From the beginning, Hill-Stead was both a retirement
home for Alfred and Ada Pope and a fully operational farm. By 1900,
most of the farm complex, comprising a remodeled existing building
and several new constructions, was standing. A cow barn and a large,
gambrel-roofed hay barn were built first, but the overall cohesiveness
of the design indicates that Theodate planned the complex as a whole.
As in many traditional New England farms, the various buildings were
connected to one another. Such stylistic details as irregularly spaced
siding and elliptical arches, as well as an overall massing of buildings,
mark the complex as uniquely Theodate Pope Riddle’s.
During its active years, 1901-1940s, a manager and dozens of laborers,
including dairymen, shepherds, apple and peach growers and general
farmhands, worked at Hill-Stead. Theodate’s particular interest
in progressive farming methods led her to install electricity and
experiment with selective breeding. Hill-Stead’s operation
specialized in pedigreed Guernsey dairy cattle.The farm also raised
Dorset Marino and Southdown sheep for wool. Crops were mainly fodder—hay
and corn—to support the herds. Theodate also expanded and
developed apple and peach orchards early on; these became a subject
of study
for Connecticut Pomological Society members when they visited in
1907.
The farm ceased operations after Theodate’s death in 1946.
Over time, the sheep pens, ice house, tool house, dairy and piggery
were lost. A guest house—probably a portion of the sheep complex
that once extended from the cow barn—still stands. Today,
visitors can view the hay and horse barns, carpenter shop, drive
sheds and
18th-century Timothy North farmhouse. A stone pump house, recently
repaired, also remains.
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