What is now Town Farm Dairy was already settled in 1687 when Samuel Higley, minter of the first copper coins in America, was born on the farm. Amos Eno bought the farm from the State of Connecticut in 1884 and donated the farm, fully stocked, to the town of Simsbury. In his deed, Mr. Eno stipulated that the farm be run as a "poor farm" to provide food and shelter to those in the community who were in need.
Until World War II, indigent residents of the boarding house lived and worked on the farm, which was self-sufficient with dairy cattle, vegetables, tobacco, and chickens. After World War II and through the 1950's, Sam Fisher rented the property and ran a dairy on the land.
During the 1950's, Charles and Mary Duncan ran a boarding house on the property, but from this time on the boarders no longer worked on the farm. In 1981, the last resident of the boarding house died and no new tenants were accepted.
In 1993, the Town of Simsbury renovated the boarding house and it is now used for affordable housing.
Culbro Tobacco grew tobacco on the farm property during the late 1950's and early 1960's. From the 1960's until 1970, the land was rented by Joe Lamothe and was again utilized as a dairy farm.
From 1970-1979, Baker's Nursery rented the land and used it to grow nursery stock. Bill Walsh began renting the farm in 1979 and started raising cattle in the early 1980's.
What we now know as Town Farm Dairy began in 1989. The agricultural portion of today's Town Farm consists of approximately 75 acres of land on either side of Wolcott Road. On one side are the small farmhouse, barn and outbuildings and on the other side of the road is pastureland that borders the Farmington River.
The milk processing operation began in 1994. Until milk processing ceased in the Fall of 2003, the dairy products processed on the farm included bottled milk, yogurt, cheese, ice cream, and eggnog. All of the milk came from the resident herd of Jersey Cows.
In May 2005 the Town Farm Dairy was certified organic. Organic raw milk is now for sale on a very limited basis.