History of the Farm

The historic property known as 'Rosemary Farm' began as the family farm of Hugh and Mary Rose, in the 1870’s, recently married and beginning their new life together. The farmhouse that was to be their home was dragged into place by a team of oxen, and the 600 acre homestead began to grow. A small barn was built first, and still stands today, as the front section of the main barn. They raised their five children on the farm, and the story goes that their youngest began calling the property 'Rosemary Farm' after her mom, Mary Rose. By the 1880’s the Roses decided to rebuild the barn, creating a five story bank barn, painted ‘gold’ and topped with a lasting, beautiful slate roof atop strong hand-hewn beams. The barn was dedicated as the largest barn in Delaware County in 1890, and is still in use, having been restored and re-purposed to modern hay storage and the Sanctuary needs.

After the passing of Hugh and Mary, their youngest son Ralph took over the ownership and operation, farming into the 1950’s, still using a team of horses to loose cut hay to feed his dairy herd. Ralph raised his children at the farm, carrying on the family traditions of cattle and hay. Two of the Rose daughters were featured as the 'Borden Girls', showing off a dairy cow and her calf in Macy’s in New York City, representing farm life to the 'city folk'. As automobiles became more common, the Catskills evolved as a summer destination, with small cabins purchased as second homes for those escaping the heat of the city. When Ralph passed away, his surviving widow sold Rosemary Farm to a land developer, who divided much of the acreage into small roadside plots, and many were sold to vacation owners.

The core of the farm, which is the farmhouse, the big historic yellow barn and the main 114 acres, remained together, and was sold to a private family, who enjoyed it for several decades as a retreat. In the 1980’s they attempted to radically renovate the barn into a modern dairy operation, but it was not sustainable, and was closed down. In between uses, the property was left unoccupied and began to decay. Sold to another family that used the property for occasional vacation retreats, it slid further into decline, as the grazing pastures grew over, and damaged buildings left untended continued to rot and fall. Windows were shot out, bullets littered the fields and barns, a fire took down part of a structure. It was questionable whether the property would survive at all.

It was in 2008 that our founders, Dawn & Robert, noticed the farm for sale, while considering buying something upstate. Like many living in Brooklyn, they dreamed of stretching out in the vast space of the country, and maybe even getting a horse or two! Why this property, being sold ‘as is’, with considerable damage and a sink hole of expense? Why this barn indeed. It was magical! Despite logic, the couple purchased the remains of Rosemary Farm. What began as a common city dream evolved as they moved up full-time to revive the old farm. The first two horses were intentional, and provided a wealth of learning and awareness about the need that many horses face, including the very real danger of slaughter. Bit by bit, spaces were cleaned out, and more horses in need began arriving. Old buildings found new purpose, former acreage was slowly acquired again, and the Sanctuary grew roots. Today the fields have fresh, strong fencing and the old milking parlors have been converted to safe stalls. There are many more projects in the works, but at the heart of the property is the beautiful barn, built by Hugh Rose. It’s a piece of history moving beyond its original design, into a wonderful new future.