Shelburne Farms - Shelburne, VT - 1000 Places to See Before You Die on Waymarking.com

It has occurred to me that when it comes to the wealthy families of the Gilded Age, such as the Vanderbilts or Rockefellers, that the generation who makes the money is not the generation who spends it: The lion’s share of the spending was done by the second and third generations (and fourth, if there was any money left). And spend it they did. In 1886, Eliza Osgood Vanderbilt, granddaughter of railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt and her husband Dr. William Seward Webb, bought up a number of small farms just south of Burlington, VT and established the sprawling estate known as Shelburne Farms.

Shelburne Farms covers over 3800 acres, about 1400 of which comprise a working dairy farm with over 100 Brown Swiss dairy cows. Much of the landscaping was designed by noted landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted. The Webb family and their descendants occupied the estate until 1972 when they opened the farm to the public. Today, the main house has been converted into an inn and the farm is used primarily for educational opportunities although they still produce a fine cheddar cheese which they sell in the farm’s market. There are miles of hiking trails offering nice views of the Green Mountains to the east and Lake Champlain to the west.

And although only indirectly associated with Shelburne Farms, the Shelburne Museum (a couple miles away) is not to be missed. It contains the incredible collection of Americana amassed by Electra Havemeyer Webb, daughter-in-law of Eliza Osgood Vanderbilt and William Seward Webb. The collection is spread around in over thirty buildings which resemble a historic village. There are toys, dolls, quilts, weather vanes, hundreds of duck decoys, carousel animals, carriages, even a steamboat, not to mention paintings and other fine art.

Philatelists will be interested to know that several items from this museum’s collections have appeared on U.S. postage stamps. These would include a selection of weather vanes, a couple of duck decoys and a painting by Andrew Wyeth. I’ve included photographs of some of these.

In addition to these items, Electra Havemeyer Webb’s son, James Watson Webb Jr., also managed to get his hands on a U.S. postage stamp - I mean literally on a stamp. Mr. Webb became an accomplished Hollywood film editor in the 1940s and a photo of his hands handling a piece of film appeared on a 2003 postage stamp dedicated to film editing. James Watson Webb Jr. died in the year 2000 and is buried on the grounds of Shelburne Farms.

Name of Source Book: 1000 Places To See Before You Die - In the USA and Canada (2007) Page Location in Source Book: 105 Type of Waymark: Site Location of Coordinates: Entrance to the farm & market Cost of Admission (Parks, Museums, etc.): 25.00 (listed in local currency) List Available Hours, Dates, Season: The trails, farm activities, Shelburne Museum and inn are generally open from mid-May through October. The farm store is open year-round. Museum hours: 10:00 am - 5:00 pm, closed Mondays. The admission charge listed above is for the museum. Official Tourism Website: [Web Link]

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