Billings Farm & Museum in Woodstock

By Norman E Hiill

During my very pleasant visit at the fascinating Billings Farm & Museum in Woodstock,  I somehow felt that I was on a mini-tour of the entire state. This working farm and museum seem to combine and reflect all of Vermont from several perspectives including history, success in land and forest preservation, the introduction of sound farming practices, and tourism.

Historical personages George Perkins Marsh, Frederick Billings, his granddaughter Mary French Rockefeller, and her husband Laurance Spelman Rockefeller are key players that have led to the variety of Billings Farm. Mr. Marsh and Mr. Billings played key roles in emphasizing and implementing the following:

1. After cutting down forests, the systematic replenishment of new trees for new forestry, of course, and to prevent flooding and soil erosion
2. For farming, the establishment of safeguards to prevent the erosion of fertile farm soil
3. The implementation of farming procedures to enhance crop production, such as crop rotation, fallow use of selected land portions, and new plowing methods as alternatives to traditional straight up-and-down plowing
4. To promote tourism, the reservation of portions of public lands for camping, sightseeing and plain old exploring
5. For dairy farming, the use of scientific practices to promote milk production and the efficient use of milk output in butter churning and related milk byproducts

Mr. Marsh and Mr. Billings (as of 1871) were the two original owners of Billings Farm. They saw the need for the above improvements in practices and vigorously promoted them. Mr. Billings, a railroad executive, read what Mr. Marsh wrote on the subject and worked to put it into practice all of his life. He planted more than 10,000 trees on his farm and adjacent areas. His daughter, Mary French Rockefeller, inherited the farm and married Laurance Rockefeller. Through this union, they continued their efforts

By the late 19th century, decades of aggressive forestry had stripped most of the land. Photographs from that time graphically show how barren much of the Vermont landscape was. Conservation and education efforts by the above individuals helped demonstrate how systematic replanting and controlled forestry would preserve the tree population, prevent floods, rejuvenate natural beauty and landscape and, generally, work in everyone’s interests. >MORE