Save Sweetwilliam Farm

A spectacular view from North Street at Sweetwilliam Farm in Upton.A farmstand on Sweetwilliam Farm in Upton provides local produce.A spectacular view from North Street at Sweetwilliam Farm in Upton.

  Please make an on-line donation to help save Sweetwilliam Farm

On June 21st, SVT and the Town of Upton closed on the conservation of 96 of Sweetwilliam Farm's 101 acres.  The Town owns 63 acres outright, with a conservation restriction held by SVT, and the two entities co-hold a conservation restriction on an additional 34 acres, which continues to be privately owned and farmed. 
We still need your help!  Through state, local, and private sources, the project raised over $1,175 million for the acquisition, but we still need to raise $58,000 to cover our transaction costs and establish a stewardship endowment.

What we’ve bought: The Town purchased the fee interest in 63 acres (the Whitney Conservation Area) and granted a permanent conservation restriction (CR) to SVT.  The Town and SVT also purchased a CR, to be jointly held, on 33.7 acres (the Sweetwilliam Farm CR).  This land will continue to be owned farmed by SWF’s owners. With the exception of certain permitted agricultural structures, this land can never be built upon.  Approximately five acres, including the existing historic house and existing farmstand, have been excluded from the purchase.  An additional house lot has been created within that five acre envelope.  Please make an on-line donation to help Save Sweetwilliam Farm.

 Sweetwilliam Farm, located on scenic North Street, is a working farm preserving what little remains of Upton’s agricultural history.  Farmed by the Whitney Family for 140 years it still retains the characteristics of a farm from the mid 1700’s.  The farmhouse, built by an uncle of Eli Whitney, dates back to this period.  The current owners are running a successful Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) enterprise, sell local produce at the farmstand, and hold events throughout the year.

The importance of this land lies not only in its history and the spectacular view from North Street, but in its value as a trail corridor connecting Upton State Forest to the east, and the Warren Brook Conservation Area to the west.  These areas in turn connect to open space parcels in Grafton and Hopkinton.  Conserving Sweetwilliam Farm will make it part of a complex of over 2,000 acres of protected land and link an extensive trail network used by horseback riders, hikers, cyclists, skiers, birders and others who enjoy the outdoors.

A 1650 ft. long trail easement through the Sweetwilliam Farm will link the eastern and western parcels purchased by the Town.  The public will have year-round access to the trails and access to the hayfields during winter.  Town-owned land will be open to hunting.  Trails will be developed to connect the property to Upton State Forest and the Howarth and Warren Brook Conservation Areas, a nearly one mile long east-west trail corridor.

The project includes a permanent easement to provide for public parking off North Street at the Sweetwilliam Farm Country Store (the 80 x 30 ft. area would contain at least five spaces).  A permanent easement also provides the town vehicular access to the forested parcels.