LAUDHOLM FARM, A HISTORY

Dan Stockford

© 1995 Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve

Written for the dedication ceremony of Wells Reserve, which took place in August 1986. This history is available in booklet form at the gift shop in the Wells Reserve Visitor Center. [currently out of stock]

The acquisition of Laudholm Farm by the Laudholm Trust and the establishment of the Wells National Estuarine Sanctuary continue a rich historical tradition dating back more than 350 years. Since the farm was first settled by English colonists in the mid-17th century, it has passed through the hands of only four families. The history of those families and what can be discerned about the farming operation over the years prove that Laudholm has never been an ordinary farm.

The first residents of Laudholm Farm were a family by the name of Boade, who moved to the site from Winter Harbor in 1642. By then the King of England had granted the entire "Province of Mayne" to Sir Ferdinand Gorges. Having other matters to attend to in the Old World, Ferdinand sent his nephew, Thomas Gorges, as his agent to distribute the land within the province. In 1643 Thomas granted the first proprietor of Laudholm Farm, Henry Boade, and two other prominent residents of the area "full and absolute power to alot bounds and sett forth any lott or bounds unto any man that shall come to inhabit in the plantation." The boundaries of the "plantation" ran from the Ogunquit to the Kennebunk Rivers and eight miles up into the wilderness. For every hundred acres that Boade and his fellow commissioners took for themselves or granted to others, they were to collect five shillings for Gorges.

Henry Boade was a prominent member of the community from the start. A decade later in July 1653, he was present with 20 other men of Wells to sign the submission to the government of Massachusetts. It was at this time that Wells was officially incorporated as a town. Henry Boade was appointed as the chairman of the town's first board of selectmen and as a commissioner to try "small cawses under forty shillings."

Boade was also one of the original members of the First Congregational Church in Wells, established in the 1640s. The pastor of this church was the maverick theologian, the Reverend John Wheelwright.

The ruling authorities of Massachusetts had expelled Wheelwright for espousing beliefs similar to his friend Ann Hutchinson, another radical theologian who had been exiled to Rhode Island. Boade apparently adopted some of Wheelwright's beliefs, for he was at the forefront of a complex theological dispute with the Massachusetts commissioners that led to the dissolution of the church shortly after Wells was placed under the jurisdiction of Massachusetts.

Evidently Boade was getting on in years by 1655, for in that year he made an arrangement to sell the farm to two brothers, William and Harlakenden Symonds. The deed of sale is unique for that time because it gave Boade the right to continue living on the farm until he and his wife passed away. Under the terms of the deed the Boades would continue to keep up to 16 head of cattle, for which the Symonds would provide the hay. The deed also arranged for the transfer or joint proprietorship of the farm's "milch cows, oxen, swine, fruit trees, and workeing Towles." The cost of the farm would be "the some of four scoore pounds, to bee payd in wheate, ry, barley, Cattle, in butter, & porke, & Indean Corne."

Henry Boade passed away two years later. In 1659 Boade's widow, Ann, and her new husband gave William Symonds full proprietorship of the farm, resolving the provisions of the deed. By that time Harlakenden had turned over his share in the farm to his brother.

Like Boade, William Symonds was a prominent man in the Town of Wells. He was a selectman, a frequent member of the annual grand jury, and the overseer of many of his neighbor's wills.

The King's Road, which extended from Boston up through Portsmouth into Maine, went right past the house of William Symonds, which was at or near where the main house of Laudholm Farm is now. The road followed approximately the same route that Laudholm Farm Road does today, through the farm and down to the Little River estuary, where a ferry carried travellers across to what is now Crescent Surf Beach.

