40th Anniversary

  • Shelburne House, 1972: “Wallpaper peeling off, water stained furniture...the ceilings were all collapsing...” Long deferred maintenance caught up with the building by the 70s and 80s.
  • The Inn at Shelburne Farms, 2012: We opened the Inn in 1987 after major renovations. It serves more than 4,000 guests annually, and our public restaurant has been nationally recognized for its “Farm to Table” focus.
  • The Farm Barn, c.1975: A manure spreader and the crumpled remains of copper roofing in the northwest corner of the courtyard.
  • The Farm Barn, 2011: The same corner filled with students from Moretown, VT. They are among the nearly 10,000 children who participate in our on-site youth programs each year.
  • The Coach Barn, 1972: Through the 1950s and 1960s, the barn was home to sheep. In the 1970s, it became the heifer barn.
  • The Coach Barn, 2010: At Vermont Fresh Network's annual Forum, chefs are formally recognized by Senator Patrick Leahy. The barn is a gathering and learning space for many area nonprofits.
  • Connecting to fresh food & farming, 1972: Our earliest campers participated in growing, harvesting, preparing, and eating farm-grown food. This has been an enduring theme of our programs since.
  • Connecting to fresh food & farming, 2012: Through many of our partnerships, we’ve helped bring fresh, local foods into schools throughout Vermont, so students connect to their communities and make healthier food choices.
  • Farm Barn, 1975: The barn had always been the agricultural and administrative hub of the property. In 1975, it also was headquarters of Gardens for All and its canning center, where O Bread Bakery is now.
  • Farm Barn, today: The barn was transformed from 1990 to 1993 into the education and visitor hub for the nonprofit, as well as its administrative center.
  • North wing of Farm Barn, 1976: This section of the Barn was a stall area. Note location of windows to help orient yourself in next photo.
  • North Wing of Farm Barn, 2012: Now the McClure Center for Education Programs, this space frequently serves as home base for our many workshops for educators, like this team in our “ABCs of Farm-based Education” workshop.
  • Inn Formal Gardens, 1985: Much loved by their creator, Lila Webb, the gardens had suffered over the years. Sections of the overlook balustrade had fallen into the lake, and despite some repairs in the early 1980s, structural elements had failed.
  • Inn Formal Gardens, 2012: The ongoing Formal Gardens Restoration Project has restored the overlook balustrade, lily pool and lower garden walls and stairs. Structural repairs to the upper gardens, and reinstating the pergola remain.
  • Audience, 1970: The very first summer camp at the Farm in 1970—before the nonprofit was founded—brought together nine students for four weeks of program.
  • Audience, 2012: Through our Sustainable Schools Project, we are reaching out to students around the globe—in China, Japan, Eastern Europe, and and the Dominican Republic, shown here.
  • The Inn at Shelburne Farms, 1986: The back end of Shelburne House before renovations. The construction team had already begun tearing off the old roof shingles.
  • The Inn at Shelburne Farms, 2012: Shelburne House opened as The Inn at Shelburne Farms in 1987, after extensive renovations.
  • Breeding Barn, 1994: Shelburne Farms acquired the Barn and 400 surrounding acres in 1994. Replacing the roof was the first priority to stabilize the structure.
  • Breeding Barn, today: The new copper roof was the start of building stabilization efforts, including foundation, timbers, and beam repairs that occurred 2002-2011.

Enjoy these before and after photos, showing how far we've come over our 40 years as a nonprofit organization, dedicated to educating for a sustainable future.

We also developed a short video about our education work. Watch it here.