100-year Massachusetts family farm preserved in 120-acre conservation deal
A 120-acre historic farm in Essex, Massachusetts, has been permanently protected from development through a conservation deal. The agreement ensures the land remains dedicated to farming and forestry, honoring a century of stewardship by the Hoyt family.
Why it matters
This deal prevents the loss of working agricultural land to suburban sprawl, maintaining local food security and ecological health.
More than 120 acres of historic farmland and nearby woodland in Essex, Massachusetts, have been permanently protected from commercial housing development after a major conservation deal was completed in early 2025. According to project details published by the Essex County Greenbelt Association, the regional land trust worked with local town leaders and state environmental agencies to place a permanent conservation restriction on historic Hoyt Farm, also known locally as Silver Brook Farm. The agreement ensures that the property, which has been farmed for more than two centuries and cared for by one family for 100 years, will remain used for farming, forestry and protection of natural habitat.Century of stewardship on historic soilLocated along John Wise Avenue in Essex, the property includes productive farm fields, mature forests and sensitive wetland areas.
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