A 5,100-acre farm with a rich political history is on the market for $26 million.
Chokee Farm is being sold by the family of former two-term Georgia Lt. Governor Mark Taylor, whose father Fred Taylor bought the property in the 1990s and expanded it to more than 5,100 acres in subsequent years, according to Bloomberg.
Much of the property is a forest reserve and a habitat for quail hunting, but there’s also nearly 1,300 acres of cropland leased by farmers. The estate is home to an estimated 2,000 to 3,000 birds.
The elder Taylor built six ponds on the property, bringing the total up to 10, all of which are stocked with fish. He also built out several miles of roads and pathways through the property.
Mark Taylor and his sister also built a new lodge for guests in 2014 and renovated other buildings on the property.
The family hosted a number of notable political figures, including former Georgia Governor George Busbee, for whom Taylor’s father was chief of staff. Other frequent visitors included former U.S. Attorney General Griffin Bell, former Georgia Attorney General Thurbert Baker, and two current sitting governors, South Carolina’s Henry McMaster and Mississippi’s Tate Reeves.
The elder Taylor died several years ago and left instructions with his kids that they should consider selling the farm if it were ever appraised for $26 million. [Bloomberg] — Dennis Lynch