Scenic Views

The Atkins Family Protects a Part of Salt Point’s History

October 15, 2017

Across the street from the old sign signaling your arrival in the hamlet of Salt Point in the Town of Pleasant Valley, the red barn and historic 1790 main house of Locust Grove Farm create a vista trapped in time. It’s nearly impossible not to notice the stunning, rural landscape of the area and hope that this picturesque scene will never disappear. Thanks to the generational stewardship of the Atkins family, part of it never will.

Bringing Back the Land – Shenandoah Farm

October 15, 2017

Visible from the Taconic State Parkway and I-84 in East Fishkill, Shenandoah Farm often signals your arrival in pastoral Duchess County. It stands testament to the area’s agricultural heritage, as this viewshed is often touted as many people’s favorite. But because of its proximity to two major highways, it was always at high risk of development.

Once upon a time, a Jackson ancestor sold part of his family’s Shenandoah Farm. Subsequent Jackson generations worked the same 39-acre parcel, along with their own land, as part of a lease with the owner for their dairy operation. But patriarch Verne Jackson longed to rejoin the parcel with their original holding.