History

The ninth generation of the Foote Family now lives in the town of Cornwall.  The family farm was originally assembled by Peter Foote’s great-great-grandfather, Rawlin Foote, and son AW Foote, in 1815-20 amounting to some 350 acres.  The land supported a variety of agricultural uses and crops including subsistence farming, oats, corn and hay in addition to family attempts of other businesses such as telephone and farm equipment. A history of the Foote property and family can be found online here as a .pdf.

When a Foote married the neighbor’s son, Stewart Benedict became the manager of the property from 1915-1950.  At the end of that time, the property was rented until Abram Foote inherited the property and took up residence in the homestead on the north side of Route 125.  However, following years of neglect, the manor house fell into disrepair and the Foote family ceased to live on the property.  In 1996, Peter Foote inherited the land as the eldest son with children. 

Foote sought to do something “worthwhile” with the land which would be what he thought his great-grandfather would have wanted. This was to maintain the land in active agricultural use while preserving its scenic qualities.  The initial plan proposed siting 22 residential lots within the farm’s woods to minimize scenic impact and to leave the “untouched fields.”  However, the plan received criticism from neighbors concerned about the local wildlife.  The compromise plan moved seven housing lots into the fields to placate these concerns.  Peter Foote has leased the property to a local farmer to grow organic alfalfa.

For more information, see www.footefarm.net

The Protected Property forms a large viewshed to the south of Route 125 along its frontage, as well as from many sites of higher elevation along the ledges to the northeast and Snake Mountain to the north.  The Foote Farm’s rural quality and agricultural use has been of importance to Addison County’s rural idyll.  The open agricultural fields bordering Route 125 are backed by thick, second growth deciduous forests which in comparison with nearby properties form part of the pastoral patchwork of the Town of Cornwall.

Photo by Baker Lyon

Rare Communities and/or Species

The Protected Property is the location of a rare and irreplaceable clayplain forest natural community.  The community approximates 13 acres of upland and Class III wetland habitat. The site is also home to the rare shrub American hazelnut (Corylus americana).

Archaeological Significance

According to the VT Division of Historic Preservation, there are several previously unknown prehistoric Native American sites and located archeological evidence of early farmstead known to be located on the property.  These sites are now listed on the Vermont Archeological Inventory.

Photos by Joni Osterhaudt unless otherwise noted