Old Hickory Farm Is an Argyle Fairytale Paradise

When George and Scotty Kolb came across a historic 16-acre farmstead with eight buildings in various stages of decay, which they found inspirational, they knew they could create a fairytale paradise. They purchased it immediately, named their property Old Hickory Farm, sold off all but four acres, and got to work.

What you see today is the result of their imagination, dedication, persistence, creativity, and love. After restoring the barn, they engaged Bill Brown to draw up plans for a house inspired by Cotswold cottages in England to look like it had been standing for centuries. 

George rented a backhoe and dug up ironstone from the property to use on the house. They found timbers to support the front porch that were originally on the railroad trestle running over Lake Ray Roberts. In 10 months, they had the most engaging and beautiful new home that you would swear was not brand new. The three-story house was purposely filled with various woods, which creates a depth of character you just don’t see today. 

In creating Old Hickory Farm, the Kolbs understood the interiors were as critical in carrying through their vision as the exteriors. They knew how cool shiplap was years before we’d ever heard of Chip and Joanna Gaines and used it on walls and ceilings. Pine was treated with tung oil to create sturdy but beautiful kitchen countertops. The most dramatic feature inside is the enormous stacked stone fireplace that can be used for cooking. 

The main house has 5,936 square feet, four bedrooms and three-and-a-half bathrooms. A screened porch runs along the length of the living, dining, and principal bedroom suite with views over the pond.  Although you might be hard-pressed to tear yourself away from the residence, the grounds are filled with those delightful structures you’ll want to enjoy, like a carriage house with an original carriage inside that was used by Wallace Kimbrough for house calls in the 1880s.

There is a versatile guest house with five rooms that the present owner is using as an office. The stables offer several paddocks for your horses, a tack room, and storage buildings. The well house serves double duty as a potting shed and also houses the pump that circulates water over the rustic water mill that churns H20 from the well to the creek and the pond.

One of the most charming areas was created from a small cottage on the property that was falling down and turned into what Scotty dubbed her Ruin Garden.  

Old Hickory Farm is a unique blend of historic charm and modern luxury, offering a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own a fairytale property.  

Debra Rosser with Ebby Halliday Flower Mound/Lewisville has  Old Hickory Farm at 525 E. Hickory Hill Rd. in Argyle, available for $3 million.