Come Home to the Farm!
At Liberty Hill Farm, we have approximately 270 Robeth Holsteins (more about our award-winning herd later) and many friendly farm animals. The day begins with a bountiful country breakfast and ends with a homemade, sit-down meal around the dining room table. In between, there are lots of chores to tackle if you wish and places to explore. Kids can cuddle the barn kittens, collect eggs, chase chickens and feed newborn calves. In summer, guests roll inner tubes down the road to the White River for a leisurely float down to our ‘beach’, or walk down past fields of corn and wildflowers. In winter, miles of cross-country trails start right out our front door, surrounded by the splendor of the Green Mountain National Forest. Fortunately, Liberty Hill Farm is only a short drive to many of Vermont’s most charming villages and ski areas, including Rochester, Brandon, Woodstock, Quechee and Middlebury, as well as the Killington and the Sugarbush ski areas.
By sharing the joys and challenges of farming life, we have seen our guests come to appreciate how closely our different ways of life intertwine. Each time a guest buys a product from an independent farm, whether cheese in the grocery store or fresh produce at a farmer’s market, they help sustain family farms.
Every day is different on a farm. One day, we might be haying, the next day delivering calves. But some things are constant… the crow of the rooster at the break of day; the gentle lowing of our cows; the warble of frogs awakened by spring; fresh air and delicious, home-cooked meals; the twice-daily milking of cows; the discovery of newborn kittens in the hayloft and wildflowers in the fields; the gobble of wild turkeys and the gentle murmur of the White River; chasing fireflies and barnyard chickens in summer; hiking in the woods or cross-country skiing right out the backdoor onto rolling meadows; watching stars dance in the vast night sky; making new friends…and making plans to return yet another year or another season.
A Few Details…
Dress Dress is casual. Some guests, who enjoy helping with barn chores, may bring their own rubber boots, and there are boots to borrow on the front porch. The atmosphere is always welcoming.
The Inn
The main house is a superb example of a 184-year-old Greek revival building. Butternut moldings, maple wood floors and comfortable, country furnishings make guests feel right at home the moment they walk through the front door. Accommodations consist of seven guest rooms, four shared baths, and common areas. There is plenty of space for anyone looking to retreat to a quiet place. Liberty Hill Farm Inn is recognized as a Green Hotel by the Vermont Green Hotel program through the VT Agency of Natural Resources.
A Family Affair
Beth’s ancestors began farming in 1641 in Alfred, Maine, where she grew up on Clover Hill Farm, so she’s a ninth generation farmer. Nearly 100 years later, Bob’s family, the Kennett’s, started their farm in 1742 in Center Effingham, N.H. John Emerson founded Liberty Hill Farm in 1780. Our family is only the fifth one to own the farm since 1780!
Today, our sons, David and Tom, along with a new generation following close behind, work with us to continue the proud tradition of Liberty Hill Farm. Tom majored in agricultural business at SUNY Cobleskill in New York, where he met his wife, Jennifer, a practicing nurse. Their young twins, Calvin and Tucker, soon will be seasoned mini-farmers with siblings Amelia and Wyatt following close behind. David earned his degree in animal science from the University of Vermont and is an expert judge of dairy animals. Come country fair time, he is in great demand and his prize cow, Robeth Mandel Winnie, has been a Grand Champion. David shares his life with Meghan Moody, a feed nutritionist for dairy cattle. Meghan received her advanced degree in science from Penn State. Meghan has added her own Jersey cattle to our herd. They provide lots of personality!
As difficult as it is for some guests to understand, we don’t think of farming as a job or a chore, but rather as an extension of who we are. Being able to share our love of the land and our dairy with others from around the world has added an extra, enriching dimension to our lives.
What you've been waiting for. . .
all about the cows!
Liberty Hill Farm’s Robeth Holstein Herd
Robeth (Robert and Elizabeth) is the prefix for our registered herd, so you could say this is the only Robeth Holstein herd in the world! Our herd has been one of the leading milk producers in the State of Vermont for most of the past 27 years. Robeth Holsteins are known for their excellent genetics and have received the Progressive Breeder Award from the Holstein Association for the past 15 years. While the numbers vary, we generally have 270 head of animals all together, cows, calves and heifers, with 120 of those being the milking cows.
Cows of Distinction
When we bought the farm from John Hunt, he had a cow named Pearl, a direct descendent from a famous Maryland dairy herd named Dunloggin, considered the premier dairy breeder in the 1920’s and 1930’s. Most of our current herd is descended from Pearl. David has traced the lineage of our cows back to the 1880’s when they were imported from Holstein Friesland, an area between Germany and the Netherlands.
A Vermont Dairy of Distinction
Liberty Hill Farm is a Vermont Dairy of Distinction, as judged by the Vermont Agency of Agriculture. Our farm has won numerous awards over the years from Vermont Farm Bureau, Agrimark, Inc., Vermont Dairy Herd Improvement, New England Green Pastures and the White River Soil Conservation District. In 2009, we were recognized for the Green Environmental Business Partnership.
A Brief History of Liberty Hill Farm
1780 - John Emerson founds Liberty Hill Farm.
1787 - John Emerson constructs the oldest part of the present barn.
1837 - Dr. Charles Wesley Emerson, founder of Emerson College Boston, Massachusetts,
is born on Liberty Hill.
1884 – Dr. Emerson comes home to Vermont and reacquires his grandfather’s land in Rochester.
1888 - Dr. Emerson purchases the present day weathervane in Cambridge, MA, and brings it by train to Rochester. The last leg of the journey is on Rochester’s fabled Peavine Railway, which drops off Dr. Emerson and his new purchase directly at the farm.
1889 – The Big Red Barn is completed by Dr. Emerson.
1894 - Most of the Emerson grant land is sold, and Dr. Emerson remodels the farmhouse next door into a showcase summer house.
1908 – Dr. Emerson dies and his summer residence on Liberty Hill passes to his niece, Eleanor Jones Hutchinson.
1890-1930 The farm is owned by the Eastman family.
1920 - 1950’s Kezar family own and farm the property, then known as Kezar Farm.
1960 - John and Esther Hunt move to the farm after their barn on Liberty Hill burns.
1979 - In March, Beth and Bob Kennett purchase Liberty Hill Farm from the Hunt family as a turn-key operation. John Hunt milked one night, Bob started the next morning.
1984 – Liberty Hill Farm opens its doors as a farm vacation destination. The first guests, the Kerwin Family from New Jersey, continue to return on a regular basis. Liberty Hill Farm has welcomed guests from all 50 states and from around the world, many of whom return year after year. New generations are now among the guests.
2007- Both Kennett sons decide to farm with Dad!! We need to increase the herd to provide for the whole family. The neighbors help us add onto the barn, creating the “Habitat for Bovinity”!! The cows mooove in to the new portion in January.
2008- Yankee Magazine featured Liberty Hill Farm as one of the Top 5 Places in New England!! Christina Tree, renowned travel guide, was asked “If she could stay overnight at only five places in New England, where would they be?” Liberty Hill Farm was on the list!!
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