Mainstone Farm

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Mainstone Farm with Stone Wall, Wayland
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Mainstone Farm with Stone Wall, Wayland
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Mainstone Farm with Stone Wall, Wayland

Mainstone Farm was, until recently, the largest remaining piece of undeveloped, unprotected open space in Wayland and one of the few of its size in the region. Well known and loved by residents for its bucolic, rolling pastures and wooded hillsides, it has long been a priority for protection by the Town of Wayland and SVT. 

The Hamlen family has owned and lived on Mainstone Farm since 1872 and continues to farm the land and manage the woodland today. On April 12, 2017, they sold a perpetual Conservation Restriction to the Town and SVT for $15 million, a discount from the $17 million value placed on the CR by an appraisal commissioned by the Town. SVT raised $3.1 million privately toward the purchase and the costs that will be incurred to craft and monitor the CR in perpetuity, and Wayland voters committed $12 million towards acquisition from Community Preservation funds. 

Under the CR, which is jointly held by the Town and SVT, the current and future owners will be permitted to farm and conduct woodland management activities, and they will continue to pay property taxes. Trails, connecting to adjacent conservation land, are open for passive, public recreation. The CR is a legal document that protects Mainstone's scenic landscape and ecological values while allowing for active agriculture and public access to trails.  

For more information, see
Mainstone Farm: Frequently Asked Questions
Mainstone Farm: History

Videos of Mainstone Farm

Take a moment to watch the beautiful footage, below, filmed by Tom Cmejla.

View Mainstone Farm from the air in this beautiful flyover video from Thomas E. Cmejla on Vimeo.

In the following brief interview, Devens Hamlen describes the history of Mainstone Farm and explains why his family thinks the property is worthy of conservation. (Video by Electa Tritsch.)