Some stories read just like a 1980s romantic comedy: Charming family moves from a bustling city and buys a quaint farm in an idyllic setting. There’s the usual cast of characters—the real-estate agent who tells them there’s no way they should buy a farm, and the farming expert who thinks there’s no way they’ll ever actually open a dairy. But through all the trials and lessons, the audience can’t help rooting for them, hoping they’ll succeed.
这是莫莉的故事Eric Glasgow, who purchased a former dairy on Martha’s Vineyard and relocated their family from London in 2009. They read up on sustainable practices, Molly took cheesemaking lessons, and they watched YouTube videos on how to castrate pigs. By 2011, they were selling milk, eggs, and meat.
To build the farm, they turned to Hutker Architects, a Massachusetts-based firm with a flair for bringing the past into the present. As part of the design, all six of the barns on the farm were framed out in timber in the traditional fashion. Though the couple didn’t know it then, the decision to use classic construction methods would ensure the farm’s future.
Just like in the movies, the Glasgows were dealt their ultimate challenge right when things were all coming together at the Grey Barn and Farm. On May 24, 2013, Molly received a call from a creamery assistant just before 11 P.M. There was a fire in the creamery. As she rushed out of her house (featured in the July 2014 issue), she could see flames pouring out of the barn. Once the fire was extinguished, Molly recalls, “The weirdest part was that the inside completely burned out, but the timber frame stayed completely unharmed. From the outside, you could hardly tell that there had been a fire on the inside.”
The restoration of the creamery is now complete, and the couple is ready for an influx of summer visitors. “In retrospect, it was like a reset button. We could redesign the creamery now that we know what we’re doing.” Such a delicious ending.
22 South Road, Chilmark, Massachusetts, 508-645-4854;thegreybarnandfarm.com
