Yesterday morning, Charles Lord led the History of a Saltwater Farm program for a dozen interested visitors. Not only is Charles the outgoing Facilities Manager and Caretaker of the Wells Reserve, but he is also a member of THE Lord family that purchased Laudholm Farm in 1881. Charles is moving to Germany with his family in August, so this was his last history program of the season.

The group loved hearing his stories about life at Laudholm. Charles spoke of the nine-hole golf course that used to grace the fields, the grass tennis court in the barnyard, and the walks to the beach house for tea. Charles's grandmother used to do needlepoint and watch from a second floor window of the farmhouse as her family members sailed down the Little River.

Charles remembers having Thanksgiving dinners in the dining room, which is now the reception area of the Visitor Center. His brother used to ride the dumb waiter (hidden in a wall off the dining room) and scare his grandmother when she opened the door to use it.

Charles reminisced that the kitchen, which houses exhibits today, always smelled of pies. One day, a blueberry pie went missing from the window sill where it was cooling, and a young neighbor child insisted he didn't know anything about it despite having blueberry evidence all over his face. Charles remembers taking kites from the toy room (the current Volunteer Coordinator's office) and flying them from "Kite Rock," which is a glacial erratic within view of the Visitor Center. He talked about his relatives swimming in the water tower next to the farmhouse on hot days and being "happy as clams." Charles also recounted stories of riding the manure cart through the cow barn with his siblings, much like an amusement park ride, and being dropped into the manure pile in the manure shed at the end of the adventure!

Charles is a tremendous source of information for historical facts and stories related to Laudholm Farm. His last day as a staff member of Wells Reserve is August 1, so if you have a burning question about life on the farm, hurry over to the Reserve and look for him. He works tirelessly to keep the facilities and grounds of the Reserve in tip top shape, and is often seen traveling around campus on his beloved tractor.

Future History of a Saltwater Farm programs (free with site admission), led by trained docents, will be on the following dates this season: July 24, August 6, August 20, and August 28.