Town Farm celebrates grand opening: it's not just for the poor
anymore
By
Staff Writer – Courtesy of the Dartmouth
Chronicle
July 25, 2007 6:00 AM
Photos by EverythingWestport.com
Read 1956
Standard Times article about the closing of the Town Poor Farm (infirmary).
WESTPORT - As you walk past the farmhouse and down towards the
first stonewall barway, your view expands to the
pastures below, the herd of cows, and the river gently sparkling. The Westport
Town Farm represents an idyllic place in a town that often speaks of the past,
but is not too busy to listen for the future.
The Town Farm, or the Poor
Farm as it was known, stands proudly on its original foundations, but now
rather than being a homestead, or helping the poor, it is open to all, a haven
for anyone.
The Town Farm is still
owned by the Town of Westport, but the property is managed by the Trustees of
Reservations.
On this past Saturday, the
Town Farm had its official opening. A day where the house, the corn crib, and
the barn were open to be explored, and a day where
people came for fun and friends, rather than out of dire straits.
The Trustees of
Reservations were there early with their crew of volunteers, setting up an
information table, putting out food, displaying property log books on a
carpentry bench, and even adjusting their sign from behind the glass. All the
doors were open, all the paths were mowed, and the property was ready to be
shared.
Today, although special to
many, was just another day for the poor farm, a day mirroring history, a day
serving it's community.
"There's so much
history here," said Linton Harrington of the Trustees. The house that
greets you as you walk onto the Town Farm property is a symbol of history
itself.
According to Pete Baker,
who offered a short tour of the house, the original Stephen Wilcox homestead
was built circa 1720 with an addition during the 1790's Federal era, she
guesses. "You can clearly see up in the attic where the two pieces
are," she said.
Ms. Baker was one of the
many excited individuals at the property that day. "This is such a great
example of what it's all about," she said. "It's just perfect,"
she added, "saving the land, saving the heart of the land— the
people."
Her sentiment was clear.
Don't just save the land, or save the house, but save the heart and soul of the
property; save the people the way property saved them before.
Now, as before, when some needs somewhere to go for a break from
cell phone ringtones and life's annoyances, they have
one. They can go, not to the poor farm, but to the Town Farm where all are
welcome from sunrise to sunset, weather dry or wet.
In the future, the Trustees
are looking to establish their offices inside the house, while renting out a
portion of it for revenue to help maintain the property. Someday in the future
someone like Michael Labossiere, a superintendent
with the Trustees, will sit in the easterly facing second-floor bedroom with an
oak's eye view of the river. Until then, the house will be empty, save for the
creak of nails in the sloping floorboards and the concave bowing wall by the
fireplace.
This project by the town
and the Trustees happened very quickly. According to Mr. Labossiere,
the deed was signed in the fall and the opening followed shortly after.
"We dedicated a lot of resources," said Mr. Labossiere.
"We wanted to have an impact as quickly as possible."
He said volunteers and the
town helped a lot, notably Jack Sisson and the Highway Department; they worked
hard to clear the walls and prepare the property in a short amount of time to
be ready for the opening.
The opening of the Town
Farm to the public is only the first phase. The next is to turn the house's
interior into office space, and according to Trustees land protection
specialist and Westport Land Conservation Trust spokesman Anthony Cucchi,
"implementing a sustainable agriculture program here."
When speaking about the
Trustees of Reservations and their mission, Trustees vice president of Land
Conservation Wesley Ward said before the ribbon cutting, "I like to think
we are one of the youngest 
groups in the country in terms of our ideas."
The Trustees try to
"show the community how important open space is to the community," he
continued. "Today our work is more important than ever," he
suggested, adding, "of course our work is not done."
He concluded by saying that
the cooperation between the Town of Westport and the Trustees offers "a
tremendous model" towards which others can strive.
Historical preservationist
Geraldine Millham was one of the happiest people
there on opening day, saying, "This is a great day for me as an
individual. After working on this project for 25 to 30 years, she said,
"it just deserved to be taken care of."
"It's so wonderful
having people appreciate it," Mrs. Millham also
made a point to say. "When I got the call from Anthony Cucchi saying the
Trustees wanted to take over the property, it was one of the best calls I've
ever gotten."
As well as a celebration,
the Town Farm opening was also the kickoff of a campaign to raise one million
dollars for the property. "We want to create an educational program and
environmentally sustainable agriculture," said volunteer Paul Schmidt.
The Trustees also want to create a boardwalk to give people
access to the river because currently the river can only be seen, not reached.
They also want to secure
the property for a long period of time, noting that they will request a
long-term lease from Westport at the next town meeting so they can secure the
property and invest the necessary capital into its improvement.
The first phase of the Town
Farm is complete, and the next phases are in motion, but now again, as once
before, this farm stands in place as a marker in time and as a sanctuary to
those who need it.
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