News
DERRY – Supporters of the Robert Frost Farm yesterday celebrated receiving $205,800 in federal funding to help restore the historic site.
U.S. Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., secured the funding with an earmark. Yesterday, appearing with site stewards and local and state officials, he said he's pleased to help preserve the former home of a poet whose writing transcends cultures.
"This is an example of tax dollars being well used, so history is preserved," Gregg said to a small crowd at the Route 28 farm.
The funding will go toward funding major improvements to bring Frost's former home to good condition, according to the site's trustees. Chairman Laura Burnham said the money will help address several critical issues that have surfaced in recent years.
"Now we have the funding to do the preservation to keep this place forever, hopefully," she said.
The 30-acre farm, purchased by the poet's grandfather, was Frost's home from 1900 to 1911. When he lived in Derry, Frost farmed the property and taught at Pinkerton Academy before selling the land and moving to England, where his career as a poet took off.
Frost moved back to New England before dying in 1963. Many of his poems were inspired by his time in Derry, which he visited after he returned from England.
Before his death, Frost expressed interest in reclaiming the property after seeing it had become an auto junkyard. His friend, John Pillsbury, eventually convinced the owner to sell it and cleared the way for its restoration. The state purchased the property in 1965.
Burnham said the site attracts Frost admirers from all over the world. She said she once encountered Chinese visitors who trekked to Derry while visiting Boston after learning about the farm.
Benjamin Wilson, a historic sites specialist with the state Division of Parks and Recreation, said the funding will "bring this building back to top-notch condition." He said his long-term goal is to get all New Hampshire's historic sites up to good condition and create endowments to fund their maintenance.
U.S. Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., secured the funding with an earmark. Yesterday, appearing with site stewards and local and state officials, he said he's pleased to help preserve the former home of a poet whose writing transcends cultures.
"This is an example of tax dollars being well used, so history is preserved," Gregg said to a small crowd at the Route 28 farm.
The funding will go toward funding major improvements to bring Frost's former home to good condition, according to the site's trustees. Chairman Laura Burnham said the money will help address several critical issues that have surfaced in recent years.
"Now we have the funding to do the preservation to keep this place forever, hopefully," she said.
The 30-acre farm, purchased by the poet's grandfather, was Frost's home from 1900 to 1911. When he lived in Derry, Frost farmed the property and taught at Pinkerton Academy before selling the land and moving to England, where his career as a poet took off.
Frost moved back to New England before dying in 1963. Many of his poems were inspired by his time in Derry, which he visited after he returned from England.
Before his death, Frost expressed interest in reclaiming the property after seeing it had become an auto junkyard. His friend, John Pillsbury, eventually convinced the owner to sell it and cleared the way for its restoration. The state purchased the property in 1965.
Burnham said the site attracts Frost admirers from all over the world. She said she once encountered Chinese visitors who trekked to Derry while visiting Boston after learning about the farm.
Benjamin Wilson, a historic sites specialist with the state Division of Parks and Recreation, said the funding will "bring this building back to top-notch condition." He said his long-term goal is to get all New Hampshire's historic sites up to good condition and create endowments to fund their maintenance.