In 1675 Symond's location on the main road at the edge of the town of Wells put his life and property in danger. King Phillip's War between the native Americans and the white man had begun in Massachusetts and was now spreading to Maine. On the Saco River north of Wells, a group of settlers tipped over a canoe with an Indian woman and her infant child in it, believing a rumor that infant children of Indians could swim. The settlers evidently did not know that it was the family of an Indian Sachem. When the child died after the woman's futile attempts to save it, the Indians went on a rampage in a southerly direction. When they reached Wells, their first attack was on the house of William Symonds, where Laudholm Farm now stands. Symonds, aware of the imminent danger, had removed his family to a nearby garrison. An early historian described the scene when one of Symond's servants, returning to the farm "early in the morning to look after some business there tarried longer than was needful to provide something for himself. The Indians invited themselves to breakfast with him making the poor fellow pay the shot when they had done with the loss of his life." They then burned the house to the ground. Despite the dangers and his loss of property, Symonds remained in Wells for a few more years, finally passing away in Ipswich in 1679.

It was William Symonds' heirs who turned the farm over to the next proprietors. In 1717 Symonds' grandson, Symonds Epes, sold half of the farm to Nathaniel Clark, Jr. Clark was the son of Nathaniel Clark, Sr., who came to Wells in about 1692 from Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The elder Clark had five children, and he deeded land near the Symonds farm to his eldest son Nathaniel in 1715. Two years later Nathaniel, Jr. added the Symonds land to his holdings.

Little is known of the Clarks, who occupied Laudholm Farm for more than 150 years. Nathaniel Clark, Jr. was born in 1692. He married Martha Treadwell of Ipswich and deeded the majority of the farm and the buildings to his son Adam in 1762. Adam was born in Wells in 1737 and married Sarah Downing from Arundel. In 1767 Adam served on the committee of an unsuccessful petition to enlarge the church parish to include Little River and its boundaries. He died in 1804, but before he passed away, he deeded the farm, dwelling house, and other buildings to his son, Benaiah.

Benaiah Clark was born in Wells in 1766. An historian wrote of him: "Benaiah was one of the selectmen of the town for many years. His unswerving integrity inspired the public with unlimited confidence in him, and he therefore had the respect and goodwill of the people. He confined himself chiefly to agricultural pursuits, his farm being so extensive as to require his whole attention." Benaiah died in 1816, and upon his death, the farm passed to his son, Theodore.

Theodore Clark was born in 1793 and married Elizabeth Gilman in 1819. He was the most prosperous and successful farmer in 19th century Wells. The York County Courthouse contains literally hundreds of real estate transactions that Theodore Clark made during the 87 years he lived, yet the location of his homestead and central farm remained the same. Clark built the core of the main house that stands today at Laudholm Farm around 1820.

Agricultural census records from 1850 through 1870 tell us quite a bit about the size and scope of Clark's farming operation. The total amount of land he owned ranged from 1300 acres in 1850 to 550 acres twenty years later. In 1850 Clark concentrated primarily on raising crops such as Irish potatoes, Indian corn, hay, barley, and orchard products. He owned six cows and produced 600 pounds of butter that year. By 1870 Theodore had shifted his operation to sheep. In that year alone he owned 200 sheep and produced 500 pounds of wool.

Theodore Clark's wife, Elizabeth, died in 1869, and soon after, Theodore married his second wife, Hannah Tripp. When Hannah died in 1875, Clark married again at the age of 83. He died on March 31, 1880, at the age of 87.

Within two years of his death, Theodore Clark's heirs had sold off virtually all of the land in Wells that he had spent his long life acquiring, the major portion of which had been in his family for over a century and a half. Clark's heirs evidently decided to move to Bangor, but there is no record of their reasons for doing so. The Kennebunk Enterprise of August 26, 1881, advertised the sale of the main farm and dwelling house, as well as 25 other parcels of land that Clark owned in Wells. Within a month, George Clement Lord, then president of the Boston & Maine Railroad, was the new owner of the major portion of the estate.

