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Historic Foote Property Enters New Era

photo provided

photo provided

Tuesday June 27, 2006

By Brian Bauer

     For many years, people noticed a lady in distress as they traveled Route 125, in Cornwall, on their way west as they approached the Lemon Fair River. The fine lines of this old Victorian had seen better days and people wondered when she would collapse under the weight of time. It was not always like this. This was the homestead and office of Abram Foote about 100 years ago. Imagine a dirt road going by and an insurance office sign hanging out for all to see. Abram on June 14, 1915 organized The Patron's Co-operative Fire Insurance Company. Only members who lived in Addison County could buy insurance from the new company. But Patrons was so successful that it was writing insurance statewide by 1917. Eventually, for financial and efficiency reasons, three companies        ( The Patrons, Farmers, and Rural Co-operatives ) came together, in December 1951, to form an association called The Co-operative Fire Insurance Association of Vermont The name of this association was used until December 31, 1997, when it became    Co-operative Insurance Companies.

Move in time to about eleven years ago. Peter Foote becomes owner of the Foote Farm, once owned by his relative Abram Foote. This is a large responsibility. He now is in charge of the land but also “The Lady in Distress”. This landmark property required a plan if it was to be maintained for the future. Peter felt that who better than an architect would appreciate the old Victorian. A deal was struck. For a nominal amount, the house was purchased on the condition that the exterior be brought back to its original eloquence. Today, as we travel Route 125 we can see the result of a portion of Peter's plan. The grand old lady looks like it might have one hundred years ago, but what about the rest of the plan?

Approximately, two and a half years ago Peter's cousin Chris Hamilton comes on the scene. Chris's grandmother and mother had lived in the house and he felt an emotional tie to the Farm. The land had been in agriculture for a number of years and taxes were becoming a burden. The two cousins formed the Foote Farm Association and set about formulating a plan. They wanted to preserve the view along Route 125, so it was decided to develop some of the forested land into 20 plus home sites. Each home site would have its privacy from the other sites along with magnificent views. Now, as we all know, one of the major blockages to development in Vermont is finding an appropriate way to deal with waste removal. Addison County may be the Land of Milk and Honey but is also the home of clay, the bane of every developer's life in the county. Now comes to the forefront , happenstance. An earlier relative in her description of the Foote Farm made note of an area of sand and both Peter and Chris remembered this when it is time to dig test pits and sketch soil profiles in preparation for developing the project's septic system. Enough sand was discovered to take care of the entire project.

Both Peter and Chris believe in conserving the heritage of the property and have built into the project 100 acres of Common Area. This land will be owned by the homeowners but managed by The Middlebury Area Land Trust. No commercial development will be allowed on this parcel, but recreational pursuits will be permissible such as walking paths

Another facet of this development is a mutual belief, held by the cousins, in affordable housing. A $75,000.00 matching grant is in place for the Town of Cornwall to use to encourage affordable housing within its boundaries.

Peter, having attended Middlebury College, feels that retiring alumni will enjoy living on The Farm, since the College and the Town of Middlebury are within a 5 minute drive.

Yes, entrepreneur Abram Foote lived on and used The Farm wisely and would be pleased to see this same spirit alive in both Peter Foote and Chris Hamilton. 

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