The Agricultural Preservation Restriction (APR) is held by the Belmont Land Trust (supported by the American Farmland Trust) on a parcel of land of approximately 10 acres located in the Town of Belmont, and is comprised of prime agricultural farmlands and woodlands. The property will be retained predominantly in productive agricultural and farming use, preserving in perpetuity the existing scenic and open condition of this historically important parcel of land.
The farm represents a productive agricultural tract containing rich fertile soil, which has been in cultivation since 1634, when, as part of a land grant, King Charles I of England deeded the property to Abraham Hill of Charlestown, a direct forbear of the current owners, the Ogilby family. Its long use may make it the oldest continually operating farm in the United States.
The farm was recognized by the Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Food and Agriculture as one of the very few remaining active farms still surviving inside Metro-Boston’s Route 128 ring, being less than six miles from the golden dome of the Massachusetts State House. The farm has been rented to the Sergi family since 1945 who have continually grown and sold fresh vegetables to the public from the Premises.
The farm has been recognized as a significant private undeveloped and unprotected parcel given a high priority for conservation by the Town of Belmont, as indicated in the Belmont Open Space Plan dated January, 2001.
The farm also provides a scenic wooded area for public visual enjoyment from Blanchard Road, Taylor Road, and Bright Road.
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