Our History
Kelso Homestead Farm
Captain John Kelso (1730-1814) purchased about 180 acres of mountainous land from Timothy Paine of Worcester, Massachusetts on February 8, 1780, thus establishing Kelso Homestead Farm. Captain John Kelso organized a Revolutionary War militia and is buried in the First Congregational Church of Chester cemetery.
Over the decades, Kelso Homestead Farm raised dairy cattle, sheep, pigs, chickens, hay, timber, vegetables, fruit, and maple syrup to support the resident families. A barn that existed on the property in 1780 is still in use 244 years later. Kelso Homestead Farm is one of only a handful of Massachusetts properties still farming after 200 years.
The farm passed from father to oldest son for nine generations until Leon and Elizabeth Kelso willed the farm to their daughter Harriet Kelso Gilman after her brother John chose to live in Florida. Colonel James W. Gilman, husband of Harriet, began planting high bush blueberries in 1975 after the couple retired and moved to the farm from Falls Church, VA. James Gilman continued expanding the orchard until it contained more than 7,000 plants.
Beginning with the 2019 season, James K. Gilman and his brother Lee have managed blueberry production themselves. During the previous 15 years the blueberry orchard had been leased, and a great deal of maintenance was deferred. Weeds, vines, even small trees had grown among rows of blueberries and crop yield was much reduced. Pruning, weeding, mowing, and fertilizing since 2019 have gradually brought the orchard back into condition and it looks beautiful once again. The blueberry harvest in 2023 was the highest in 20 years.
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