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Barns of Westport
Westport’s
main economy in its early years was
subsistence agriculture. Farm families grew their own food; raised their own
livestock; made their own clothing; and made their homes, barns and tools from
lumber provided by the trees on their land. Excess farm products earned cash
for those items that could not be provided on the family farmstead.
The barns, silos, potato houses, and corn cribs
were the operational center of Westport’s agricultural society, providing
processing facilities, protection for animals, and storage for tools, working
field implements, and vital foodstuffs. They were very important structures on
the farm.
From early subsistence crop growing, Westport moved
into commercial potato farming, and gradually grew into one of the largest
dairy communities in New England. Barn structures followed suit including
introduction of the milking barn and grain silos. Early barn structures
probably incorporated European construction techniques which eventually
Americanized as functionality overcame tradition.
The barn has such an enduring attraction that many
Westport families have either rebuilt or constructed new gentlemen’s barns that
have become testaments to an earlier heritage, not to mention handy storage
areas for lawn and garden equipment, and recreational vehicles.
Read about 1899 Westport to understand its origins.
The Americanization of the BARN
Today, one may find in Westport a rich mix of
restored 18th century barns intermixed with tired working barns, abandoned
barns, grain and feed silos, and recently refurbished
barns used for commercial purposes. Many historically significant, older barns
are in a serious state of neglect. This photo essay illustrates another rural
flavor of Westport, and is an attempt to pictorially preserve our rich cultural
legacy before it is lost forever.
Regrettably,
we find that some of our early 20th century farms have been
abandoned and overgrown, and some have been developed into sprawling
residential neighborhoods. However, with the help of community preservation
funds, agricultural preservation restrictions, and land trust protection, some
of Westport’s early character is being preserved, from Old Bedford Road, to Old
Pine Hill Road, to picturesque Old Harbor Road. The Town Farm on Drift Road is a pristine example of land and building
preservation at its best.
Read the news story about the
Town (Poor) Farm Grand Opening. -
Story by the Dartmouth Chronicle
View photo album of the Town
(Poor) Farm Grand Opening. - Photo Album by Everything Westport™
Get a trail and walking map
of the Westport Town (Poor) Farm. - Map supplied by the Westport Land Trust
Information about the Westport Town (Poor) Farm - by The Trustees of Reservations
Read 1956
Standard Times article about the closing of the Town Poor Farm (infirmary).
Farming
still remains the chief use of the land, with dairy farms, specialty produce,
and vineyards being the most prominent. This photo essay illustrates yet
another flavor of rural Westport. Westport farming on the rise? Read the story below.
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Restoration of Westport Town
Farm Read about it >
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WESTPORT — As you walk past the farmhouse and
down towards the first stonewall barway, your view
expands to the pastures below, the herd of cows, and the river gently
sparkling. The Westport Town Farm represents an idyllic place in a town that
often speaks of the past, but is not too busy to listen for the future. The Town Farm, or the Poor Farm as it was known,
stands proudly on its original foundations, but now rather than being a
homestead, or helping the poor, it is open to all, a haven for anyone. The Town Farm is still owned by the Town of
Westport, but the property is managed by the Trustees of Reservations. |
We
owe much to the organizations listed below. Their efforts along with private
citizens and state matching funds have enabled Westport officials to institute
preservation efforts for many of Westport’s oldest farms and farm buildings.
Click on each of the logos below to learn more
about our community’s preservation efforts.
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Westport Land Conservation Trust
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The Trustees of Reservations
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Westport Community
Preservation Committee
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Dartmouth Natural Resource Trust
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Mass Environmental Trust
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Mass Community
Preservation Act
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Agricultural Preservation Restriction Program (APR)
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Copyright © 2004 - 2008 Community
Events of Westport. All rights reserved. Photographs
and text are protected by Federal Copyright. Reproduction of any kind without
written permission is strictly prohibited.