Mrs. Madeline Applegate and her husband
Leland operated Cottage Farm as a dairy, field crop and vegetable
farm. Since the 1960s, Madeline has leased the farmland to local
farmers for field crop production. As the farm's current owner and
last Applegate owner, Mrs. Applegate acknowledged that it will be
difficult to sell a farm so rich in family history. But she said
her decision to sell was more easily made knowing that the Farmland
Preservation Program will insure that the farm will be permanently
protected. The earliest known deed for the farmstead dates back to
1768 when Joseph Rockhill sold it to Joseph English, Jr. This deed
gives the location as on the road leading from Recklesstown to Black
Horse (Columbus). The front of the house faces the old abandoned
road. The 157-acre farm has been home to the Applegate family since
1801, except for the period 1844 to 1914, when historical records
suggest that the family of Henry B. Fenimore was in residence as
tenant farmers. The design, construction and maintenance of the farmstead
are notable. The house's features include exterior Flemish bond brickwork,
a fireplace with beehive oven in the kitchen, original hand-hewn
rafters in the attic, fireplace backs made of bog iron in sunburst
design and original interior woodwork and hardware. There also is
a detached two-car garage with an upstairs three bedroom apartment
and a Quonset hut housing a workshop and office. The farm is bordered
by Old York Country Club, Black's Creek, dense forest and other permanently
preserved farms. The farm complex is eligible for listing on the
National Register for Historic Places and illustrates the agricultural
history of Burlington County from the earliest days to the present.
Statewide, 309 farms totaling 47,546 acres have been permanently
protected under the Farmland Preservation Program. The SADC will
purchase Cottage Farm "in fee simple' directly from Mrs. Applegate
and then resell the property at public auction in October with deed
restrictions which permanently prohibit any future non-agricultural
development. Using the fee simple method, the SADC has preserved
11 farms totaling nearly 3,000 acres.
For additional information about this
farm, or other aspects of the Farmland Preservation Program, call
(609)984-2504.