That magnificent country estate in Suffield, bordering on the Connecticut River for a mile or more, below Riverside park, and to create which, Geo. M. Hendee bought up a fair size farming community is slowly assuming form. Noticeable from the roadway is a great white barn calculated to be sufficient for a farm of considerable scope and dimensions. The main entrance as shown in the illustration is a feature. The two great towers are more than ornamental however; they're silos and of prodigious capacity. The rest of this main floor is given up to hay storage and for farm wagons and implements. It could also store a locomotive or a whole train of cars, for it is mammoth in size. The ground floor reached from the lower level is done off in concrete and plaster and there is room for a "tie up" of an army of cattle. Off to the left of this good old-fashioned barn is a hen emporium with countless runs for thousands of biddies. Facing the main roadway, a trim administrator's cottage is under construction.

But away off north easterly from these buildings is a "site-for-the-gods." This is where Napoleon E. Russell has staked out a great Country house, one hundred feet long. The views from this spot are superb, commanding the Connecticut River and the towns and villages bordering it for miles north and south. Trees of immense size abound and a judicious pruning, with a minimum of landscape gardening will result in a luxurious home lot. That the horticulturist is to be given free rein and a generous appropriation is already in evidence as shown in the giant "hot house" illustrated herewith. While this home of flowers is still unfinished, cultivation has commenced and a small sized nursery is already on the grounds. The house is to be built of brown fieldstone and contractor Russell is advertising for bids on large quantities to be delivered or taken on the grounds. East Longmeadow, and vicinity is bound to figure in the construction for that's where brownstone comes from and the farmers will have an opportunity to sell off a crop of brownstone, that has been laid up in walls for many years.

Photo: Monster Barn Being Completed at the Hendee Estate On the Banks of the Connecticut at Suffield

Photo: The Hot Houses

Photo: Sectional View of the Hen Emporium

(Photographs that accompanied original article are of poor quality and cannot be reproduced.)

1913-1925

George M. Hendee, cofounder of Indian Motocycle Company in Springfield, Massachusetts, buys 24 parcels from various Suffield, Connecticut, residents and creates the farm known as Hilltop (including East Hilltop, West Hilltop and Buck Hill). Land extends from current southern boundary north to state line and from Connecticut River west to well beyond Rt. 75. Total land holdings = 500 acres.

1914

20,000 s.f. Georgian Revival dairy barn built. A 1914 Springfield Homestead article labels it a "monster" barn.

Hendee's mansion "Hilltop Manor" built shortly after the barn, on the current site of the Connecticut Culinary Institute and International College of Hospitality Management.

Large house built across from barn is herdsman's house. House built facing barn is administrator's house. House due south of barn is manager's house, built in 1885.

During the Depression, 100 men worked the farm. One man's full-time job consisted of every week washing the windows in the "monster" barn and the lace curtains that covered them.

1930s

Farm is popular site for purchasing ice cream at the Guernsey Cow located in front of the "monster" barn along Rt. 159. Hendee moved the restaurant in 1935 to the 2.1-acre parcel currently being sold by the town.

1940

Hendee sells property to attorney Charles Stroh (of Bloomfield) for $75,000 and moves to Tudor house he builds on Mapleton Avenue in Suffield. That house is still standing. Under Charlie Stroh, Hilltop Farm thrives.

At one point, Hilltop had 10,000 laying hens, 50-60 colony houses for a few thousand broiler hens, a dairy herd numbering 75 registered Holsteins, and several thoroughbred horses. Chickens were slaughtered on site and stored in large freezers in the basement of the barn.

The farm supplied Shriner's Hospital in Springfield with all their eggs and poultry meat, sold poultry in bulk to country clubs and other large food service establishments, and sold raw milk in bulk to Agri-mark. Local residents could also visit to buy eggs and chicken.

The weighing station on the west side of Rt. 159 was used to weigh trucks, first empty then full, so buyers could be charged for their purchase of hay. Hendee had donated the land to the state which built an official weighing station there for commercial trucks. Hilltop had permission from the state to use the station. After the interstates were built, larger more convenient stations were also built on them and the state abandoned use of the station on Rt. 159. Stroh bought the 1/10-acre back from the state for $150.

At one point, eleven families worked the farm and lived in the houses on site. So many children lived on the farm that it had its own school bus stop.

When the Somers Prison barn burned down some years ago, the prison cowherd was moved to Hilltop, along with prisoners to care for the animals and guards who were on site around the clock. The herd was housed at Hilltop until a new barn was built at the prison.