George C. Lord evidently wished to purchase a vacation home near his boyhood home. Lord was born at Kennebunk Landing in 1823, the son of ship captain and builder, George Lord. He was raised in Kennebunk and later attended Governor Dummer Academy in South Byfield, Massachusetts. At the tender age of 16, George C. Lord moved to Boston to begin a career in business. By the time he was 25, he had founded his own shipping and tugboat-building business. He made his home in the Boston suburb of Newton and married his cousin Marion Ruthven Waterston in 1866. Lord began his career at the Boston & Maine Railroad as a director in 1866. He became vice president in 1880 and president of the B&M in 1881, the same year he bought Laudholm Farm. The eight years Lord served as president was a time of tremendous growth for the railroad; the number of passengers, employees, and miles of track increased more than fivefold.

In those days Laudholm was known as the "Elms Farm." One of the privileges of being in charge of a railroad is that one can build stations for one's own convenience, and George C. Lord did just that. In 1888 the "Elms" Station opened. The station building still stands on Route 1, although it was converted to a bookstore and expanded. Mr. Lord made substantial changes to the farmhouse. He raised the roof to add a third floor to the main house and added the expansive porches all around the house. He employed a farm manager and several farmhands. He visited the "Elms" frequently until his death in Newton in 1893, when his eldest son Robert W. Lord assumed proprietorship of the farm.

Robert W. Lord was involved in the shipping business in Boston, He had taken an active interest in raising cattle at his own estate in Newton. In the 1880s, Robert travelled to the Isle of Guernsey off of Great Britain, and he brought back purebred Guernsey cattle, which formed the beginnings of the famous Laudholm herd of Guernsey cows. Like his father, Robert was a gentleman farmer, choosing to employ year-round help and travelling up from Boston in the summertime.

Many improvements were made to the farm while Robert was in charge. The old barn burned to the ground about 1905 when the wind swept a burning shingle up the pasture from a flaming house on what is now Lord Road. In its place Robert constructed the state-of-the-art Jamesway Barn that stands today. Robert also added the icehouse and water tower to the farm. On July 3, 1907, the Kennebunk Enterprise announced: "Robert W. Lord is building a garage at the Elms Farm. This was necessitated by his purchase of a magnificent automobile." That auto was a Thomas Forty. Robert died a year later at the age of 60, and his brother Charles E. Lord undertook management of the farm.

The period from about 1910 to the beginning of the Great Depression in 1929 was the heyday of Laudholm Farm. Indeed, it was shortly after Charles E. Lord became the proprietor that the farm received its present name. Charles had dubbed his estate in Newton with the name "Laudholm" some years before. After his brother's death, Charles changed the name of the farm in Wells from "Elms Farm" to "Laudholm Farm." Today there is still a Laudholm Road off Cabot Street in Newton, Massachusetts, and the house Charles lived in, Laudholm Newton, still stands.

Charles spent a great deal of time and money improving the farm. He retained his brother's interest in Guernsey cows, but he also added poultry houses and began raising chickens. Charles bought up additional land around the farm including the Hill and Wells cottages that sit at the original entrance to the farm (now the service entrance).

Charles' son, George Clement Lord II, began living year-round at the farm in 1916. George II had been raised in Newton and like his grandfather before him, attended Governor Dummer Academy. After graduating from Phillips Andover Academy, he went to work for the Bates Manufacturing Company in Lewiston, Maine. He was soon compelled to leave, however, for reasons of health. In later years his wife, Mary, described the situation: "No one was then occupying the Big House, which was just used during the summer months. So my husband's father suggested we occupy the house, and he run the farm. Nothing could have been more acceptable, as George had spent many happy visits there when his uncle was managing it." To make the main house inhabitable for the new residents, electricity and a heating system were installed.

Soon after his arrival at Laudholm Farm, George C. Lord II thrust himself into the local and state political arena with notable success. He served as a selectman for the town of Wells, as a state representative, state senator, and finally on the Maine Governor's Council. He was also active in many farming organizations, serving as President of the York County Breeder's Association.

