History of Shields Farm
How I added 30 acres to our original property:
The history that I know of starts in about 1900 when the property was acquired by Dolph Shields, comprising about 40 acres of land. It is my understanding that logging was done around then, with the logs being hauled out down the hill to what is now Route 28 where the wood was floated down state.
Around 1920, one of the Shields family got divorced, and the settlement to the wife, Lillian Shields, was a beautiful 2 ¾ acre parcel on the uphill side of the property where Lillian built a tiny house on the lot (her former husband moved one house down the hill to live with his mother). Lillian’s house has fallen down, but there is the remains of a low moss-covered stone foundation. We carefully cut out the saplings and cleaned out the debris, discovering the original porcelain sink and some dishes. Sadly, Lillian Shields eventually let the property go for back takes. Two other historic foundations have also been found and preserved where other tiny farmhouses were built by various Shields family members.
In the early 1900’s, the Shields family began to sell off some lots at the end of the road, mostly to people from Long Island to people who were anxious to get out of the hot city and escape to the fresh air of the Adirondacks. Of the three lots where were sold off at the end of turn of the century, two lots are vacant and one has a small gray camp which was recently sold.
The land used to be all open beautiful meadows and farm lands with incredible views looking all the way down to the Hudson River, over towards Rogers Road and right to Gore Mountain. Then as people had fewer and fewer, and then eventually no more grazing animals, it became a real chore to keep the meadows mowed. Sadly, the land was let go, and young trees grew up, blocking out the sunshine and beautiful views, crowding out many of the century old maple trees.
