02/05/2026
In 2020, our family purchased 20 acres of the Emmaus campus and 6 residential homes. In 2023, we founded a nonprofit organization, Emmaus Village of Marthasville Land Conservancy, went out on a limb, and purchased 50 more acres on the original Emmaus campus, with all of its historic buildings.
While it may not look like much has been accomplished from the outside, we’ve been HARD at work planning, building, and proudly serving our community! To name only a handful of our achievements:
We’ve rehabbed 5 of the 6 condemned houses on the Emmaus Circle side. 2 residential buildings on the main campus have been worked on extensively. The municipal water well system is functional. The infrastructure is growing to be more functional with each passing month. Gateway Fiber has bored under the ground and creek to bring high speed fiber optic wifi to the campus. The 1908 chapel has been renovated. A community garden has been started and provided food for everyone on the land. We are learning all about regenerative agriculture and implementing what we can, when we can. We’ve restored the grand front porch of the Admin building. We opened a resale market. We established an alternative schooling environment and a childcare share. We have established reliable revenue generation through our paranormal investigations and histortical tours. We’ve repurposed a stone shed from 1840 to a functional, heated horse stable. We’ve began trail cutting. We’ve hosted multiple large scale community events. We’ve married couples in our chapel. Outside of the wifi, NOT ONE of these project or jobs was hired out…. Literally…. Not a single one. And so much more!
But MOST importantly…. We’ve provided safe, stable, and affordable housing to over 60 people, most of whom are considered marginalized families by definition, over just a six year period, including 23 children… and counting! These are fabulous people from all walks of life who have set their differences in lifestyles aside to support one another day in and day out the way a true community should. One family told us that prior to coming to Emmaus Village, their son had never once had an opportunity to play outside, aside from his parents taking him to parks. This child has the opportunity to play outside now, every single day!
We have SO much more work to do on this incredible land in this incredible journey we’ve undertaken. Every day is exhausting, yet nstead of throwing our hands up in the air when the going gets rough or when social media haters pick us apart, we march on, day in and day out, taking it one day and one project at a time. All of our blood, sweat, and tears have been poured into this land throughout our joint stewardship and the bond we’ve created with Her is magical.
Our entire nonprofit organization is only comprised of a handful of individuals… all of whom give 100% of their time for no wages while holding full time jobs simultaneously. AND we’ve accomplished all of this after only having received less than $100K in grants, donations, and external financial support combined.
We are SO excited to push forward into 2026 and beyond, changing this community for the better, one project and one family at a time. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts to all that have and continue to believe in us and contribute to a better tomorrow. We believe in the American dream 1000%…. Not the American dream of modern times, but the true, original dream where everyone has a home and the fundamental needs of life aren’t just met, but are exceeded.
If you and your family are interested in learning more, don’t hesitate to reach out and find out how you can plug into Emmaus Village of Marthasville Land Conservancy! We are determined to make this a true village of Agrarianism, self-sufficiency, community, and interdependency! 💞
