Sholan Farms is named for Sholan (aka Nashawhonan), the chief of the Nashaway tribe who sold the tract of the Nashua River Valley currently known as Leominster and Lancaster to a group of English settlers circa 1643.

The oldest building on the property is a farmhouse dating back to the 1730s. In 1753, owner Joseph Wheeler sold the property to the Stuart family. Richard Stuart deeded the land to his son Ebenezer, who deeded it to his infant daughter. The land eventually ended up in the hands of Dennis Wheeler, who sold it to Paul Washburn in 1912. Washburn increased the size of the property, which became known under later ownership as Chestnut Hill, Washburn Farm, and Leominster Orchards. The Washburn family eventually settled on the name Sholan Farms to honor the land’s Indigenous peoples.

Until the 1920s, the Washburns ran Sholan Farms as a dairy operation. When milk regulation threatened the economic feasibility of that endeavor, they planted apple trees and vegetables around the farm.

The farm changed hands several more times, and in the late 1990s, the Possick family announced their intent to sell the property. A grassroots effort called the Sholan Farms Preservation Committee partnered with the city of Leominster to purchase the land. That organization was later disbanded and was replaced by the Friends of Sholan Farms.

Today, about 20 acres of the farm are cultivated as an apple orchard and 40 acres are devoted to various crops that include blueberries, raspberries, pumpkins, and gourds. The remaining 50 acres are reserved for trails and wildlife management. Visitors can come to Sholan Farms for a walk on the trails or a walk in the orchards to pick their own seasonal fruits.

Photo: facebook.com/sholanfarms
Sources: sholanfarms.com