Robert Frost Farm (Derry, New Hampshire) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Robert Frost Farm State Historic Site
The Robert Frost Farm
Location	122 Rockingham Rd, Derry, New Hampshire
Area	64 acres (26 ha)
Elevation	456 feet (139 m)
Administered by	New Hampshire Division of Parks and Recreation
Designation	New Hampshire state park
Website	Robert Frost Farm State Historic Site
Robert Frost Homestead
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Area	13 acres (5.3 ha)
Built	1884
NRHP reference No.	68000008
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	May 23, 1968
Designated {{{NRHP_TYPE}}}	May 23, 1968

The Robert Frost Farm in Derry, New Hampshire was once the home of famous American poet Robert Frost. This two-story farmhouse was built in 1884. Frost and his family lived here from 1900 to 1911. Today, the farm is a historic house museum and a New Hampshire state park. It is also known as the Robert Frost Homestead and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Robert Frost's Time at the Farm

Robert Frost lived at this farm from the fall of 1900 until he sold it in November 1911. This was a very important time for his writing. Many of the poems in his first two books were created here. These books are called A Boy's Will and North of Boston.

Frost also wrote many poems for his 1916 collection, Mountain Interval, at the Derry farm. He once said that his time at Derry stayed with him. He felt it helped him write poetry for many years afterward. During this period, Frost also wrote articles for farming magazines.

Family Life and Learning

Life on the farm was busy for the Frost family. Robert and his wife, Elinor, had several children. Their first son, Elliott, sadly passed away on the farm in 1900. The other children were taught at home by their parents.

Lesley Frost, one of their daughters, remembered learning the alphabet on a typewriter. Her mother taught subjects like reading, writing, geography, and spelling. Her father, Robert Frost, taught them about botany (plants) and astronomy (stars).

Moving On From the Farm

In the fall of 1909, the family moved from the farm. They rented a place in Derry Village. This was because Frost began teaching at the Pinkerton Academy. Later, they moved to Plymouth, New Hampshire. Frost then taught at the Plymouth Normal School.

The Farm's Journey to a Historic Site

After the Frost family left, the farm was used differently for a while. In the 1940s, it even became a junk yard. Hundreds of old cars were left in the field behind the house. The house itself became run down and needed many repairs.

The state of New Hampshire bought the property in 1964. By 1975, the farm was fully restored. It was then opened to the public as a historic site.

The Farm Today

The Robert Frost Farm was originally owned by Frost's grandfather. In 1968, it was named a National Historic Landmark. This means it is a very important historical place in the United States.

Today, the farm is a New Hampshire state park. You can find it on the east side of Rockingham Road (New Hampshire Route 28). It is about 2 miles southeast of Derry Village. The farm is open to visitors during certain times of the year.

Poems Inspired by the Farm

Many of Robert Frost's famous poems were inspired by his life at the Derry farm.

• His poem "Mending Wall" is about repairing a stone wall. Frost would do this each spring with his neighbor, Napoleon Guay. This yearly task was known as "spring mending time." He wrote this poem while living in England, missing his New England farm.
• "Hyla Brook" was written in 1906 while Frost still lived on the farm. It describes a small brook located just south of the property.

Images for kids

• 

  You can visit the information center in the barn and take self-guided tours around the property for free. Guided tours are also available for a small fee.

• 

  This chair is similar to the one Robert Frost used for writing. On the table are copies of The Youth's Companion, which he read to his children and students.

• 

  This is the original soapstone sink from the Frost family's time. You can see marks where they sharpened their knives. It was found in the cellar and put back in place in the 1980s.