Wyman Farm in Loudon Conserved
August 12, 2022 – Five Rivers Conservation Trust announces the conservation of the Wyman Farm in Loudon.
Jim Polley grew up on the fields of Wyman Farm in Loudon. His mother, Judith Wyman Merrow, was the sixth generation of their family to own the property since the original King’s grant in 1780. The fields have outstanding farmland soils, which have been rid of rocks over years of cultivation. Farming has taken place here in various forms for centuries.
“When I was growing up,” Jim reminisced, “we had horses, took care of an occasional calf to keep the pastures well mowed, and a garden which provided us with fresh vegetables. The fields have been hayed for as long as I can remember.” Previous generations raised cows, chickens, sheep, turkeys, and more. Jim’s third great-grandfather’s diary stated that he supplied Shaker Village with oats.
Judy ran a bed and breakfast out of the 1790s farmhouse as her ancestors had in the late 1800s. Complete with hand-hewn beams, the house and barn speak volumes about the property’s history, accompanied by sweeping views across the fields to distant hills in the south. This 48-acre property has over 4,500 feet of undeveloped scenic frontage on three different town roads. About 10 acres of the property is in fields, and the remainder is forests of red oak, hemlock, and pine, plus a forested wetland in the center of the property.
“There has always been abundant wildlife here, from turkeys and foxes to bobcats and bears,” Jim recalled. It’s a combination of habitat types that makes the property a haven for wildlife. The nearby “hunting swamp,” which is partially conserved by the Town of Loudon, affirms the historic abundance of wildlife in the area.
Conservation runs deep in the family: having been a cultivated value handed down to Jim, it was Judy’s wish that the farm be conserved. Bidding a final farewell to the land is certainly bittersweet, though Jim’s family is hopeful that the next owners will continue the tradition of farming the land as they so diligently have. After Judy’s passing in early January, conserving Wyman Farm was a natural way for Jim to honor his family’s longtime stewardship for the land and ensure its integrity is upheld in perpetuity.
