The land which makes up BrookfordFarm has been farmed by many industrious souls since the early 1600′s. It was chosen because of the Salmon Falls river, which provided some of the most fertile soilin the area, as well as an important early transportation source. Previous to the arrival of Europeans, the fields in this area are believed to have been treasured by the Native Americans, who also fished for salmon in the river.
Brookford Farm in Modern History
| 1925 |
Dr. Robert Morris purchased the house and the barn at 128 Sligo Rd. The house was refurbished and the barn was torn down. In 1930, the cottage, the lower barn, and the main barn were built at 70 Sligo Road. The farm was operated as a dairy farm,made up primarily of Guernsey cows. |
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| 1968 |
Fire destroyed the main barn. It was immediately rebuilt, but this time as a beef barn. |
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| 1971 |
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Dr. Robert Morris died and was survived by his only child, Ms. Marion Aikman. |
| 1973 |
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The main barn was rebuilt to again, this time to house dairy cows.It did so until 2003. |
| 2005 |
Ms. Aikman, now in her 80s, decided to move beyond full-time dairy farming. She’d become active in regional land conservancy efforts, and advertised the lease of her property through the New England Land Link program. |
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| 2006 |
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Luke and Catarina Mahoney leased the farm from the Aikmans, and from their beginnings as dairy farmers, have expanded the farm operations to include certified organic vegetable gardens, a creamery which makes yogurt, cheese, and other dairy items, a farm store which sells pastured meats, eggs, dairy, and vegetables, and their newest project, local, organic grains. |
