History

The farm is named after a 17th-century Native American leader who lived nearby along the Connecticut River. Quonquont, said to mean "crow," was a signer of the original deed to Hadley in 1672.

The first building on the farm property was a wayside tavern built in 1759. In the early 1800s, the dingle brook was dammed to power a tannery. Records show that in 1860 tobacco was grown here alongside both dairy and beef cattle operations.

In 1920, the property became The Quonquont Stock Farm which raised cattle and ran a succesful dairy. The famous Quonquont Milk Bottle (now located at the town offices on Christian Lane) was part of a retail store and restaurant down the road on Routes 5&10 which offered milk, cream and other dairy products. In summer, ice cream was served outside through the Dutch door in the giant bottle.

The property is blessed with several natural perennial springs. Evidence of a hilltop water storage tower attests to the fact that the farm once supplied drinking water to a good part of the town.

In the early 1970s, the property was planted as an orchard and renamed simply Quonquont Farm.

emily@quonquont.com413-575-4680