Videos: History of the Pope Farm Land in the Town of Middleton
The Harloff, the Brackenwagen, and the Siebert families purchased this land in the mid-1850s. Learn what life was like for these early settlers: how they built their houses, farmed the land, and grew their own food.
When the settlers began clearing this land for planting their crops, they had to remove tons of stones brought here by the glacier. Learn how and why they constructed the stone fence that still stands at PFC.
The Pope farm was especially known for being home to a flock of sheep. Learn about farm life in the 1960s and 70s, and the challenges of sheep farming that included lambing season and shearing sessions.
Meet the three Popes whose love for the land led to the establishment of Pope Farm Conservancy; Art Pope, Vivian Tretsven Pope, and Betty Zoerb Pope.
The story of how Pope Farm Conservancy came to be is a bit of a modern-day miracle. Watch to find out how!
Pope Farm became a Conservancy on January 1, 2000. Aside from its physical beauty and tranquility, the heart of Pope Farm Conservancy is its mission: Education.
Watch Mel Pope’s talk about the history of the land ownership, and how the early settlers’ actions were influenced by the topography and the lay of the land.