Land north of St. Alphonsus College to the Massachusetts state line (called Spring Farm for the Indian spring that was near the river) was farmed for corn. A workers' house and cow barn were located there.

Nelson Crouss (a Spaulding grandson) and Toby Moffett used to visit Hilltop and teach the calves how to walk on leads. They brought a bouquet of flowers (from the Spaulding Gardens greenhouses on Mapleton Avenue) to a different woman on the farm each time they came. Toby Moffett, U.S. Representative from Connecticut's 6th District, 1975-1983, and whose father worked for Karl Bissell, lived on the Hilltop Manor property while growing up in Suffield and was a farmhand at Hilltop under Charlie Stroh.

1941

Stroh sells 56.1-acre Hilltop Manor to Karl Bissell of Carling Brewery (later named Hampden Brewing) in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Bissell kept Belgian draft horses at the farm that were hitched up and exercised every day in case they had to be used for beer delivery due to gas rationing during WWII.

1961

Bissell sells Hilltop Manor to the Order of the Holy Redeemer for approximately $2 million. The Redemptorist Fathers tear it down (except for the carriage house which is still standing) to build St. Alphonsus College, a 132,000-s.f. four-story facility.

In its prime in the mid-70s, the college had an enrollment of 100 that declined steadily into the late 80s.

Brother Jude, the pastry chef from New York's trendy restaurant "21" lived at the seminary. Local families hired him to bake pastries for their parties in exchange for a donation to the college.

1964

Stroh sells 49.3-acre Indian Spring Farm property to Connecticut Light and Power (CL&P). Workers' house and barn are torn down and power poles and lines erected

1979

Hilltop Farm placed on Survey of Historic and Architectural Resources for the Town of Suffield by the Capitol Region Council of Governments (CRCOG).

1981

Stroh sells 159.9 acres west of Rt. 75 to William Morgan (of Wethersfield, CT) who creates a turf farm that is still in operation.

1984

Stroh sells 1.32-acre parcel in northwest corner of farm abutting Rt. 159 to Edward and June Lynch who build a house on site. Part of west end of hen emporium is torn down because it crosses the new property line.

1986

Farm ceases poultry operations and east end of hen emporium where the candling room was located is converted to a residence.

1996

St. Alphonsus College closes its doors and the property is put up for sale. Two brothers remain on site as caretakers until it is sold. Priests buried at their own cemetery on the property are disinterred and moved to a cemetery at another Redemptorist property in New York.

1998

Operations of Hilltop Farm cease. Betty Stroh donates entire Holstein herd to the University of Vermont, Charlie Stroh's undergraduate alma mater. Auction held for sale of farm equipment.

1999

Suffield Conference Center buys St. Alphonsus College for $2,250,000.

Estate of Charles Stroh sells Hilltop - now totaling only 250 acres - to Pinnacle Developers Suffield LLC in partnership with Eagle's Nest for multi-unit assisted living facility.

2000

Suffield residents protest development project and plans are halted.

Connecticut Culinary Institute leases space at Suffield Conference Center.

December 2001

Pinnacle Developers Suffield LLC sells 127 acres to Town of Suffield for $1.2 million.

• 76 acres are to remain permanent open space (purchased with $600,000 state grant)
• 41 acres west of Rt. 159 donated by Pinnacle (future use by town undetermined)
• 10 acres to be sold by town

Pinnacle sells remaining 118 acres to local residential developer Elzear Roy.

March 2002

Suffield Conference Center is in foreclosure.

State archeologist and State Historical Commission visit Hilltop and declare barn and remaining farmstead excellent candidates for inclusion on State and National Registers of Historic Places.

July 2002

Friends of the Farm at Hilltop, Inc. (FOFAH), has its first meeting. The nonprofit organization plans to buy the 7.9-acre northwesterly parcel, preserve the large white barn, and establish the site as an educational resource center for agriculture, nature conservancy, and New England history and culture.

December 2002

Suffield voters approve sale of both parcels at a Town Meeting. Buyer for 7.9-acre parcel withdraws offer on December 19; buyer for 2.1-acre parcel withdraws offer on March 31, 2003.

January 2003

Suffield pays $600,000 from open space funds to Pinnacle before extended deadline of January 31.

Friends of the Farm at Hilltop, Inc. reintroduce their offer of $325,000 for 7.9-acre parcel.

