‘hamlet’ (noun) – a small settlement, generally one smaller than a village.

Snowden Hamlet came to us with the remnants of a fully functioning farm and forest that had once been much larger.  Many of the structures, but for one, were falling or had fallen down.  The hay barn, built in 1906, was the only structure still standing.  The name, Snowden Hamlet, is a reflection of what it takes to have a family farm and forest- a small settlement of buildings.

Our hope is to return this wonderful little piece of the planet into a contributing member of the ecosystem as well as a place for us to call home.  The journey has been slow to start, mostly consisting of clean-up and observation.  In the four years since we purchased Snowden Hamlet we’ve learned much about forestry, pond health, weather patterns, challenges to farming, and most importantly- how critical water is to every aspect of life.  One of our most favorite features of Snowden Hamlet is the large pond, all of our activities revolve around it.  We’re hoping that over time we can return it to the local swimming hole it once was and restore the two upper ponds along the way as well.

We look forward to the day when all of our plans have taken form.  In the mean time, we’d love to take you for a walk in our woods- literally or virtually.  Despite all the hard work and hard lessons, we feel incredibly fortunate to be the caretakers of Snowden Hamlet.

-Eric and Jenn