Farmhouse History

Built in 1725, our farmhouse has acquired almost three hundred years of American history. In the 1600′s William Williams was granted land in return for fighting in The King Philip Wars against the indigenous population in America. His son built the farmhouse that exists today. Many of the Williams men were patriots and had successful military careers throughout the Revolutionary War and The War of 1812. The Williams lived for many generations in the home. There is a family grave plot tucked away near the farmhouse.

The home is alleged to have been a stop on the Underground Railroad. There is a sealed crawl space which stories say provided a hiding space for runaway slaves traveling North to Canada.

In 1836, the property became known as The Town Farm, where the homeless or those legally mandated to serve the community would work, and in exchange receive food and a place to sleep. This idea of a community farm, is essential to our philosophy and goal. The Town Farm lasted for many years and I will soon be posting an article written about those years at our farmhouse.

In the 1950′s writer Morton Thompson (Not As A Stranger, The Cry and The Covenant) and his second wife, Frances Thompson, moved from Los Angeles to the farmhouse in Ledyard. Morton enjoyed most of his life at the farm in an old milking house, where he would go to write. Tragically, Morton Thompson passed away from a heart attack in the farmhouse. Two weeks later, his new wife Frances hopelessly took her own life.

But the ominous stories of Town Farm would soon change with the arrival of the next habitants and nurturers of the farmhouse. The Brown family bought the Town Farm in 1954. Dorothy, a local school teacher, and Bob Brown a locally respected active member of the Town of Ledyard, and a farmer, bought the house after the tragedy of the Thompsons, with the intention of reviving the spirit of the house to create a happy home for a young family.

Almost fifty years later, my parents and my brother Zachary and I had spent a couple of weekends in the Mystic area in search of a historic vacation home. We drove up to the big white house and immediately fell in love with the property. As all of the land had been overgrown for years now, we could not conceptualize the 15 stone spotted acres. The colonial farmhouse was enough to draw us to this very special place. Over the years the stories have unfolded through research, and we have restored love and care into this place . It has truly been a gift to find.

In October 2009, Dylan and I moved up to the farmhouse, with one season of farming experience,  to begin the adventure of starting our own farm. This house is a special place, with a unique history and stories of past generations of caretakers, which help create the character of Town Farm, and it’s many lives.