Three Penny Farm, Harvard

SVT, in partnership with the Town of Harvard, is working to purchase a Conservation Restriction (CR) for the property known as Three Penny Farm. The CR, to be co-held by SVT and the Town, will permanently protect approximately 34 acres adjacent to the town-owned Shaker Spring House conservation land.

Three Penny Farm is located within an extensive corridor of ecologically rich lands and is part of the High Ridge Initiative. The area of the “High Ridge” is a span of thousands of acres of ecologically important lands across the towns of Harvard, Littleton, and Boxborough. It provides essential wildlife habitat, protection to rare species and water quality, access to locally grown produce via local farms, many miles of public trails, and natural services to mitigate the effects of climate change.

The landowner of Three Penny is committed to collaborating with SVT and the Town to develop a vision for public access by creating a picnic grove, as well as a trail loop connected with the surrounding trails.

Help Us Protect Three Penny Farm!

We are asking for your help to conserve this special 34-acre property to ensure this land is protected forever. Please donate today!

Three Penny Farm Project Map

Why Protect This Land?

Three Penny Farm consists of four separate parcels, with mature forest on the western portion of the largest parcel, and trails that connect to the adjacent 16-acre Shaker Spring House conservation land owned by the Town of Harvard. The eastern portion of the largest parcel consists of open fields—an area of which provides scenic views out to the Monadnock hills.

The property is also situated in close proximity to other town-owned and SVT-owned conservation lands located to the east, including the Black Pond Conservation Land, Littleton County Road Conservation Area, and the Smith Conservation Land, creating additional connections within the existing open space corridor, and increasing opportunities for passive recreation with potential expansion of the trail network. 

These connections are important as Three Penny Farm is located within an extensive area of ecologically rich lands that have been prioritized for open space protection as part of a landscape-scale effort called the High Ridge Initiative. The “High Ridge” area spans the towns of Harvard, Littleton and Boxborough, and this open space provides natural services to mitigate the effects of climate change, essential wildlife habitat, protection to rare species, protection to water quality, and many miles of public walking trails.

Conserving Three Penny Farm safeguards habitat areas identified as Local Landscape and Vernal Pool Core habitat, and the property is located nearby an expansive area identified as Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program (NHESP) Priority Habitats of Rare Species and BioMap Rare Species Core Habitat area, supporting the larger wildlife corridor.

The open space at Three Penny Farm also supports climate resilience, as the land helps to mitigate drought resilience due to the land’s aquifer recharge potential.
 

How We Protected This Land

For several years, SVT and local conservation partners were in conversations with the landowner about protecting this significant open space.

  • Following an appraisal in 2025, the landowner agreed to sell a CR to the Town and SVT for the appraised value of $500,000.
  • At Town Meeting in May 2026, Harvard residents voted to approve the Town’s CR purchase and the use of Community Preservation Act funds.
  • SVT has applied to the Conservation Partnership Grant through the Commonwealth, and SVT continues to fundraise through private foundations and private individuals to support the CR effort, which is currently ongoing. 
  • A CR to be co-held by SVT and the Town of Harvard is expected to be complete by spring 2027. 
  • The partners have plans to develop a parking area and connect the trails to the adjacent Shaker Spring House conservation land thereafter, with potential additional improvements for expanded public access in the near future as well.