FARMINGTON — A recently completed historic building record and study of archived agricultural statistic data provide interesting information about the area’s farming legacy.

The building record was completed as part of the permitting process needed for Sandy River Farms’ solar project. It reviewed the history of the farm housing the ‘red barn’ owned by L. Herbert (Bussie) York.

According to the report, the farm is eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places for its association with Farmington’s agricultural history since the early nineteenth century. That section of the farm is also eligible as a significant example of a Maine connected farm building constructed ca.1810 that retains integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling and association.

Background research didn’t reveal a documented date of construction for the farmhouse and connected barn. They were likely built as separate buildings ca. 1810 during ownership by the Corbett family with connecting additions built in the late nineteenth century. Approximate construction dates were based on examination of the building’s type, ownership history, materials and comparison with similar Farmington homes that have documented construction dates.

This portion of Sandy River Farms also contains 75 acres that are farmed. The house and connected barn are a rental property for the farm.

From 1781 to 1816 the property was owned by Peter Corbett, one of Farmington’s original 24 settlers. Corbett and the others arrived in 1780-1781 from eastern Maine and divided land into lots along the fertile Sandy River floodplain know locally as the “great intervale.” He first drew Lot 40 on the east side of the river and also acquired the adjacent Lot 39 to the north.

According to A History of Farmington, Maine: 1776-1885 by Francis Gould Butler, “Featuring flat and largely stone-free soil that was replenished annually by spring flooding, the Corbett property was located in the middle of Farmington’s best section of farm land.”

The farm first passed to Corbett’s son, Rufus, who added more acreage to the farm. Butler described the resulting property as “one of the largest and most valuable farms in town.” Butler reported Rufus Corbett divided the farm among his four sons. The portion with the dwellings mentioned above was sold to his son Peter in 1834.

Agricultural census information from 1850 and 1860 and “Agriculture,” Farmington: Franklin County’s Shiretown, a Maine Community Heritage Project written by Taffy Davis in 2019 shows that Peter operated a prosperous general farm and contributed to Farmington’s era of rapid growth in the mid-nineteenth century. The farm produced a variety of livestock as well as grain, fruits, vegetables, wool and dairy products. Corbett’s 35 sheep helped Franklin County achieve its status as Maine’s second largest producer of wool behind Somerset County.

In 1850 the farm’s primary crops were corn, potatoes, wheat, rye, oats, barley, hay and orchard fruits (probably apples). With three ‘milch cows’, 200 pounds each of butter and cheese were produced.

The second Peter increased the farm’s size during the 1850s. In 1860 he and his brother and neighbor to the north, Amasa ran similar operations that also produced large amounts of maple syrup and molasses.

Henry Manter, the next owner of the farm, further increased its size and productivity. From the 1870 agricultural census, 95 sheep produced 100 pounds of wool. Similar crops as before were grown with timber sales being added.

The farm was purchased in 1956 by Lila M. and Linwood J. York, Bussie’s parents. The older York’s 300-acre “King of the Valley” farm was headquartered in the century-old house and connected barn previously owned by Amasa Corbett. The house and barn were destroyed by a lightning strike and fire in July 1995.

Bussie and his wife, Brenda York, took over the farm in 1961 and re-named it Sandy River Farms. They expanded the farm to include 15 parcels in and around Farmington. The 1,600 acre farm is reportedly the largest farm in Franklin County. 600 acres are used for crops, hay and pasture for their dairy operation. The other 1,000 are forested and used for logging.

The historic building record also provides historical context on the settlement of Farmington in the 1780s and the town’s growth as one of Maine’s premier agricultural centers in the nineteenth century.

Stephen Titcomb, Robert Gower and other men from Topsham, Maine in 1776 traveled up the Kennebec River in canoes to Hallowell. From there, they proceeded on foot to Farmington Falls. More settlers arrived beginning in 1780, the first Peter Corbett among them.

By 1790 a center village was established and the population swelled to 494. Over 800 acres were under cultivation with produce shipped via a stagecoach line to market in Hallowell. The town was incorporated in 1794.

