Hilltop Farm is a historic country estate and gentleman's farm on Mapleton Avenue in northern Suffield, Connecticut. It was established in 1913 by

George M. Hendee George Mallory Hendee (October 2, 1866 – June 13, 1943) was a bicycle racer and co-founder of the Indian Motocycle Manufacturing Company. Hendee first became involved with the bicycle industry after his bicycle-racing career. Not only did Hend ...

, one of the founders of the

Indian Motorcycle Manufacturing Company Indian Motorcycle (or ''Indian'') is an American brand of motorcycles owned and produced by American automotive manufacturer Polaris Inc.motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...

makers. Although its manor house was demolished in 1961, the estate retains many buildings built for Hendee, as well as a cluster of older farm buildings that he retained. The farm was listed as a

historic district A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal protection from c ...

on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 2005.

Description and history

The Hilltop Farm complex occupies over of land in the northeast corner of Suffield, most of which lies between Mapleton Avenue (

Connecticut Route 159 Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...

) and the

Connecticut River The Connecticut River is the longest river in the New England region of the United States, flowing roughly southward for through four states. It rises 300 yards (270 m) south of the U.S. border with Quebec, Canada, and discharges at Long Island ...

. The southern portions of the property include three clusters of farm buildings, each with a house. The main cluster, roughly east of Hickory Street, includes a large dairy barn and chicken house, as well as a tobacco barn and numerous smaller buildings, with two small period residences, and a later house built on the site of the original manor house. To the south of this cluster lie two smaller groups, originally the farmsteads of the Stroh and Sikes families from whom George Hendee purchased the land. North of the main cluster is a mid-20th century institutional campus that (as of 2017) stands vacant. George Hendee was a native of nearby

Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States, and the seat of Hampden County. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ...

, who was initially engaged in the manufacture of

bicycle A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike or cycle, is a human-powered or motor-powered assisted, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A is called a cyclist, or bicyclist. Bic ...

s. In 1898 he began producing motorcycles under the "Indian" nameplate, which met with great success and made him extremely wealthy. In 1913 he began purchasing farmland in northeastern Suffield, on which he established a gentleman's farm that was primarily focused on dairy operations. Hendee remained involved in this pursuit, withdrawing from Indian Motorcycle in 1915, until ill health prompted him to leave the estate in 1938 and sell it in 1940. It was then subdivided, portions of the estate repurposed, and his main house demolished in 1961. The estate retains many original features, including landscaping by Carl Rust Parker. The surviving farm-related portion of the estate is now owned by the town and maintained by a local nonprofit group.

References

{{National Register of Historic Places Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut National Register of Historic Places in Hartford County, Connecticut Georgian architecture in Connecticut Industrial buildings completed in 1913 Historic districts in Hartford County, Connecticut Suffield, Connecticut 1913 establishments in Connecticut Farms on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut

Description and history

See also

References