From the desk of Gal Potashnick, Outreach & Member Services Director;

Ammonoosuc Conservation Trust

Contact: Rebecca Brown, Ammonoosuc Conservation Trust 728-5557

Historic Lisbon Farm Conserved Forever

LISBON – A slice of North Country heritage, a place for future farmers, and land that helps protect the quality of the Ammonoosuc River is protected for all time, thanks to the generosity of Lisbon resident Dori Hamilton.

Hamilton donated a conservation easement on her Sweeney Road farm to the Ammonoosuc Conservation Trust.

“I did this to be sure that my farm is forever kept in its natural state, as an area to be farmed, a refuge for wildlife, and its beauty to be observed.“ Hamilton said at the project closing at the ACT office in Franconia.

Hamilton grew up in rural Pennsylvania. When she was very young, her father managed a dairy farm. After a career as a Navy nurse and retiring in the late 1980s, Hamilton sought a place where she could raise livestock on a farm of her own. She found the perfect place on Sweeney Road in Lisbon, a farm first settled in the 1800s where sheep, cows, chickens and pigs had been raised, with gorgeous barns, ample pastures, and an apple orchard.

Hamilton named her property Tranquil Vewe Croft in memory of her mother, who was raised on Tranquil Farm in Pennsylvania, and her Scottish father – “croft” being the term for a small farm in Scotland. “Vewe” is a play on words. Hamilton’s father lived with her at the farm for a time before his death.

Hamilton’s largest herd was 50 Romney and Oxford sheep after an original flock of 10. She and farm neighbors cooperatively hayed and baled six fields along nearby Walker Hill and Slate Ledge roads. Bales were stored in one of Dori’s barns.

Hamilton has been a fixture at the Littleton Farmers Market, spinning and selling wool. Year round she sells her wool at the ARTS Gallery in Lisbon, where she also volunteers.

“We’re honored to work with Dori to achieve her goal of protecting her farm forever,” said ACT Executive Director Rebecca Brown. “Dori’s vision for the future of having this lovely place be available for new farmers is an inspiration.”

In addition to being a picturesque farm, Hamilton’s land includes wildlife habitat in its woods and is part of the undeveloped land on the west side of Route 302 that provides a buffer toward the Ammonoosuc River. Her property is part of the land the NH Dept. of Environmental Services has identified as important  for drinking water protection.

“Having seen other properties in our area stripped of their natural beauty, I wanted to make sure that never happened to mine,” Hamilton said.

Ammonoosuc Conservation Trust works with individuals, families, and communities to ensure that farmland and forests, and rivers, lakes, and streams are available for people and wildlife now and forever. For more information, and learn about our upcoming events, please call (603) 823-7777 or visit www.act-nh.org.

photo credit to ACT