History of Shelburne Farms

In 1886, Dr. William Seward and Lila Vanderbilt Webb began acquiring farmland on the shores of Lake Champlain to create a model agricultural estate. They were assisted in the effort by two of the most prominent planners in the country: architect Robert H. Robertson and landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, Sr. By 1902, Shelburne Farms encompassed a 3,800-acre farm dedicated to demonstrating innovative agricultural and land use practices, a hackney horse breeding enterprise and a grand family residence.

During the estate’s brief heyday at the turn of the century, 300 employees created and maintained the Webbs’ agricultural vision on a massive scale. They constructed four major buildings—the Farm Barn, Breeding Barn, Coach Barn and Shelburne House—and a number of other structures. Southdown sheep, Jersey dairy cattle, Hackney horses, pigs, poultry and gaming pheasants were raised. Farm products such as milk, butter, pork, pears, apples, eggs and vegetables stocked the Webb residence and were shipped to markets in New York City. As many as one thousand trees a year were planted to create the sculpted landscape and 20 miles of crushed stone roads and carriage trails laid down for visitors to enjoy it.

For a brief time, Shelburne Farms was renowned as one of the foremost model agricultural estates in the country. Beginning around 1910 and through the 1940s and 1950s, farming and related operations shrank. The spirit of agricultural innovation and stewardship continued with the construction of a new dairy barn for a Brown Swiss herd in the fifties, but subsequent generations struggled to find a workable future for this singular farm.

In 1972, family descendants founded a nonprofit organization dedicated to conservation education. The farm's buildings and land were later bequeathed to the nonprofit, which now owns and operates Shelburne Farms. Today, the organization offers educational opportunities for children of all ages to learn about stewardship and sustainability, while demonstrating the stewardship of natural and agricultural resources. Much of the land is permanently protected with conservation easements, deteriorating buildings are being preserved and rehabilitated to new uses, and both the landscape and buildings became a National Historic Landmark in 2001. Through it all, the property has remained a continuous working farm.