Crystal Spring Farm facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Crystal Spring Farm
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 Location in Maine
Location in the United States
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| Location | 277 Pleasant Hill Rd., Brunswick, Maine |
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| Area | 160 acres (65 ha) |
| Built | 1947 |
| Architect | Dionne, Dr. Bertrand |
| Architectural style | Federal, Late Victorian |
| NRHP reference No. | 04000369 |
| Added to NRHP | April 29, 2004 |
Crystal Spring Farm is a special historic farm located at 277 Pleasant Hill Road in Brunswick, Maine. This large property is about 160 acres, which is like 120 football fields! People have been farming here since the early 1800s. Most of the buildings you see today were built in the mid-1900s.
Today, the Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust owns the farm. They operate it as a community farm, helping local people get fresh food. It's also a wonderful place for walking, with trails open to everyone. Crystal Spring Farm was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004 because of its important history.
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Exploring Crystal Spring Farm
Crystal Spring Farm is in a quiet, rural part of southwestern Brunswick. The main farm buildings are grouped together in a U-shape. You'll find them southeast of where Pleasant Hill Road and Woodside Road meet. The farm land itself has wide-open fields and some wooded areas.
What You'll See at the Farm
The farm complex has ten buildings. The main house is at the eastern end. It's actually several older houses that were joined together over time. Next to it, there's an early 1900s building that was once used for preparing meat.
Most of the other buildings were built after a big fire in 1946. This fire destroyed many of the original farm structures. These newer buildings include:
- Concrete barns for dairy cows and processing milk.
- A Quonset hut for storing hay. A Quonset hut is a lightweight, half-cylindrical building, often used by the military.
- Sheds for equipment and workshops.
- A tall silo for storing animal feed.
A Look Back at the Farm's History
The land where Crystal Spring Farm sits has a long farming history.
Early Days of Farming
The Woodside family were the first known farmers here. They worked this land for about 120 years, starting in 1783. In the early 1900s, new owners changed the farm to focus mainly on dairy farming. This meant raising cows for milk.
Growing the Farm
In 1941, Maurice Dionne bought the farm. His brother, Bert Dionne, who was a veterinarian (an animal doctor), took over running it. Bert worked hard to make the farm much bigger and produce more. Even after the big fire in 1946, they rebuilt and continued to expand. Some people think the Quonset huts on the farm might have been extra military materials from the nearby Brunswick Naval Air Station.
Later, the Dionnes sold the farm to Oakhurst Dairy, a large milk company in the region. In 1970, the farm changed again, this time to raising beef cattle instead of dairy cows.
The Farm Today
In 1997, the Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust bought 160 acres of the farm. Their goal was to protect this important open space and keep it as a working farm. Since then, the farm has grown to over 300 acres!
Today, Crystal Spring Farm is used for community-supported agriculture. This is a way for people to buy fresh produce directly from the farm. It helps support local farmers and gives families healthy food. The farm also has walking trails that are open to the public, so everyone can enjoy its beauty.
