Wright-Locke Farm Conservancy, Inc.

Beginning in 2012 Wright-Locke Farm began offering week long programs to acquaint elementary school children with where their food comes from and what it takes to raise it. Initially our programs were offered to children in two groups, those entering kindergarten through second grade and those entering third grade through fifth grade. In 2013 we doubled the number of programs offered and have since expanded our programs to include spring and fall after-school programs, programs for home-schooled children, family oriented programs, and adult workshops.In addition, we work with area preschools to provide informative farm visits and with interested students and adults to integrate them into day-to-day farm operations such as harvesting crops and caring for our chickens, sheep, goats, and bees. We are also working with the local schools to integrate the farm into their curricula.

The Wright-Locke Farm was established in the 1630s and remains the last continuously operating farm in Winchester and one of the few remaining farms within the I-95 beltway. It includes an intact farmstead consisting of five buildings on the National Register of Historic Places and is recognized by the Canadian government as the homestead of Philemon Wright, the individual who first settled what is now the Capitol Region of Canada.In addition to the historic buildings, there remains on the property a large collection of historic farm implements, most of which were manufactured in New England. The objective of our historic preservation program is to preserve and protect these historic assets and to interpret them for the benefit of present and future generations. When the Conservancy began operations the buildings were suffering from years of deferred maintenance and consequently the primary focus of our efforts was to stabilize them.We have accomplished that; the next challenge is to restore the windows in the historic squash house.