As an up-and-coming politician Mr. Lord frequently hosted the annual York County Farmers' Field Day at Laudholm Farm. On these occasions farmers from across the county gathered at the farm to listen to speeches on agricultural matters and discuss the latest in farm technology. Laudholm Farm was an appropriate location for those events, for it was widely known as "one of the showplaces of the country and a model of modern scientific agriculture."

A brochure from the 1920s advertised the many products of "Laudholm Farms" and boasted of the cleanliness of the facilities and the strict diet fed to the cattle. The farm offered milk, cream, butter, eggs, roasters, and broilers sent by parcel post to Boston and beyond. These products were "given the same attention as though Laudholm Farm's customers were themselves the owner of the estate."

The great depression was as tough on Laudholm Farm as it was on the rest of the nation. The Lords made the best of it by taking in summer boarders at "Laudholm Manor Farms and Cottages." Laudholm Manor guests would be treated to fresh Guernsey milk and cream, fruit and vegetables from the farm garden, and a room with private bath — all for four, five, or six dollars per day per person, including meals.

In 1931 Charles Edward Lord turned over ownership of Laudholm Farm to his three children: George, Roger, and Marion. George continued his farming operation at Laudholm until 1952 when he dispersed the Guernsey herd at an auction held at the farm.

The following year, an historical pageant was held at Laudholm Farm as part of the 350th birthday celebration of the town of Wells. More than 200 actors, dancers, and singers participated in the grand event titled "These Things Shall Be." The location for the pageant was particularly suitable, as Laudholm Farm had played such a long and important role in the history of the town of Wells.

George Lord began the process of preserving his land for the public in the 1960s, when he sold about 200 acres, including Laudholm Beach, to the state. Laudholm Farm continued to be hayed and farmed by local farmers until after George C. Lord II's death in 1977.

In the early 1980s, Laudholm Farm lay split among three families, all heirs of Charles E. Lord. When the prospect of development of the property was being discussed, concerned citizens of the town of Wells got together and decided this important landmark must be saved. It is the fruit of their efforts and foresight that we enjoy today. Instead of a subdivision of condominiums, houses, or hotels, the fields and estuaries of Laudholm Farm will remain in much the same condition they have for 350 years.

Epilogue

The group of local citizens, working to preserve the remaining 250 acres of Laudholm Farm, raised enough money to keep their hopes alive while developers were busy making plans to subdivide the property. Then the State Planning Office told the citizens' group about a federal program sponsored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to preserve estuaries. Since the farm was adjacent to two estuaries, the points where the Little and Webhannet rivers meet the sea, it was a perfect candidate to become a National Estuarine Research Sanctuary.

Townspeople supported the effort to save the site and create a sanctuary by an overwhelmingly favorable vote, and the campaign was on. The group formed the non-profit organization, Laudholm Farm Trust, and graduated from raffles and bottle returns to foundations, businesses, and generous donors. In just four years, the Trust raised enough funds to match NOAA grants and purchase the land. Laudholm Farm was combined with Laudholm Beach, marsh lands from the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge, and 26 acres owned by the Town of Wells to create the 1,600-acre sanctuary.

During the 1980s, the name, sanctuary, was changed by the federal government to "reserve." Laudholm Farm Trust dropped "farm" from its name to more closely reflect the new mission of the organization: to protect estuaries through research and education.

The Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve was dedicated in 1986. Laudholm Trust then proceeded to raise funds to restore the historic buildings and support research and education programs. Today, the Reserve has seven miles of walking trails, five scenic overlooks, a quiet beach where endangered least terns and piping plovers nest, and several historic farm buildings, which have been magnificently restored. The buildings are used for exhibits, classrooms, a research laboratory, auditorium, and offices.

Laudholm Trust continues to raise funds to support the Reserve and its programs. It has received many awards including the National Preservation Honor Award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

© Laudholm Trust, PO Box 1007, Wells ME 04090 ~ 207 646-4521