History of the Kenyon Farm

The Kenyon Farm, located on 20245 Zion Road, was purchased from John Marsh '76, the director of sustainability for AVI, in August 2012 with gifts from AVI, the Philander Chase Conservancy and Diane Elam '80 for the purpose of creating an educational working farm run by Kenyon students to complement and expand Kenyon and AVI’s farm-to-table program.

The 10.79 acre property was originally owned by William Hogg as part of a larger 8,000 acre parcel after the forced resettlement of native tribes.

Since 1826 when Charles White purchased the property, then 12 acres, the farm has remained largely intact. A row of large trees along the fence line adorns the western side of the property, while the rear and eastern side are secondary growth forests. The farm includes approximately 2.5 acres of forested land that adjoins Chapel Quarry Road.

The farmhouse was constructed in 1870, possibly by George Lawrence who owned the property from 1856 to 1876. The property was substantially remodeled in 1989 by Rich and Rita Kipp, including the addition of a passive solar wing to the west side of the house. In 2011, John Marsh added a barn to the property that now holds the 19.1 kilowatt solar array.