The History and Future of Sunnylea Farm
In 1843, a family chose this area on the side of a hill to be their home. They built a house, a barn, and eventually a garage for their Model T Ford. Most importantly, they built a life that sustained several generations for well over 100 years. I often consider what it must have been like for them living out here before they purchased their first car, in isolation, with news traveling at a snail's pace. Did they have family members that fought in the Civil War? Were they tempted to head west during the California Gold Rush? What did they think about the 24 states that joined the union in the ensuing years? I imagine them sitting on the front porch or around the fireplace, discussing the events and news of the day.
Eventually, the land was divided and the house was sold as a camp. It had changed hands a few times before we found it in 2014. The land was severely overgrown, the barn long collapsed except for the foundation, the house worn and tired. It took a lot of vision to see what it could become, but it seemed to call to us, and we decided to make it our home.
Since then, we have pulled poison ivy, Virginia creeper, grapevines, trees and weeds in an effort to bring order back to the property; we have uncovered and discarded rotten barn wood, ancient farm equipment, abandoned freezers and other household items, glass, and metal in mass quantities. We discovered the original barn foundation was still usable and built a new barn on it. We created a pasture, amended fields, carved out gardens, and found a place for all of our animals.
For all the work we have done, however, there is still more to do, and I imagine there always will be. After all, it is the fulfillment of the original vision we had for this place--to turn it into a working cut flower farm where beauty grows hand in hand with joy and all are welcome to come for a visit.
I often consider that the very steps I take today were preceded by the original farmers many years ago as they cared for their chickens, cows, horses and gardens, much like we do today. And I like to think that the original family is smiling down on us with approval of our attempts to restore this farm to its original glory.