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The Farmhand

March-April 2021

An Update on Spring 2021

at Sanborn Mills Farm

So far, 2021 seems to be shaping up to be a year of anticipation leavened with hard reality. The COVID-19 pandemic continues apace, causing havoc in lives, communities, and nations, yet widespread vaccinations promise to tame the pandemic into a manageable situation. Political and economic crises continue to inhabit headlines, yet so do effective political and economic responses. There has been disheartening violence, especially against Americans of color; there has been an instance of accountability, which is a step toward, finally, justice.

Here at Farm, we made the difficult decision to cancel our spring schedule of workshops. The health and safety of our guests and staff are always our first priority, and with the pandemic not quite under full control we believe another few months of limited access to the Farm is in the best interests of staff and guests alike. The decision feels awful, but at the same time we know it is the right one. This coming July we will make a decision about the fall schedule of workshops.

Even without workshops, this spring has been full of activity at the Farm. Most noticeably, rebuilding of the historic Loudon Grange at Sanborn Mills Farm continues at a rapid clip. The photo above was taken on March 11; a week later, the building’s “skin,” using the original boards, was on, as seen in the photo on the right at bottom. When it was located in Loudon, the Grange was a center of community activity: social events, concerts, theater productions, church services, weddings, and dances were all held in the Grange for decades. At the Farm, we will use the Grange for our events, demonstrations, performances, exhibits, etc., and the basement of the building will house equipment and tanks to produce natural dyes for fiber workshops at the Farm. For more than 100 years, the Grange was a place for community events in Loudon. When our reconstruction is complete, it will be such a place again. By the way, we are still collecting stories from Loudon residents and natives who participated in activities in the Grange when it was still located in Loudon. If you’ve got a Grange story to tell, we’d love to hear it! Contact Colin Cabot at colin@sanbornmills.org.

But the Grange isn’t the only project underway or on the boards. Already, plans are in place to reconstruct and restore another historic building at the Farm, the old Capron Cobbler Shop, which had been located in Troy, N.H., since the 19th century. It will be joined to the 1919 Lord & Burnham greenhouse, also ready for reconstruction, to create a welcome center for visitors to the Farm.

Meanwhile, as snow still covered parts of the Farm, Jenn Merrill, our vegetable gardener, sprouted seedlings ine our greenhouses, and some of these are now in the ground. On the farming side, at the beginning of April farm manager Ray Ramsey welcomed our new teamster, Lars Prillaman, and his two Percheron horses as well as the Prillaman family. We will feature the Prillamans and the horses in an upcoming “Farmhand.”

The new Sanborn Mills Farm website (www.sanbornmills.org), which went live in February, continues to be refined, adjusted, and added-to. Do not hesitate to contact Steve Bjerklie, our communications person, with website suggestions, comments, edits, and ideas. His email is steve@sanbornmills.org.

And don’t forget to watch the Sanborn Mills Farm website and Facebook page for developments regarding the fall schedule of workshops and activities. Indeed, at this time we anticipate seeing the Farm back up and running at full vigor in the fall of this year. And if that happens, you can look forward to new launches such as the Sanborn Mills Farm Membership Program. Stay tuned!

Photo Credits:

Jeffersonia and seed carrots photos by Colin Cabot.

Grange photos by Steve Bjerklie.