Fire at Sky Farm

                          Fire At Sky Farm in Mendon in 1912 Destroys Two Buildings

The fire at Sky Farm at 21 North Avenue in Mendon on September 10, 1912, destroyed two buildings, leaving

it in a diminished agricultural condition. Flames consumed the barn and the carriage shed and all of their

contents. The once productive farm of the 1800's served as a link connecting two of the region's massive

food producing families: the Davenports of North Avenue and the Dudleys of Milford Street. The structures

were not rebuilt, leaving the farm without its storage facilities for hay, farm wagons, cultivators, harnesses,

mowing machines, and other equipment. Though the incident was devastating, and it left a new challenge

for farming operational procedures, it was not the only factor that had brought change to Sky Farm.

The fire was discovered by Mrs. Lora Williams, owner, about 4:30 p.m. A newspaper account indicated that

the barn was quickly engulfed and spread to the shed. A phone call to Fred Brown's store in Mendon center

brought several volunteers with chemical extinguishers in his auto truck. The Hopedale Fire Department

responded with an auto ladder truck and a forest fire wagon. The burning buildings were too far gone to

save, so the men concentrated on saving the house. Thanks to their efforts, with the help of distance and

wind direction, there was no damage to the main building. However, a significant agricultural aspect of Sky

Farm had been lost.

The fire at Sky Farm reflected in some ways what was happening to other farms in town. Their functions

were being lessened by a change brought about, not by flames, but by a new transportation system. Since

the opening of the

in 1901, Sky Farm served as a boarding house

for

's vaudeville stars and city vacationers. The actors and actresses travelled to and from

the theater by trolley, as did park visitors and vacationers. For eleven years before the fire, the main function

of the farmhouse had already changed. The electric street railway brought new occupational opportunities to

other farmers. It provided easy access to out of town factories and businesses. Many chose to give up a way

of life that had been in their families for generations. Farms were sold and were replaced by houses.

The fire at Sky Farm was a symbol of change. The automobile, the construction of Mass. Pike, and the

location of Route 495 have fanned the flames and left Mendon with diminished evidence of what was once

the backbone of its agrarian economy. The charred embers of the barn and carriage shed in 1912 were a

sign of what was to take place over the next century, and that to make a living in Mendon, one no longer had

to be a tiller of the soil.

Today, Sky Farm is the attractive, historically preserved home of Jim and Debbie MacDonald.

Richard Grady September 28, 2014

Mendon Agriculture in the Nineteenth Century Mendon Menu

Summer guests enjoy a game of croquet.

Sky Farm - 1998