Wright-Locke Farm Conservancy

The Conservancy was established by the Town of Winchester to:

• manage, operate and steward the land and buildings constituting the Wright-Locke Farm, a.k.a. Hamilton Farm,
• to support, protect, provide for and defend public access for public recreation, education, and enjoyment, and
• to raise, solicit, hold and invest funds to accomplish these purposes.

An Urban Farm with a Rich History

The Wright-Locke Farm has operated continuously since the 17th century when Thomas Wright established a farm at the intersection of High and Ridge Streets in what was then the town of Woburn. Among his children was a son, Philemon, born in 1760, who purchased the farm from his father in 1789. Philemon sold the farm in 1800 to Josiah Locke and moved to Canada where he became the first settler of Canada’s National Capital Region and founded the town of Wrightstown, later incorporated as the town of Hull. He later went on to serve as the first representative from Ottawa County in the Lower Canada Assembly. Josiah Locke sold the farm to his son Asa in 1804 and the farm remained in the possession of the Locke family until the mid 20th century. The farm was then sold to the Hamilton family who continued to operate the farm until it was purchased by the Town of Winchester in 2007.

What makes the Wright-Locke farm unique is that it has survived as an urban working farm into the 21st century while retaining the configuration of a 19th century farm. The main barn was constructed in 1827 and the present day farmhouse was constructed in 1828. A second barn, known as the “Squash Barn”, was constructed about 1915 and replaced an earlier structure on the same location. The squash barn is of particular significance since it is one of only a few such structures that were constructed for the purpose of storing squash through the winter months that remain unaltered in all of New England. It was specifically designed to store the “Blue Hubbard” squash variety, an heirloom squash once extremely popular with Boston restaurants and valued by chefs for holding its flavor over long periods of storage. Other buildings on the farm include an ice house, a pump house, a well house, and a shed that has served numerous purposes over the years. Aerial photographs from the 1930’s show the farm buildings in essentially the same configuration as exists today.

Although the farm totaled over 100 acres when purchased by Josiah Locke, today the farm occupies approximately 20 acres. And, despite its purchase by the Town of Winchester, farming continues in the form of a volunteer-operated, pick-your-own organic raspberry operation. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983 and in 2006 was listed by Preservation Massachusetts as one of the Ten Most Endangered Historic Resources in Massachusetts.