P.O. Box 66, Yarmouth Port, MA 02675
Saturday, October 16,2010
Rain Date, Sunday, October 17, 2010
10AM _3PM
HIGHLIGHTS:
Music by "Three Cats and a Dog"..dancing encouraged! there will also be contra calling
Haywagon Rides
Old Tyme Games
Facepainting and Tattoos
Hearth Cooking Demonstrations
Free raffle for a GIANT pumpkin (kids only)
SALES:
Pumpkins, Gourds and Fall Decorations
Hot Dogs, Apple Cider, Apple Cider Donut Holes
Come join us for an old fashioned country day at the farn,
Visit all our animals, including Sam and Nester the miniature donkeyes, Scotty and Fiona the Scots Highland Cattle, Rusty and Dusty the Nubian goats and our flocks of chickens and Navajo Churro sheep.
Suggested parking donation $5.00
please......NO DOGS....the day of the festival
Removing the non-historic material will facilitate long-term restoration goals by exposing hidden structural conditions and thus provide the town with more clear knowledge of the scope & costs of the rehab work that lies ahead. The TBFPA effort also will save the town the cost of demolition work.
Below are a couple of pictures from our first week’s work to give you a sense of what is going on. Removal of the cabinets in the existing kitchen has already uncovered new details about the original house such as a small window that was part of the original half cape. A more exciting find was an original fireplace in the wall behind the kitchen stove. It is attached to the old back chimney and may be salvageable.†
In any event, the most important thing is that the long awaited rehabilitation process on the farmhouse has finally begun. There is still much work ahead, but a beginning is important and this beginning is providing us new details of a house once occupied by Captain Samuel Taylor who had a remarkable record of service in the Revolutionary War and subsequently embarked on a maritime career that saw him rise to the rank of sea captain.
There is a new article in the Register about the start of work on the farmhouse!
Read all about the work by Americorps at Americorps at Taylor Bray Farm
The non-profit Taylor-Bray Farm Preservation Association and Americorps Cape Cod are looking for help to complete a natural resources inventory of the farm. In short, we are creating a list of what grows and lives on the old colonial farm first settled in 1639. The overall goal is to generate a baseline of reliable information to be used as a tool to measure the farm’s environmental. Although the property consists of only 23 acres, the farm’s wildlife benefits from being in the midst of 200+ acres of conservation land along Chase Garden Creek. Association member Jack Duggan and Americorps’ Chris Valis are the focal points for project. Our work would clearly benefit from the assistance of experienced birders to supplement our rudimentary bird watching skills and knowledge. Our approach to survey is to tackle the task season by season with work starting now and finishing up next fall. Contact Jack Duggan to learn more about the project. Phone: 508-385-8631 or bayviewcapecod@comcast.net
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In other news at the farm, the Education Committee will start guided tours for students 3d grade and up beginning with the coming academic year. Please contact TBFPA to arrange a tour. The farm is always open for teachers to bring younger students for self guided tours.
Ongoing at the farm: Sunday is cleanup day. If you would like to help with the barn/pen cleanup and get to meet the animals up close, please just come to the farm at 11 am on any Sunday morning!
You can get a glimpse of the sheep festival at The Festival!
You can also check out the farm on Youtube at Cape Cast
Donkeys Sam and Nestor have started their harness training! Thanks to generous donors, we were able to hire a professional trainer to get them off on the right hoof.
TAYLOR-BRAY FARM PRESERVATION ASSOCIATION
P.O. Box 66, Yarmouth Port, MA 02675
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Donations and memberships in the Taylor-Bray Farm Preservation Association help to restore and maintain the buildings and grounds, and care for the animals at this unique historic site, preserving the legacy for present and future generations to enjoy.
A new article was recently published in Register
Come see how our cattle, Fiona and Scotty have grown!
To find out more about Scottish Highland Cattle, go to Scottish Highland Cattle
The Register also recently published an informative article about the Taylor Bray Farm.
About the farm
The Taylor-Bray Farm is situated on land in Yarmouth Port and was originally owned and settled by Richard Taylor in 1639. Through many generations, it remained in the Taylor family, until 1896 when George and William Bray, two brothers who had worked for the Taylors, acquired the land. It was sustained as a prosperous working farm by the Bray family until 1941. Between then and the late 1980's ownership changed hands a number of times.
Saved from Development
In 1987, the prospect of losing the farm to development prompted the Town of Yarmouth to purchase the property. The specific intent --"to maintain the farm for historic preservation and conservation". Tenant/managers have lived in the farmhouse, welcoming the public and educating many schoolgroups about the farm's history and ecologically rich natural beauty.
Critical Needs Today
Little preservation work has been done since 1987, and in the Fall of 2000 the late-eighteenth-century half cape farmhouse was declared uninhabitable. The Town of Yarmouth funded a new roof in May 2001, but extensive electrical, plumbing and heating, and foundation work is needed to further restore the house. Significant work is also necessary on the barn, and repair and upkeep required on the property.
About the association
In the Spring of 2001, a small group of farm neighbors formed the Taylor-Bray Farm Preservation Association. From this core group, we have grown to over 275 members from all sections of Yarmouth as well as other towns in Massachusetts and nine other states. We have established a strong partnership with the Yarmouth Historical Commission, the town's oversight body for the farm. The sheep pasture and pens have been re-fenced, all the aging barn doors have been replaced, landscape projects completed, and other improvement tasks implemented. In the summer of 2002, we began major repairs on the barn in partnership with the Yarmouth Historical Commission and Cape Cod Regional Technical High School that will include the replacement of the floors on the first and second levels, a complete electrical rewiring of the structure, and construction of an interior stairway, and installing new gutters.
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The mission of the TBFPA is compelling....join us, learn more and participate in the partnership to preserve this valuable historic site as a living legacy for the town of Yarmouth and all of Cape Cod.
Membership and volunteer support in the Association offers the opportunity to make a vital difference in preserving this farm's unique heritage. A printable membership form is available here .
