The Robert Frost Farm, also known as "The Gully", is a historic farm property on Buck Hill Road in South Shaftsbury, Vermont. The 1790 farmstead was purchased in 1929 by poet Robert Frost, and served as his primary residence until 1938. During this period of residency, Frost was awarded two Pulitzer Prizes for his poetry. The property was designated a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

and listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1968; its landmark designation was withdrawn in 1986 after its private owners made alterations that destroyed important historic elements of the property.

Description and history

The former Frost Farm is located in southern Shaftsbury, a rural community in southwestern Vermont, on the south side of Buck Hill Road, roughly midway between

United States Route 7 U.S. Route 7 (US 7) is a north–south United States highway in western New England that runs for through the states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Vermont. The highway's southern terminus is at Interstate 95 (I-95) exit 1 ...

and Vermont Route 7A. It consists of with a mix of fields and woods, with the main farm complex set on a

drumlin A drumlin, from the Irish word ''droimnín'' ("littlest ridge"), first recorded in 1833, in the classical sense is an elongated hill in the shape of an inverted spoon or half-buried egg formed by glacial ice acting on underlying unconsolidated ...

with views to the north. The main house is a 1-1/2 story Cape, built about 1790, but altered somewhat by Frost after his purchase, and further altered by later owners. Also on the property are a barn and two smaller frame structures, the latter both used by Frost as writing studios. The farm was purchased by Robert Frost in 1929, and was probably occupied by the family in 1930. Although it was the Frosts primary residence, it was generally only occupied by them on weekends and summers, when Frost's academic duties made it possible. Frost did a significant amount of writing while living here, and was awarded the

Pulitzer Prize for Poetry The Pulitzer Prize for Poetry is one of the seven American Pulitzer Prizes awarded annually for Letters, Drama, and Music. It was first presented in 1922, and is given for a distinguished volume of original verse by an American author, published ...

in 1931 and 1937. After Frost's wife died in 1938, he spent much less time here. The property remained in the family until 1963, when it was sold to artist

Kenneth Noland Kenneth Noland (April 10, 1924 – January 5, 2010) was an American painter. He was one of the best-known American color field painters, although in the 1950s he was thought of as an abstract expressionist and in the early 1960s he was though ...

, who maintained it in sympathy to the Frost history. During his ownership period, the property was designated a

, and listed on the

. A subsequent owner made incompatible alterations to the property in 1984, and the Park Service withdrew its landmark designation two years later. It remains listed on the National Register.

References

{{NRHP in Bennington County, Vermont Commercial buildings completed in 1790 Buildings and structures in Shaftsbury, Vermont Former National Historic Landmarks of the United States Robert Frost National Register of Historic Places in Bennington County, Vermont

Description and history

See also

References