By Craig Salters/ csalters@cnc.com
Thursday, March 31, 2005
The Taylor-Bray Farm is only a half-mile off busy Route 6A in Yarmouth Port, but visitors to the quiet spot may be forgiven for thinking they've traveled back in time at least a half-century.
Marsh hawks circle high above a thickly wooded section of the 23-acre property, riding the winds as they hunt for game. Osprey platforms dot the wide-open greenspace of Black Flats Marsh, which on moonlit nights floods just up to the farm's banks where the salty air is met with an aromatic riot of wildflowers. Chickens cluck, cattle low and sheep bleat in a natural harmony perfected over centuries. Wild blueberry bushes thrive just a stone's throw away from the carefully tended plots of a community garden or the box-shaped hives of local beekeepers.
The pastoral setting - complete with a farmhouse, barn and walking paths - was slated to become just another subdivision as early as 1987, the year when the town of Yarmouth purchased the land. Much easier to imagine is the sight of the farm's former owners, George and Willie Bray, trudging up to the Old King's Highway with a wheelbarrow full of strawberries and blueberries for sale. In fact, on a recent weekday morning when early spring sunlight mixes with the sweet smell of hay, it's hard not to believe the two will be back any minute.
"You need to take a walk and smell the air," says Denise Murphy, treasurer and clerk of the Taylor-Bray Farm Preservation Association as well as a neighbor to the farm since 1981. "This is the way Cape Cod used to be."
Since its inception as a non-profit organization in 2001, the Taylor-Bray Farm Preservation Association has partnered with the Yarmouth Historical Society to restore the farm for better public enjoyment. The association scored its first big victory in 2002 when it completed rehabilitation work on the farm's 200-year-old barn, a task accomplished by partnering with local volunteers and businesses as well as utilizing the expertise of the students of Cape Cod Regional Technical High School.
Next on the "to do" list is the late 18th century farmhouse, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places but needs extensive work to its foundation, floorboards and frame.
"The first thing we need to do is stabilize the [building's] environment," says Marty Murphy, Denise's husband and president of the association, who explains that squirrels and other animals had found their way into the farmhouse. Murphy adds that the goal of the project, which is expected to begin shortly but could take as long as two years to complete, is not to restore "in the purest sense of the word" but to make the building "safe, secure and usable" for visitors. Once renovated, says Murphy, the farmhouse could serve as an education center for guests.
Murphy says the association has $60,000 appropriated by Town Meeting in for the purpose of restoration. To stretch those funds, the project will use volunteer labor provided by association members and others as well as a possible second partnership with Cape Tech.
"It will be a collaboration," says Murphy, whose organization is also working hard to secure grants and private donations.
Despite a few nods to modernity like central heating, every effort will be made to preserve the historic character of the farmhouse, says Murphy. In fact, he says, the association recently learned that one of the farmhouse's support beams is from a colonial-era sailing ship while another is from a 17th century church. Those discoveries were made by George Bryant of Provincetown, a historical architect who has spent considerable time at the site.
"He [Bryant] made us take a deep breath," says Murphy, "and that's been very helpful."
According to the association, the Taylor-Bray Farm was originally settled in 1639 by Richard Taylor. It remained in the Taylor family until 1896 when it was purchased by George and William Bray, two brothers who had worked for the Taylors. After George Bray's death in 1941, the farm changed hands several times until it was purchased by the town in 1987.
Although restoring the farmhouse will be a major focus of the next few years, it's not the only project taking place at Taylor-Bray Farm. This spring volunteers from AmeriCorps will work to rid the area of phragmites, a non-native, invasive species of plant that threatens marshlands. AmeriCorps volunteers will also attempt to document all the flora and fauna of the property.
"It's like a hidden gem," says Denise Murphy, who added that many families manage to find the farm for special events, including a fall festival, a winter open house and a summer sheep shearing festival which draws more than 1,000 visitors.
But she also urges residents to take advantage of the farm during quieter times, perhaps strolling down its walking trails or saying hello to Scotty and Fiona, two Scottish Highland calves donated to the farm in December by the Nobscusset Farm in Dennis and the Sears family.
Although the farm's welcome sign was destroyed during one of this winter's many storms, Murphy says Yarmouth residents and other Cape Codders should feel free to pay a visit to the farm, which is free to the public and open seven days a week "from sunrise to sunset."
"Just come down for a picnic," suggests Murphy. "This is a public farm and we want people to enjoy it."