The weekend St. Albans Messenger has a nice article on a Farm Grant received by John & Sue Mitchell on page 9A. Along with this article there is a half page of photos taken by Elodie Reed.
Fairfax farm a grant recipient
By ELODIE REED
Messenger Staff Writer
FAIRFAX - Mitchell's Sheep Farm in Fairfax was one of two Franklin County recipients of the state-funded Barn Preservation Grant for 2014.
The farm, which has been at 1135 Main Street since 1845, has belonged to the Mitchell family since the early 20th century, when current owner Susan Mitchell's great-grandfather bought the property.
Mitchell's two sons grew up with their grand-father, and her aunt, Janet Geer, still stops by to visit the house she grew up in.
Mitchell's young grandson, Peter, has told her he wants to live there someday.
The property's red barn, which sits on seven acres and has been home to cows, horses, pigs, and chickens over the years, now holds six sheep and four lambs. Susan and her husband, John, have been raising sheep for their meat and lawn mowing abilities for the past two decades. Local school children also visit around lambing season.
With dusty light filtering through its windows and wooden doors, the barn provides a cozy home for it's woolly residents, though at the moment, it does have a slanted feel to it. With the $13,800 grant, the Mitchells will. rebuild some of the barn's foundation, straighten the building, refurbish the doors and windows, do some beam work. "It's just oldness,' said Susan of her barn. "We had heard about this [grant] and thought, 'Hey; we'll try this."
The Mitchells didn't want to lose a piece of the place they loved. "It's been a really good place," Mitchell said.