A Quick Look at Shelburne Farms

…continuing with our summertime exploration of parts of New England.

After spending a full day at Shelburne Museum, we made the decision that while we’d like to visit Shelburne Farms we were too burnt out to spend a lot of time walking around the grounds and doing the tour…

We had at least 2 more farm related visits on our travel agenda, so we opted for the lazy way to see at least part of the property.  We booked a late breakfast/brunch at The Inn at Shelburne Farms.  The Inn features a public restaurant that serves breakfast, lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch.

As you can see from this long range photo, the Inn (a former home) at Shelburne Farms is not your average farmhouse!  In fact the Inn, in the 1800s, this was originally the country home of Dr. William Seward Webb and Eliza Osgood Vanderbilt Webb.  They used monies inherited from railroad magnate William Henry Vanderbilt to accomplish their goals. 

Out of state visitors have 2 ways to enter the property.  You can pay admission and tour the farm or you can make a reservation for a meal at the Inn.  Free general admission tickets can be obtained at local libraries by Vermont residents.

This is a view of a bay off one side of the property that we took from near the entrance to the Inn.  Originally, in the late 1800s, the farm covered 3,800 acres.  Today it encompasses ‘only’ 1,400 acres. 

It is a well-preserved example of a Gilded Age “ornamental farm”.  The buildings were designed by architect Robert Henderson Robertson (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._H._Robertson)    and the landscaping was completed under the direction of Frederick Law Olmsted. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Law_Olmsted) Olmsted also designed New York City’s Central Park.

The Inn at Shelburne Farm was completely restored in 1987.  In addition to comfortable public rooms like this one, the Inn offers 24 guest rooms plus 4 guest cottages are available.  Rooms (with a private bath) range from $200 per night to $600 per night depending on the season.  The Inn is open from Mid-May through October.  

This portrait can be seen at the other end of the room shown above.  It’s a painting of Lila (Eliza) O. Vanderbilt Webb.  It was basically her inheritance that was used to build Shelburne Farms.

For those who indulge in adult beverages, there is a bar that serves diners as well as folks relaxing on the terrace…

Visitors and guests of the Inn can dine inside or out on the patio depending on the weather and your preference.

We chose to stay inside for our breakfast.  This was the view outside from our table.

For her brunch, (after 11 AM), Laurie decided to go with the Frittata. ($16.00) It featured Black River bacon, corn, roasted plum tomato, Shelburne Farms 2-year old cheddar cheese, home fries and ‘O Bread’ toast. 

I decided to keep it simple.  I ordered the Farmhouse Breakfast. ($14.00) It includes 2 eggs cooked as requested, a choice of ham, bacon or chicken sausage with home fries and ‘O Bread’ Toast.  Coffee was $2.50 each.

As expected, breakfast was a little pricey.  It was good but not over the top.  We were satisfied and we definitely enjoyed the dining experience in this special setting. 

As we dined, this portrait of Eliza O. Vanderbilt (Webb) kept watch over the room.

This is one of the many portraits on display throughout the house.  This is William Henry Vanderbilt, (Eliza’s father), the eldest son and an heir to the fortune passed on by Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt.

At the time of William’s death, he owned the New York Central Railroad and others… His net worth was almost $232,000,000.  That’s equivalent to about $6,469,363,963 in 2018 dollars!

  

This lovely portrait is of Frederica Webb, Eliza and William’s oldest child.  FYI, she married Joseph Pulitzer... 

Here are a couple other rooms that we wandered through at the Inn.  All were well maintained and truly reflected the lifestyle of the wealthy in the gilded age.  In some ways, these rooms resemble rooms from an upscale Adirondack ‘camp’.

It isn’t just people that stay at the Inn!  This pigeon has set up home on a ledge right over a door.

Here are 2 views of the Inn from the rear or lake facing side of this former grand residence… The first view is up through the gardens and the second is much closer, showing the true expanse of the home.

Of course, Shelburne Farms are even grander because of the setting overlooking Lake Champlain.  The estate was created by purchasing 32 local farms and consolidating them into Eliza and William’s vision.  Some public roads through the property were closed through their behest.

I’ve included a photo of one of the several flower beds as well as a view of part of the property that includes a cliff along Lake Champlain.

 

In 1972, descendants of the Webb family decided to open and share Shelburne Farms with the world, giving it new purpose.  In 1984 the property was donated to the nonprofit educational organization that owns it today.  

I’ve been referring to Shelburne Farms but up until now, I haven’t shown any photos that actually prove that it was or is a farm.  In reality, Dr. William Seward Webb and Eliza Osgood Vanderbilt Webb created the Shelburne Farms as a model agricultural estate.  The building shown above is called the “Farm Barn”.  This huge and striking building was constructed between 1886 and 1890 to house offices, workshops, farm machinery, stables, and to provide crop storage.  The main section is 5 stories tall and the courtyard alone covers almost 2 acres. 

Today the Farm Barn houses administrative offices, a Center for School Programs, the Children’s Farmyard, the Farm’s cheese making operation, mail order operations, an independent organic bakery, an independent furniture maker and an independent elementary school.

We did drive by these attractive cows who seemed to be checking us out.  The farm’s grass-based dairy supports a herd of 125 purebred, registered Brown Swiss cows.  Their milk is made into farmhouse cheddar cheese.

The farm serves as an educational resource by practicing rural land use that is environmentally, economically and culturally sustainable.  In particular, Shelburne Farms uses their food and farming practices to educate others about sustainable agriculture and man’s connection to the soil.   

So what does the farm produce?  The list includes cheddar cheese, organic fruit and vegetables, pasture raised lamb, beef and veal, pasture raised and whey-fed pork, organic eggs and maple syrup.  Check out the on-line store!

One last view of the Farm Barn from the road through the property.  It is a beauty!  In addition to this barn, there are 2 other barns at Shelburne Farms.  They are the Coach Barn (1902), the horse Breeding Barn (1889 - 1891).  There was an Old Dairy Barn (1891) but it was struck by lightning on 9/11/16 and it burned to the ground.  

In addition to our Brunch version visit to Shelburne Farm there are several other options.  There are Daily Property Tours, Horse Barn Tours, House and Formal Garden Tour at the Inn, and a Sun to Cheese Tour.  For more about visiting Shelburne Farms and the Inn at Shelburne Farms, you should go to https://shelburnefarms.org/about.  This was a beautiful and relaxing stop for us…

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave