The donation of a unique parcel of land to Legacy Land Conservancy for a nature preserve evolved into its own project when the 1860s era farmhouse on the property was deconstructed after efforts to restore it were unsuccessful. This presentation will explain how the donor worked with Legacy, Architectural Salvage Warehouse of Detroit, the Manchester Area Historical Society and a graduate student in Preservation Studies at Eastern Michigan University, to uncover the history of the two families who lived there and how they interacted with the land. The Iron Creek Preserve combines the cultural and natural history of the area in a way that each can inform the other.