shortly after buying the property, the couple added a new kitchen and gathering room wing. The kitchen features custom cabinets that were given an aged finish to match an antique cupboard that the couple had. Otherwise, the kitchen is an updated, all-business affair with stainless steel countertops, gourmet appliances and two Fisher and Paykel dishwasher drawers.
Beyond the kitchen and gathering room is a master suite hall that came from the original smokehouse of the log cabin, made of hand-hewn American chestnut that grew on the property. Poplar wood milled on the farm, which had been used in the 1910 portion of the house, was recycled onto the walls of the hallway.
On one side of this hall there are new construction spaces, including a walk-in closet, an office and a master bathroom renovated in 2002.
On the other side of the master hallway is the old log cabin, now a bedroom with fireplace and an upstairs sleeping loft now sporting cedar lined closets and drawers.
The old chestnut walls of the cabin were refurbished, or “re-chinked,” in 2006.
“It’s all one house, but it’s really three different houses under one roof,” noted listing agent Rick French of French King Fine Properties.
Today, there’s 3,532 square feet in the residence, including three bedrooms and three bathrooms.
Outdoor living spaces include a courtyard with landscaping by Hawkins Partners Inc. and a screened porch.
Then there’s the acreage itself that includes four pastures, a fenced riding arena, access to the creek and wooded hills traversed with riding trails.
In addition to the house, the property includes a heated and air-conditioned outbuilding for use as a studio or workshop that could also be converted to a guest or caretaker’s house since it includes a full bath with shower and washer/dryer connections.
There’s also a four-stall barn, a birthing barn, tractor and horse trailer sheds and a greenhouse.