In 1918 Frank and Eva Gurski purchased the dairy farm that sits on 26 Obtuse Hill Road for a meager $5,500 from Warren Washburn. Ninety-two years later, Brookfielders are working towards preserving that legacy, which is now worth so much more, historically and financially.

In 1968 the Town of Brookfield purchased 80 acres of the farm from Eva Gurski for the purpose of open space. In 2002 the remaining land, homestead and buildings were purchased by the town from Stanley Gurski and Frank Gurski, Jr.

Renovation and preservation has been ongoing and was made possible by a grant from the Connecticut Commission of Culture and Tourism with matching funds from the Town of Brookfield. 

The property is managed by the Gurski Homestead Committee, which consists of 11 town-appointed committee members. Their mission is to preserve the Gurski Homestead and to educate the public on the heritage of agriculture in the state of Connecticut.

Committee members include Committee Chair Judith Heise, Barbara Golde, Robert Brown, Deborah Choma, Elizabeth DeLambert, John Furlong, Michael Murphy, Robert Pitcher, Peter Thompson, Kim Willis and Janice Howard, daughter of Stanley Gurski, who operated the farm for over 25 years.

The Farm

The Gurski Homestead was a fully operating dairy and tobacco farm until the 1960s. The property is one of two farms remaining in Brookfield and committee member John Furlong said that's why it needs to be restored and preserved.

"We need to preserve our past for the future," Furlong said on a recent tour of the property.  The barn, house, farmland and other buildings will be utilized for school tours and other educational functions when completed. 

So much history and so many stories exist on the Gurski property. Frank Gurski, Jr., was an axe thrower at various fairs and the commission has left in place the wood structure he practiced on.

Pointing to the old-fashioned outdoor latrine, Furlong laughed, "How many kids today know what an outhouse is?"

Structural Renovations

In addition to the outhouse being renovated and preserved, the property includes the farmhouse and dairy barn, which date back to the 1800s.  Both are now in the process of being renovated thanks to a grant from the state. 

Stephen Richard is renovating the house.  He started from the basement and is working his way up. The front porch has been fixed and is held up by original beams, according to Heise.

Grant Casperson is restoring the barn and began his work from the top down with roof repairs.

"It will be an example of what an early dairy farm was like and we can show the original hand hewn beams and things the way it was," Heise said. They plan on bringing in old farm machinery so people can see what farming was like back then.

There is an old chicken coop, a restored forge from the 1930s, where a Gurski family member who worked as a blacksmith lived, and a root cellar they hope to renovate.

Heise said they would like to rebuild a replica of the tobacco barn as well, which has since been knocked down. "We would at least like a footprint of the building and we have the stones here," Heise said pointing to the ground where the old stones lay.

The Gurski Forge is an old blacksmith building that was restored with a grant from the Brookfield Education Foundation.  A historic shake roof was put on as well as a new chimney and new siding. Mike Murphy, a local contractor, did the work on the forge.

Also on the property are three old fruit trees, two apple and one pear.  Bartlett Tree Company assessed and identified the trees, which are the last remaining trees from an orchard that used to be there.

Heise said the orchard will be used for picnic tables and a parking lot.

The Cemetery

The Merwin Brook Cemetery parcel is under the jurisdiction of the Historic Cemetery Association, which is part of the Historical Society, Heise explained. The cemetery has no visible headstones and is in the process of being restored.  At one point, the farm was for sale so the owner decided it would be a better selling factor if the headstones were removed.  He took them down and buried them in the ground.  

As soon as they acquired the property, the State Archeologist Dr. Nicholas Bellantoni came to begin searching for the headstones. There are stones that date back to the 1790s, with flags marking graves from Revolutionary War soldiers.

The Community Garden

The community garden, sponsored by the Brookfield Lions Club, was added to the Gurski property last year and, now in its second year, has a waiting list, according to Heise. Brookfield residents can buy a plot to tend and the fee includes access to the shed for supplies and a river-fed freshwater container to water their vegetables.

Fencing protects the vegetables from deer and other predators.  Kim Downs and her daughter Alexa were working together tending their garden Wednesday and said she purchased a plot because their yard doesn't get a lot of direct sunlight, which is not conducive to growing vegetables.

Seven-year-old Alexa planted carrots and her father and eleven-year-old sister Kayla also helped.

"We like to eat organic so this is a great opportunity to grow vegetables," Downs said.  The family has been eating organic for five years.

Downs also thinks it's great that the garden has a method for donating to those in need. "It's a really nice thing that they do to help out the local food banks," she said. Farmers who wish to donate can take one of the designated stakes at the entrance to the garden and place it at the front of a row of crops. When workers from the food bank come by, they know which plots they can take from.

"The Lion's Club has put a lot of effort into this and we just think it's great," Downs stated.    

"Things just keep happening," Heise said. "The Lion's Club and their Community Garden has been wonderful addition to the farm."

"We bought this parcel in 2002.  This was the missing piece right here," Heise said, referring to the front section of the property. "Our goal is for education, preservation and conservation."  And with the funding they have received, that goal is getting closer to completion.

For more information on how to purchase a garden plot contact the Brookfield Lion's Club or call Dave Keefe at 203-775-3876.

If you would like to donation to help preservation of the Gurski Farm, send your check marked for the Gurski Farm Preservation Fund to the Controller's Office, Town of Brookfield, 100 Pocono Road, Brookfield, CT, 06804.