The Robert Frost Farm, also known as the Homer Noble Farm, is a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

Ripton, Vermont Ripton is a town in Addison County, Vermont, United States. The population was 739 at the 2020 census. Geography Ripton is located in east-central Addison County, in the Green Mountains of Vermont. The highest point in the town is the summit o ...

. It is a farm property off

Vermont Route 125 Vermont Route 125 (VT 125) is a east–west state highway in Addison County, Vermont, United States. The route begins at an intersection for VT 17 in the town of Addison near the Champlain Bridge. The route runs through the t ...

in the

Green Mountains The Green Mountains are a mountain range in the U.S. state of Vermont. The range runs primarily south to north and extends approximately from the border with Massachusetts to the border with Quebec, Canada. The part of the same range that is in ...

where

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

poet

Robert Frost Robert Lee Frost (March26, 1874January29, 1963) was an American poet. His work was initially published in England before it was published in the United States. Known for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American colloq ...

(1874-1963) lived and wrote in the summer and fall months from 1939 until his death in 1963. The property, historically called the Homer Noble Farm, includes a nineteenth-century farmhouse and a rustic wooden writing cabin (where Frost often stayed). The property is now owned by

Middlebury College Middlebury College is a private liberal arts college in Middlebury, Vermont. Founded in 1800 by Congregationalists, Middlebury was the first operating college or university in Vermont. The college currently enrolls 2,858 undergraduates from all ...

. The grounds are open to the public during daylight hours.

Description and history

The Frost Farm is set about east of the center of Ripton, down an access road on the north side of Vermont Route 125. The property is surrounded on three sides by the

Green Mountain National Forest Green Mountain National Forest is a United States National Forest, national forest located in Vermont, a temperate broadleaf and mixed forest typical of the New England/Acadian forests ecoregion. The forest supports a variety of wildlife, includi ...

, and partially abuts Middlebury College's Bread Loaf Campus property. A cleared meadow, located in the western portion of the property, is where its buildings are located. The principal buildings are the 19th-century farmhouse, and a modest cabin in which Frost did most of his writing. The farmhouse is a -story wood frame clapboarded structure, and is set on the west side of the end of the access road. The cabin, a roughly square log structure with a gable roof, stands near the northern edge of the cleared area. It has a screened porch on the west side and a shed-roof woodshed to the north. Its interior is divided into a living area occupying the southern half, with the northern part taken up by a kitchen, bath, and two small bedrooms. The area between the cabin and the house is taken up by a small apple orchard established and tended by Frost. Southwest of the house is a small shed, and on the east side of the drive are the foundational remnants of a barn that was standing during Frost's ownership. Robert Frost (1874-1963) was one of the United States' most celebrated poets, publishing eleven volumes of poetry and winning four

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...

s. Frost purchased this property in 1940, and lived here each summer and fall until his death. Five of his volumes were written here, most notably '' A Witness Tree'', the 1943 Pulitzer Prize winner. In the cabin, where he did most of his writing, he kept an extensive collection of literature, which was donated by his family to the Jones Public Library of

Amherst, Massachusetts Amherst () is a New England town, town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Connecticut River valley. As of the 2020 census, the population was 39,263, making it the highest populated municipality in Hampshire County (althoug ...

. Frost's Morris Chair, originally in the cabin, is now on display at the Middlebury College Davis Family Library. The property was acquired by Middlebury College in 1966, which has maintained but not substantially improved it.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Frost, Robert, Farm (Ripton, Vermont) Robert Frost National Historic Landmarks in Vermont Farms on the National Register of Historic Places in Vermont Middlebury College Houses in Addison County, Vermont Vermont culture National Register of Historic Places in Addison County, Vermont

Description and history

See also

References