The photo above is of Henry Higginson, but not certain if taken in Massachusetts or England. He was the original owner of “Sheldon Farm” and the property went all the way to the Westport line. My grandfather purchased it from his widow.~Olive Alexander

Have you ever heard of Sheldon Farm? This property in Essex, NY goes by another name today so perhaps this older name doesn’t ring a bell?

Here’s a short history of the farm:

Early last Century, Henry Lee Higginson, founder of the Boston Symphony, assembled a dairy and timber farm known as Sheldon Farm.

Higginson hired Superintendent Harry W. Albee [… and] Albee and Higginson bred and showed purebred Ayrshires that won championship at fairs in Milwaukee, Chicago, Toronto, Springfield, and Buffalo, which made Sheldon Farm renowned as an outstanding Ayrshire breeding farm.

In 1930, the Higginson family sold the farm to Albee, who raised Hereford beef cattle for over 25 years. In 1959, his widow sold the property to the Heurich family of Washington, DC, who renamed this beautiful property Split Rock Farm. (AdirondackDreams.com)

Prize-Winning Ayrshire Paintings

As you learned above, Sheldon Farm was known for its well-bred Ayrshire cattle. Beautiful paintings of two of these prize-winning Ayrshires, Nancy and Toreador, were recently restored by Emily Phillips of Phillips Art Conservation.

In this first photo, which was taken during treatment, you can see the discoloration in the left side of the painting and the restoration work that Emily Phillips has done on the right side of the painting. What a remarkable difference!

Take a look at the finely done complete restoration of two paintings below.

(Click an image to see full size and read captions.)

And one last tidbit to leave you with:

There is one interesting fact about Toreador – he always led the final parade at the Eastern States Exposition, after drinking a pint of scotch! ~Olive Alexander

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