In June, 2013, we purchased what was then called Hilltop Farm, a 260 acre farm in Bath, New Hampshire.  The name Hilltop did suit it well, as it is on top of a hill with gorgeous views of the Presidential Range of the White Mountains.  However, since the farm will be supplying our restaurant In Concord, MA, I was afraid some people might get it confused with the iconic, former Hilltop Steakhouse, on Route 1, in Saugus, MA.  We needed to change the name. 

I asked Tim and Amber, our newly hired resident farmers, to look for a geological feature on the property or for something unique to the farm’s history that would be meaningful. When we went up to visit in the summer, Tim had taken that to heart.  He had been researching the history of the place at the Town Hall in Bath and had come up with a name that we all agreed upon.  The Farm at Woods Hill.

In Tim’s words,  “The biggest reason I came up with the name is because back in 1794, the hill was named Woods and the original farm was called Woods Hill Farm because both were owned by the Woods family, who purchased the property and built the original home, where the garden shed stands today.”

The Woods family owned and operated the farm for many generations, and the original owners are still with us.  There is a cemetery on the property where there are several generations of the Woods family buried, and Woods ancestors still come to visit the gravesite periodically.  All of the land on our farm was part of the original 1794 farm.

There is a lot more historical information to share.  For now, Tim also reported that back in the 1800’s the Woods family loaded covered wagons with produce and furs from the farm to bring to the Boston Farmers’ Market twice a year.  Hey…if they could do that then…it should be a piece of cake now huh?