Homestead Preserve is situated on land that was once a part of a vast 11,500-acre tract falling under ownership of the Virginia Hot Springs company.  The company was formed in 1892 by J. Pierpont Morgan as part of an effort to preserve the mountain forest of Virginia’s Allegheny Highlands and to serve as a buffer between development to the east and the relative isolation of The Homestead resort.

After Celebration Associates purchased the Virginia Hot Springs Company in 2002, they sold 9,250 acres of their original 11,500-acre purchase on and around Warm Springs Mountain and the Cascades Gorge to The Nature Conservancy.  In October 2004, they placed an additional 935 acres into permanent conservation easements with the Virginia Outdoors Foundation. 

While Homestead Preserve’s 2,300-acre community could have allowed for the construction of as many as 1,800 home sites, the developers have limited the number to 450, reflecting a unique commitment to the natural heritage of Bath County, Virginia. 

In order to ensure Homestead Preserve’s commitment to natural and historical preservation continues into the future, Celebration Associates created the Virginia Hot Springs Preservation Trust.  This trust, funded with a portion of each home sale, is a not-for-profit agency that provides grants for educational programs, preservation of historic structures, and a variety of conservation, research, and management efforts.