A 100-acre dairy farm tucked into the foothills of Wachusett Mountain, Stimson Farm was founded in 1743 by Jedidiah Brigham. Brigham purchased the 237-acre plot of land for approximately $375. It has since passed through eleven generations of the Brigham/Thompson/Stimson family, from Stephen Brigham to Abner Brigham, Lucius Brigham, Abijah and Jerusha Thompson, Charles Hamilton Thompson, Charles Frederick Thompson, William Brook and Louise Thompson Stimson, Charles B. Stimson, Craig A. Stimson, and finally Stephen, Kevin, and Dylan Stimson who maintain the farm with the help of their partners.

Stimson Farm is also sometimes known as “Charbrook Farm.” Charbrook served as a blended name for William Brooks Stimson and his son, Charles Brooks Stimson, who farmed the land during the height of the 1950s dairy industry. The farm is believed to be the earliest dairy farm in Princeton and one of the oldest dairy farms in the state of Massachusetts. Charbrook raised horses, pigs, chickens, and of course cows. At the height of the farm’s production, the Stimsons owned 65 Holstein heifers.

When dairy production tapered off around 1995, the family placed 100 acres of the farm under a conservation easement through the Agricultural Preservation Program. As later generations of Stimsons farmed the land, it became more commonly known as Stimson Farm.

Stephen Stimson and Lauren Stimson are partners and principals at the landscape architecture firm Stimson Studio, which designs campuses, gardens, and parks across New England. They not only help run the family farm, but in 2003 began using it as a field station for their studio.

The farm lends itself well to practices in New England landscape architecture, with its historic stonewalls, wetlands, meadows, and glacial drumlins. The Midstate Trail passes through the property, which also abuts Mass Audubon’s Wachusett Meadows. The Stimsons added a new barn and developed a long-term master plan to care for the property.

The Stimson have also harnessed the farm and its Charbrook Nursery for native tree and shrub production. They raise hay, grass-fed Hereford cattle, American Milking Devon cattle, endangered Herdwick sheep, and heritage chickens while cultivating the indigenous plant communities that are found around the farm. They also grow flowers for cutting and organic vegetables. Many Stimson Farm products can be found at their shop at the Old General Store in Princeton

Sources: stimsonstudio.com, charbrook.com, MA Century Farms
Photo: stimsonstudio.com