Agreement Reached to Conserve Historic Elmwood Farm in Hopkinton

Agreement Reached to Conserve Historic Elmwood Farm in Hopkinton 
Walking tour scheduled March 31; Public information session scheduled April 10

HOPKINTON, MASS.: Although Elmwood Farm in Hopkinton, Mass. has been dormant for much of the last decade, its fields could return to agriculture once again. The Trust for Public Land has reached an agreement with the Abbott Realty Trust to purchase and conserve the 80-acre property by the end of 2012.

Elmwood Farm was active for more than 200 years, and was the original home of Food for the Needy, a local organization which evolved into the Community Harvest Project, a group that grows fresh fruit and vegetables for the Worcester County Food Bank. The Trust for Public Land (TPL), a national conservation organization, has until December 2012 to raise the $1.8 million purchase price and conserve the land and protect an historic house and barn. TPL will work with the Town of Hopkinton to bring a warrant article to vote in 2012, and if approved the Town would ultimately own the majority of the land.

“Although much of Elmwood Farm is tucked away and out of sight from Ash Street, it will make a special place to visit and hike, and the prospect of bringing farming back to the land is exciting,” said Chris LaPointe, senior project manager for The Trust for Public Land. “We are grateful to the Abbot Realty Trust and the Town of Hopkinton for pursuing this conservation opportunity with us.”

The conservation effort could result in historic preservation of the house and barn, passive recreation, and renewed farming operations, including a possible community supported agriculture operation. The Bafflin Foundation has already committed $75,000 towards the effort. The Town of Hopkinton Community Preservation Committee has voted to support investing up to $1.3 million in the acquisition, and the article will be before voters at Town Meeting in May. The remainder of the funding will likely come from the sale of the house and from a handful of additional private foundations. A state LAND Grant, to be submitted in July, would reimburse up to $500,000 of the Town’s investment, if the grant were awarded.

A site walk led by The Trust for Public Land has been scheduled for Saturday, March 31 at 10 a.m. Look for parking signs near 97 Ash Street. A public information session will be held at the Senior Center at 28 Mayhew St. on Tuesday, April 10 at 7 p.m.

For much of the 20th century Elmwood Farm was the home of Bill and Rose Abbott. They founded Food for the Needy in the 1960s, and the effort became the Community Harvest Project, a volunteer-based farming organization that grows vegetables for local hunger relief. The Abbotts passed away in 1997 and 2001 and left the property to Abbott Realty Trust, with the direction that the bulk of the value of the property would be used to fund a nonprofit foundation, whose purpose would be to provide support to Community Harvest Project.

TPL will also work to protect the historic house and barn with an historic preservation restriction, and sell the structures privately to a new owner who has the interest, financial capacity, and ability to stabilize and restore the structures. The private sale of the house will reduce the overall cost of the project. Interested parties should contact Chris LaPointe at 617-371-0558.

Michaelyn Holmes, Chair of the Hopkinton Historical Commission said, “Elmwood Farm has been among the Commission's most threatened properties for years, and I am thrilled that we have an opportunity to permanently protect the structures and the landscape, which provide such a tangible connection to the early years of our town.”

David S. Goldman, President of the Hopkinton Area Land Trust said, “The land trust is pleased that the opportunity to permanently conserve Elmwood Farm has arrived after several years of discussions with the Trustees. Protection of this property has been an important priority for the town and for the Hopkinton Area Land Trust for several years, and we are glad to support the effort to protect such an irreplaceable historic landscape.”

Elmwood Farm has a rich history. The original house was built by Hopkinton’s second minister, Rev. Elijah Fitch more than 200 years ago, and Historical Society information indicates that the house was used as a stop on the Underground Railroad. Members of the Fitch family reportedly helped to hide escaped slaves hide in the pantry behind the potato sacks.

Lucy Fitch Perkins became a well-known author of the children's book series “Twins” and her daughter Eleanor Ellis Perkins published “Eve Among the Puritans” (1956) which tells of the Fitch family. More recently, a 20th century resident of Elmwood Farm was Edward Goddard, architect of the Waldorf Astoria in New York City.

The Trust for Public Land (TPL) is a national nonprofit conservation organization conserving land for people to enjoy as parks, gardens, and natural areas, ensuring livable communities for generations to come. Since its founding in 1972, TPL has helped protect more than 3 million acres of land nationwide, including nearly 14,000 acres in Massachusetts. TPL depends on the support and generosity of individuals, foundations, and businesses to achieve our land for people mission. Visit online: tpl.org/massachusetts.