| History of Hopkins House Farm |
Sometime during the spring of 1790, Captain David Hopkins
of the Continental Army carved out a homestead in what is
now the Town of Hebron. Built on a gradual slope of
intermittent rock ledge, Hopkins chose the site for its beauty
as well as a good place to start a farm. The two story
farmhouse has high ceilings on both floors, and architectural
details that remind us of the Greek influence typical of the
Federal period. Some correspondence with Hopkins and
Thomas Jefferson is preserved in the national archives.
Hopkins, way ahead of his time, was proposing the use of
windmills for power.
The farm changed hands from Hopkins to William and Ann
Jocelyn in the 1830's. In 1853 it went to John Boynton and
then to Frank and Clara Nelson. In 1920, the farm was sold
to J. Owen Ensign. Owen made repairs to the barn
foundations and structures, and added a workshop to the
complex of nine outbuildings. He brought the farm through
the period of mechanization in the 1940's and had a working
dairy until about 1965. He and his wife Grace passed the
farm on to their daughter Elizabeth.
of the Continental Army carved out a homestead in what is
now the Town of Hebron. Built on a gradual slope of
intermittent rock ledge, Hopkins chose the site for its beauty
as well as a good place to start a farm. The two story
farmhouse has high ceilings on both floors, and architectural
details that remind us of the Greek influence typical of the
Federal period. Some correspondence with Hopkins and
Thomas Jefferson is preserved in the national archives.
Hopkins, way ahead of his time, was proposing the use of
windmills for power.
The farm changed hands from Hopkins to William and Ann
Jocelyn in the 1830's. In 1853 it went to John Boynton and
then to Frank and Clara Nelson. In 1920, the farm was sold
to J. Owen Ensign. Owen made repairs to the barn
foundations and structures, and added a workshop to the
complex of nine outbuildings. He brought the farm through
the period of mechanization in the 1940's and had a working
dairy until about 1965. He and his wife Grace passed the
farm on to their daughter Elizabeth.
Since 1997, the current stewards, Aggy and Charlie Duveen, have carried out some structural repairs and electrical updates to
the farmhouse and outbuildings. Today the farm is home to two donkeys, two sheep, two dogs, three cats, and previously, a
herd of Lamancha dairy goats.
the farmhouse and outbuildings. Today the farm is home to two donkeys, two sheep, two dogs, three cats, and previously, a
herd of Lamancha dairy goats.