Walking the Watson Farm Wonderland

the WALKING Watson Farm Wonderland

The landscape near the farmhouse and barn is enlivened by dedicated volunteers who have added birdhouses, flowers, and shrubs to the venerable stone walls and cedar fences. The herbs and vegetables in this kitchen garden are a traditional way the farm family enjoys the land where they live. The planting beds delight artists, herbalists, critters, and all who come to Watson Farm. All images by Beth Oram Photography.

Historic New England invites you to explore the landscape at Watson Farm in Jamestown, Rhode Island, a 265-acre pastoral setting of fields, pastures, and woodlands. Last year, hundreds of visitors came to the farm for self-guided walks in the fresh air, down the paths, and through the stone wall-lined fields, gazing on delightful views and exploring the West Passage shoreline of Narragansett

Bay. Seasonal flowers and herbs welcome visitors, along with the timeless utilitarian architecture of the 1796 house and barn and several other farm buildings.

But Watson Farm isn’t a display-case property; it’s a working farm that Historic New England maintains in the tradition of the small family-farm operation, using sustainable practices. Before European settlement, the Narragansett people lived on Conanicut Island, now the town of

Jamestown, clearing the land and planting crops. The island’s grasslands attracted colonial farmers for pasturing their sheep and cattle. In 1789, Job Watson purchased a piece of this rich farmland, which began five generations of Watson family ownership. In 1979, Tom Carr Watson bequeathed it to Historic New England with the stipulation that it be a working farm in perpetuity. Watson Farm has a long history of tenant farmers.

Farm Manager Max Sherman and his colleagues have worked intensively to clear brush and invasive plant species, reclaiming hundreds of feet of historic stone walls and dramatically improving some of the viewsheds.

This is a great time of year to take a stroll through Watson Farm’s bucolic landscape and see the animals, among them heritage breed Red Devon cattle and a flock of multicolored sheep. To plan your visit, check out our website at historicnewengland.org/property/watsonfarm/.

“To be here every day and wake up in the beautiful historic home and farm, this same land that has been worked by so many before me, is an honor to me and my long family lineage of farming in New England since the 1600s,” said Farm Manager Max Sherman, seen here with oxen Ollie and Otis. He recently learned that one of his ancestors married into the Watson family two centuries ago, which makes him a direct descendant of the early owners of the farm.

The West Passage of Narragansett Bay is the halfway-point for many hikers as they enjoy Watson Farm’s sweeping vistas. This view to the south from the farm’s shoreline shows Dutch Island. Located on Dutch Island is Fort Greble. Its history goes back to the Civil War, when the segregated African American Fourteenth Rhode Island Heavy Artillery Regiment (Colored) trained there.

ABOVE The Jamestown Bridge can be seen in the distance from the hayfields in the north central part of Watson Farm.

LEFT The sight of cattle grazing on Jamestown’s prized lush, green grass is one that could be seen for centuries. By raising heritage breed Red Devon cattle, Watson Farm both continues and modernizes that tradition for today’s sustainable agricultural practices to produce grass-fed beef.