By 1810 all available farmland was under production as farmers expanded their output. Sheep factored significantly and the emergence of the wool industry spurred the construction of local carding mills that combed, spun and wove wool into cloth. It remained a large and valuable Farmington export into the early twentieth century.

In the 1840s and 1850s, agriculture and commerce surged. The Franklin County Agricultural Society was chartered by the state legislature in 1840 to host exhibits and encourage friendly competition among local farmers.

Farmington’s population increased to 2,725 by 1850. The town had approximately 100 dwellings and 15 stores. Trade shops included blacksmiths, cabinet makers, saddle makers, a carriage maker, a tanner and others. There were multiple attorneys, doctors, churches and a newspaper – the Franklin Register.

The construction of a railroad line to West Farmington in 1859 provided farmers with a way to ship surplus crops and livestock to other regional markets. Rail transportation made possible Farmington’s canned food industry, which began in 1869. The arrival of refrigerated rail cars in 1872 enabled the shipping of meat, eggs, fruit and milk.

Sweet corn grown locally was the primary product of the canning factories. In the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries, there were six to eight canneries in the area. The season lasted a mere three weeks in early autumn. By 1913 some 7,000 Maine residents were employed in corn factories and Maine was ranked third in the nation in corn packing.

Agriculture was also an important part of the greater Franklin County region. According to the 1850 agricultural census, the county had 298,512 acres of farmland. There were 7,790 ‘milch cows’; 5,409 working oxen and more than 10,000 other cattle. With 48,018 sheep, it ranked fourth in the state even though it was second in wool production with 163,609 pounds. It also ranked second in wheat production with 47,860 bushels. Its 1,636 gallons of molasses were the most produced by any Maine county.

By 1870 farmland had increased almost 83,000 acres. The number of horses increased by 1,276 but working oxen decreased by 519. There were 9,000 more sheep which produced 257,093 pounds of wool, maintaining second place in the state. 22,453 fewer bushels of wheat were produced. 325,513 bushels of Irish or white potatoes were grown. Almost 10,000 gallons of maple molasses and just under 9,000 gallons maple syrup plus 12,590 pounds of honey were produced.

The 1925 agricultural census reported in 1924 1,068 pounds of wool were produced in Franklin County. In 1925 3,692 bushels of wheat and 194,958 bushels of apples and 149,592 bushels of potatoes were produced. There were 1,968 farms, down from the 2,526 reported in 1900.

Over time, the information provided through the agricultural census has changed. In 1925 the number of apple trees – 273,299 – was given. Also reported were the 24 tractors, 153 radio outfits and 201 silos found on area farms. The 1.14 million acres of farmland made up 21.6% of the county’s land area.

In 1950 there were 1,179 farms in the county. The number of sheep dropped to 1,401 with 1,441 pounds of wool produced.

In 2002 there were 317 farms in Franklin County. Farmers had almost 50,000 square feet of production under glass or other protections for bedding and nursery plants. There were an additional 22 acres produced in the open. Women were the principal operators on 90 farms while 192 farms had women operating on them.

In 2017 Franklin County farm numbers were up slightly to 354. There were 47,201 acres of farmland. Market value of products sold was almost $12.9 million. Production expenses were up 24% from 2012 but net cash farm income was almost $3.8 million, a 7% increase from five years ago.

Most farms were family farms. Of the 637 producers, 254 were women, 60 were under 35 years of age. The majority were between 35 and 64. 88 had served in the military and 189 were new or beginning farmers. 87% of farms had internet access, one-tenth grew organically, one-third sold directly to consumers and a quarter hired labor.

Wheat, wool, molasses and sweet corn, once farming mainstays in Franklin County have seen massive reductions in production over the years. Apple production locally has dwindled significantly.  Dairy farms and milk cow numbers, or ‘milch cows’ as they were once called, have and continue to decrease.

Local farmers throughout the years have adapted their production methods, the crops and livestock produced and how they market those products to meet consumer demands and improve farm profitability. Hopefully, agricultural producers will continue to find ways to keep farming flourishing in this part of the state.

Additional agricultural census information for Franklin County may be found at: http://agcensus.mannlib.cornell.edu/AgCensus/homepage.do.

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