February 2003

Educational Properties, LLC, owner of the Connecticut Culinary Institute, buys the Suffield Conference Center with plans to expand as an international training facility in the culinary arts and hospitality industries, and open a fine dining restaurant on site.

March 2003

FOFAH launches Capital Campaign by approaching potential major donors.

April 2003

Town of Suffield puts 2.1-acre parcel back on the market.

FOFAH makes presentation to Board of Finance re: its offer on 7.9-acre parcel. Board agrees to give the organization time for fund-raising.

Educational Properties LLC buys the International College of Hospitality Management - Cesar Ritz and moves college to Suffield from its campus in Washington Depot, Connecticut.

A Hartford Courant editorial endorses the efforts of Friends of the Farm at Hilltop, Inc. (4/29/03)

July 2003

FOFAH receives Letter of Determination from the IRS that its application for 501(c)(3) status has been approved retroactive to September 6, 2002. Donations to the organization are tax-deductible. FOFAH launches Capital Campaign publicity.

August 2003

The Hartford Courant endorses Ray Kaplan of Enfield, CT, as the buyer for 2.1-acre parcel and Friends of the Farm at Hilltop, Inc. as the buyer of 7.9-acre parcel. (8/5/03)

Voters at a Town Meeting (8/11) approve Ray Kaplan as the buyer for 2.1-acre parcel. Smaller parcel is sold to him for $285,000.

September 2003

On Labor Day, FOFAH sponsors Farm Fest at Hilltop - a celebration of Suffield Farms and the possibilities for Hilltop - to raise awareness and support for their efforts to acquire the property, list it on the National Register of Historic Places and open it to the public with year round programming and activities.

Hartford Courant endorses FOFAH and encourages the public to attend Farm Fest. (9/1/03)

October 2003

Town of Suffield, FOFAH and Educational Properties, Inc., (owners of the Connecticut Culinary Institute located north of the 7.9-acre parcel), sign a triparty agreement. Suffield will sell the parcel to Educational Properties for $325,000. In return, Educational Properties will lease the barn and surrounding land to FOFAH at $1.00 per year for 99 years, renewable for another 99 years. FOFAH will give the town certain assurances about its treatment of the historic property. Sale is contingent upon the lease and must be approved by voters at a town meeting.

March 2004

FOFAH receives $5000 grant from the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation and the Connecticut Humanities Council for a consultant to draft the nomination of the property to the National Register of Historic Places.

April 2004

Governor John G. Rowland visits Hilltop and announces grant award from Connecticut DEP for $500,000 to restore the barn.

May 2004

Parties sign legal documents to transfer ownership of 7.9-acre parcel to Educational Properties, lease the farm buildings to FOFAH, and agree on the property's sensitive historic treatment.

June 2004

Voters at town meeting unanimously approve sale of 7.9-acre parcel for $325,000 to Educational Properties, LLC, with a 99-year lease to FOFAH renewable for 99 years.

July 21, 2004

Educational Properties buys 7.9-acre parcel. 99-year lease to FOFAH goes into effect.

September 2004

J. Gladwin Cannon Trust awards FOFAH a $4000 grant to help fund purchase of a Cub Cadet tractor.

More than 200 people attend Pig Roast & Contra Dance fund-raiser at the farm.

2nd Annual Farm Fest at Hilltop attended by more than 1200 people.

October 2004

Town residents vote to approve acceptance of $500,000 state DEP grant for barn's restoration.

State Historic Preservation Review Board unanimously nominates the Hilltop Farm Historic District to the National Register of Historic Places.

December 2004

FOFAH receives $5000 grant from the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving for farm equipment and community programming.

January 2005

Hilltop Farm Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places by the National Park Service, which oversees the list.

FOFAH selects Office of Michael Rosenfeld-Architects to conduct feasibility study for the rehabilitation of the barn. February 2005 Friends of Suffield award FOFAH $500 for community programming.

May 2005

Suffield Board of Selectmen approve 4-year renewable lease to FOFAH for 60+ acres in the town's open space at Hilltop.

June 2005

FOFAH signs open space lease with Town of Suffield. Amiel P. Zak Public Service Fund awards $15,000 grant to FOFAH for rehabilitation of four barns in the open space owned by the Town of Suffield at Hilltop. FOFAH awarded $2000 Partnership Grant from the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism for “Suffield: A Town of Farms” being held in October 2005 in collaboration with the Antiquarian & Landmarks Society and Suffield Council for the Arts.