Jockey Hill Farm

Bordering the southern edge of the Calvin Coolidge State Park in Shrewsbury, Vermont, Jockey Hill Farm has a storied history. During the mid-1800’s, this land and the surrounding farms were used as sheep farms, and the miles of tell-tale stone walls still make their way across the fields. Later the land belonged to Middlebury College and was purchased by Paul and Charlotte Moody in 1942. Paul had served as the President of Middlebury College, and after his tenure there he retired to Jockey Hill Farm. The land was then passed down through the family, and it now belongs to brothers Tim and Chris Stout.

Currently there are four buildings on the property including a small 900 sq. ft. house, a one room cottage, a large barn and a shed for storing tractor attachments, but as you can see in the pictures below, this property was once a thriving farm and home. The oldest picture is of a cleared meadow with a classic steep-pitched roof and clapboard house set against the backdrop of a large hill. Barns and outbuildings surround the home, and trees line the hill above the serene scene. In later pictures, a quintessential white Vermont farmhouse looks out over a fantastic meadow and an exquisitely planned garden that is flanked by one of the old stone walls. Paul Moody walks in the garden, and the family seems to be enjoying a summer afternoon in the yard next to a circle of Adirondack chairs and a colorful umbrella.

Today the land is under the care of the Stout brothers and is being carefully preserved for future generations. Once open land for grazing, much of the land has been returned to forest with many types of trees, including a 40 acre working maple stand, 60 acres of spruce, hemlock, balsam, and white pine, and 40 acres of mixed hardwood.  Tim and Chris spent their childhood summers on this land, and to this day the forest is still used for family recreation, timber harvesting, and maple sugaring. The land is also closely monitored by the Stouts for wildlife, forest health, impacts of climate change and invasive plants and insects. The farm sits adjacent to about 25,000 acres of preserved land consisting of large parcels owned by neighbors, several large parcels of Town land, the Calvin Coolidge State Forest and several other large land tracks. The synergies between all these properties provide an ideal ecosystem for preserving wildlife, trees, waterways, wetlands and healthy soils.

In keeping with the commitment that the state of Vermont has in managing its forests over the last 200 years, and like George Perkins Marsh, the Stout family feels it is their obligation to seize the mantel of land preservation so our children and their children can enjoy the land undisturbed through the land. Our ancestors all held a strong conservation ethic that has allowed us to cherish the land. We desire to have this ethic carried on well into the future.