Our History

Generations of love for this land. Seven generations of Holcombs cared for this spectacular 322-acre property in Granby, Connecticut. The first Holcomb broke ground in 1719. His heirs continued to work the land and acquire surrounding property. In the early 19th century Broad Hill Farm—as it was then known—enjoyed a period of prosperity. In the 1860s, however, Granby and the Farm settled into a long period of decline.

In the 20th century, Holcomb siblings Tudor and Laura transformed the family’s failing farm into a modern agricultural enterprise. Their success is legendary. Tudor led Connecticut’s transition from broadleaf to shade-grown tobacco farming; he used advanced irrigation and fertilizing methods for his crops; and he started the state’s first milking operation run completely on electricity.

Tudor and Laura willed the Farm to the University of Connecticut in 1976. Their goal was to preserve the property’s natural beauty and, through their donation, make it accessible to the public for agricultural education and experimentation.

In 1990 the Town of Granby inherited the property and determined that the best way to honor the Holcombs’ legacy was to keep the Farm intact as a public resource. Listed in the State and National Registers of Historic Places, today Holcomb Farm is a nonprofit center dedicated to environmental and arts programs that explore and celebrate the natural world.