North Carolina family protects 298 acres 214 years after buying land in 1811

A North Carolina family has held on to part of the same property for seven generations, more than 200 years after its ancestors bought the land. Now, 298 acres of that historic holding have been placed under permanent conservation protection.The land in Robeson County was purchased by John W. Caldwell and his wife, Nancy Hartfield, in 1811. They had moved from Kinston, North Carolina, to the Raft Swamp area near Lumberton before acquiring the 600-acre property.Last year, on June 9, Three Rivers Land Trust, a non-profit conservation organisation, protected 298 acres of land through a conservation easement, ensuring the property cannot be developed into housing or used for commercial purposes, according to the trust.The agreement covers most of the land that remains with the family today.