Welcome to idyllic Beekman Farm.
Planet Green
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It took two years, from 1802 to 1804, to build Beekman Mansion. At that time, the town of Sharon Springs was only a few years old but the numerous sulfur, magnesium, and chalybeate mineral springs—along with its proximity to Albany and New York City—had already turned it into a popular tourist destination.
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Welcome to Beekman Farm!
By the 20th century, however, the popularity of the town had begun to wane—mostly due to the rise of nearby Saratoga Springs—and much of the local economy evaporated with the crowds. Prohibition, which eliminated the need for the town's many hop fields, didn't help.
By the 1980s, much of the town, Beekman Farm included, had been abandoned and started a slow slide into disrepair.
When Eric Selch bought the property in the mid-90s, it was "pocked with graffiti and trash." Over the course of six years, Selch meticulously restored the house—tracking down paint from small chips and having damaged moldings recarved by hand. It was a labor of love but shortly after his work was done, Selch was diagnosed with cancer. He died soon after.
Beekman Mansion sat on the market—abandoned once again—until it was purchased by Josh Kilmer-Purcell and Dr. Brent Ridge in 2006. Since then, the pair of New Yorkers have struggled to operate the farm—with generous help from Farmer John and the residents of Sharon Springs—and transform it into the vibrant home it hasn't had the opportunity to be for decades.
"We believe that a farm can be much larger than its fences," they explain, "If someone told us that we'd trade in New York City for eighty goats, two pigs, a dozen chickens and a narcissistic llama, we would have told them that they were crazy...It turns out that we are."
Looking at the Beekman's history, it seems that many have been similarly crazy—Indeed, we all may be.
