New Hampshire CSA
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TM 2010 New Hampshire CSA LLC
The yellow farmhouse across from the NHCSA field was built in 1850 by Ebeneezer Martin on land he
acquired in 1842. The lumber for the house was cut from the site. The barn was raised in 1851 and was the
last "barn raising " event in Chester. The four maple trees are planted to represent Ebeneezers four daughters.
Miss Muriel Church arrived at the farm in Chester from the "city", Medford, Massachsetts on a cold March 12 in 1914 with her parents who had bought the farm from one of Ebeneezer's daughters, the female half of Mr. and Mrs. Byard. They had arrived in Derry by train and then took the electric train to Chester. She was 11 years old and loved the farm and its lifestyle; she was sick of living in the city.
She was a school teacher in Chester and some other New Hampshire towns for many years; teaching in a one room school house.
She inherited her farm on Towle Road in the 1930's and continued to expand its land holdings . In 1969 she operated it as a working farm herself, finally a "farmer", since she was retired from teaching. She continued doing this with varied livestock and hayrides for the rest of her life.
In 1995 Miss Church, into her 90's set up the Spring Hill Farm Trust that contains her almost 600 acre farm, buildings and home and donated it to the Town of Chester to remain forever a working farm and nature preserve.
She began giving moonlit horse drawn hay rides in 1946 and they continue today through the Trust.
Miss Muriel Church arrived at the farm in Chester from the "city", Medford, Massachsetts on a cold March 12 in 1914 with her parents who had bought the farm from one of Ebeneezer's daughters, the female half of Mr. and Mrs. Byard. They had arrived in Derry by train and then took the electric train to Chester. She was 11 years old and loved the farm and its lifestyle; she was sick of living in the city.
She was a school teacher in Chester and some other New Hampshire towns for many years; teaching in a one room school house.
She inherited her farm on Towle Road in the 1930's and continued to expand its land holdings . In 1969 she operated it as a working farm herself, finally a "farmer", since she was retired from teaching. She continued doing this with varied livestock and hayrides for the rest of her life.
In 1995 Miss Church, into her 90's set up the Spring Hill Farm Trust that contains her almost 600 acre farm, buildings and home and donated it to the Town of Chester to remain forever a working farm and nature preserve.
She began giving moonlit horse drawn hay rides in 1946 and they continue today through the Trust.