VARINA, Va. — A riverside retreat in Henrico’s Varina district is on the market for the first time in nearly a century. Arrahatteck – named for an American Indian tribe that once inhabited the site – was listed in November by The Steele Group | Sotheby’s International Realty. The 158-acre property, of which 108 acres are in a conservation easement, is located at 9900 Arrahatteck Trail, off Kingsland Road near its convergence with Osborne Turnpike, just upriver from Dutch Gap.
The property, which features a contemporary circular-style house, a 3.4-acre spring-fed lake and two century-old log cabins, is listed for $1.4 million. The county’s latest valuation assessed the property at $358,700. Owner Nelda Snyder has lived at Arrahatteck for much of her 79 years. She grew up in one of the cabins and has lived in the 12-sided house since she and her late husband, Harold “Buz” Snyder Jr., had it built in 1989. She said she is selling the property before moving into an assisted living facility.
“This place has been so special to my family and to my husband’s family,” Snyder said. “Everybody comes here for everything; all the reunions are here, all the family gatherings. And it’s been used by so many organizations – Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts.”
Snyder said she intended to keep the property in her family but decided to sell when her two sons declined to take ownership. While the 50 acres outside the conservation easement could potentially be subdivided and developed, she said the property’s proximity to the easement makes it likely that her lifelong home will be preserved.
“We couldn’t stand seeing all of the land just disappear,” she said. “The thought of it being ripped up, with a house on this hill and that hill and the other – it was more important to save it than anything else.”
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