Special to the Reporter

After more than a century, the Kidd family will part with about 252 acres of farm and hunting land along Farmindale Road off Alabama Highway 25. An auction will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 2 on parcel No. 8.

The Kidd family of Harpersville has farmed and hunted the land bordered by Tanyard Branch for more than 100 years.

But with the high demand for residential land south of Birmingham, the family has finally decided to part with it.

&uot;Quite frankly, with Birmingham’s growth barreling right down Highway 280, we think raising cotton and other crops is no longer the best way to use the property,&uot; said Brad Kidd, managing partner of JBK, LLC.

That is the family business which owns the property.

Kidd said his grandfather, James Mallory Kidd, was born in a house still located on the property. The house dates back to 1890. He also said his grandfather went on to have quite a successful career.

The elder Kidd attended the University of Alabama School of Law,

was a law partner with Hugo Black, who went on to become one of the most famous U.S. Supreme Court justices. And Kidd started Sunnyland Refinery, a company that manufactured margarine.

Kidd said the land was used to raise corn and cotton and to hunt dove. But in recent years had been leased to cotton farmers.

He said he and another brother inherited the land from an uncle, Bradford Kidd.

According to J.P. King Auction Company in Gadsden, what was Kidd farmland &045; now renamed Tanyard Branch Estates &045; will be sold in parcels of about three to about 23 acres with the auction company handling the sale.

&uot;Almost every week, I hear somebody in the Birmingham area talk about how hard it is to find some room to spread out and have a few horses &045; especially in Shelby County, because everybody wants to be there,&uot; said Craig King, president of J.P. King.

Kidd said he decided to sell at auction after seeing the success of similar sales.

Selling the land in parcels will make it more accessible to individuals seeking a place to build their homes or ranchettes, said King.

The property is located in Harpersville, along Farmingdale Road, just off Highway 25 and a mile from U.S. 280.

&uot;Five parcels are a little over 23 acres each, and one of those has some frontage on Tanyard Branch. Another parcel &045; about 8.6 acres &045; also touches the creek,&uot; said King. &uot;Any of these would make a great country estate with plenty of room for a horse farm, a garden or just a really nice yard.&uot;

While the parcels are designed to make the land accessible to a number of smaller buyers, King said it’s also possible that someone might buy the entire property.

&uot;At the auction, bidders will be able to make offers on the property as a whole, on one parcel or on any combination of parcels. For example, if somebody wants a little larger home site, they could buy two or three adjacent parcels,&uot; said King.

Another possibility, according to the auction company, is golf course development.

&uot;This would make a beautiful golf course. The Meadows course up on U.S. 280 is really popular our here, and the demand will grow with the population,&uot; said King.

While J.P. King has established a reputation for selling golf courses, mansions and recreational properties throughout the country, the company also has found a lot of opportunities in its own backyard, said King.

&uot;We’ve had some good recent success in Alabama, including some lakeside estates in Alexander City and three properties for Carraway Methodist Medical Center, including the Carraway Mansion,&uot; said King.

Individuals interested in more information on the Harpersville property may contact the auction company at 800-558-5464.

Other recent J.P. King sales have included Barbara Mandrell’s mansion in Nashville, a villa in Mexico and a mansion in Boca Grande, Fla.

Also according to Carl D. Carter a spokesman for J.P. King, not only is this a piece of property being sold by a fourth generation owner, but the sale is being conducted by a fourth generation auction company