First farmed in the 1770s, Fosterfields illustrates the evolution of farming practices from the late-eighteenth to the early-twentieth centuries. Under Charles W. Foster's ownership, the farm exemplified such progressive agricultural innovations as the production of silage, use of steam power and underground water systems. Today, Fosterfields contains residential and farm buildings dating from the past two centuries.

The current Trust grant will fund a historic structure report for the completion of the documentation of the barnyard complex, specifically the creamery/bunkhouse, ensilage pits and the granary/engine house.

This grant funds ongoing preservation work on several farm buildings: the porch of The Willows (1854), roof and siding of the Ice House (c. 1854), and exterior of a 1918-vintage cottage, as well as the interior rehabilitation of the tenant Farmhouse and its porches (1916).

These grants funded the restoration of dining room murals in the Willows and repairs to the Carriage House.

For more information, visit: http://www.howellfarm.com/alhfam2003/sites/fosterfields.htm