Vermont; Shelburne Farms; July, 2019
Shelburne Farms is a modern dairy and beef farm and a model of sustainable farming. Shelburne became a farming center after European settlers arrived and displaced the indigenous Abnecki. In the late 1800s, William Seward Webb and Lila Vanderbilt Webb acquired 32 local farms and consolidated them into an innovative 3,800-acre agricultural estate to raise horses. Frederick Law Olmsted - the Central Park architect - designed the landscape. Eventually the family focused on dairy and beef livestock, and in 1972 opened Shelburne Farms to the public. It continues as an operating farm. Its main purpose is serving as a model of low-impact farming sustainability and as an educational center. As a sideline, it sells farm products, including its stunningly great cheddar.
Visitors can visit and stay in the striking main house - now the Inn - and see the barns and sweeping 1,400-acre grounds overlooking Lake Champlain. The architecture is assured and gracefully sturdy and the vistas peaceful. It is well worth visiting and touring - and sampling the cheddar.
This was the carriage barn. The Webbs were avid carriage collectors, as building size implies (it is bigger than it looks from a distance). The slate roof and clean lines are admirably attractive.
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Viewed from the terrace and gardens, the main house, now the Inn, displays busy but attractive elements.
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Architectural details are subtle and pleasing. Brick chimneys serve multiple fireplaces.
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Eyebrow windows are characteristic. Workmanship was meticulous.
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Inside the Inn:
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September 13: I've added a link to my gallery holding all the Vermont photos:
https://www.zenfolio.com/bobeastaughimagery/p51428530
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After a lifetime of mainly expressing myself with words, my postings here will mainly rely on images. They will speak for themselves to some extent, but I'll usually add a few comments of explanation. I've taken photographs for decades, since the 1950's, inspired in part by my father's photographic skill. Four years of photo assignments and quality darkroom time eventually gave way to decades of casual and family picture-taking. I re-immersed myself when I left film and turned to digital.