The present-day critic in summarizing her holdings describes her as being “possessed with over 200 acres of land.” The reader, of course, is supposed to understand that these two hundred acres were very valuable and that thus Mrs. White was hoarding great riches when she should have been distributing it. Let us survey this property. Elmshaven, with its limited acreage, some of which was tillable, constituted a small part of the two hundred acres mentioned by the critic. The greater part of her land was a hillside of one hundred and twenty acres, valued at—note the price—S4.58 per acre. This hundred and twenty acres was situated some distance from the Elmshaven property. EGWC 521.2
And how did she happen to purchase this hundred and twenty acres? When she settled at Elmshaven she found that wood for cooking and heating cost one dollar a cord, standing timber. She had the opportunity to purchase this acreage of standing timber on the side of Howell Mountain at a cost of $550. From this she could get her wood supply. The wood was used by her and also by her helpers. Some was sold to neighbors. The cutting of wood also furnished work to some needy Adventist brethren who otherwise would have been out of employment. If, through the years, she and those who labored with her had purchased their firewood on the open market, they would have paid out very much more than the cost of this piece of land. EGWC 521.3