In 1886, Dr. William Seward and Lila Vanderbilt Webb began acquiring Vermont land on the Champlain Lake region in hopes of creating a model agricultural estate. To that end, they recruited two of the era's most prominent planners — landscape designer Frederick Olmstead creator of Central Park in NY and architect Robert Robertson — to design the grounds of what became the 3,800-acre Shelburne Farms.
What a great place to visit and see a farm operation still thriving today. Five types of cattle are raised, fresh vegetables grown to supply the Inn, and a full scale cheese making operation booms.
The property features a hackney horse breeding facility and an elegant Big House, whose Gilded Age "excess" included centralized heat, electric lighting, and indoor plumbing.
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| Inn at Shelburne Farm overlooks Lake Champlain, Vermont |
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| Overlooking the palisade from the gardens |
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| Shelburne Farm Inn "The Big House" long ago |
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| Gardens overlook Lake Champlain |
Today, the manor home serves as a popular inn, and the estate itself is not only one of the area's leading tourist attractions but a model of conservation and stewardship.
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| Coach Barn serves as an environmental ed center and cheese factory today |
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| Little mouse looking for cheese perhaps? |
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| Great frog sighting by JR |
Taking a wagon through the Shelburne Farms we saw where recent heavy rains have encroached flood water over the banks from Lake Champlain onto part of the farm property. Five days earlier we would not have been able to get across the road leading into the property.
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| Lake Champlain on the right over flowed the dirt road onto Shelburne Farm land |
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| Flood water receded along the road path |
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| Lake Champlain rose five feet over the road days prior.... whew lucky us... wagon ho |
Yes another adventure bit the dust. And look what greeted us back at our campsite upon returning.
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| Mr. Woodpecker himself |
In 1886, Dr. William Seward and Lila Vanderbilt Webb began acquiring Vermont land on the Champlain Lake region in hopes of creating a model agricultural estate. To that end, they recruited two of the era's most prominent planners — landscape designer Frederick Olmstead creator of Central Park in NY and architect Robert Robertson — to design the grounds of what became the 3,800-acre Shelburne Farms.
