The Smith Farmhouse was built by Dr. Asahel Smith, who began to practice the healing arts in Easton, in the year 1850. His method was called clairvoyance...and his remedies- chiefly botanical. ~William Chaffin, History of Easton, 1886
History
Before Dr. Asahel Smith came to Easton, he lived in Sharon, Massachusetts near the present-day borders of Borderland State Park. As a young man he learned the trade of a shoemaker from his father Michael Smith In 1839, Asahel married Almira Gilbert, the granddaughter of Deborah Sampson of Revolutionary War fame and a descendant of John Alden and Governor William Bradford of the Mayflower. Shortly after their marriage, Asahel moved to Easton where he continued the trade of shoemaker like so many of his young neighbors. However, by 1850 Asahel had found a different calling as a clairvoyant physician, utilizing botanical remedies to heal his patients. He spent the next 30 years devoted to the healing arts when in the summer of 1880, when he was 66 years old and his 9 children had long since married and formed families of their own nearby, he and 4 of his sons built the farm now known as Smith Farm at Borderland State Park. It is believed that Dr. Asahel built the farm as a place of respite and tranquility for himself and his patients and one has only to spend a few minutes there to understand why the serene spot was chosen.
About 6 years ago, Carrie Crisman was walking the Borderland S.P. trails when she came upon the old farm, long since vacant, and wondered why it wasn't being used or lived in. She soon found out that the Department of Conservation and Recreation was offering it under their curatorship program for historic properties. Envisioning the farm as a place for a variety of health and wellness programs, yet not being aware of its history as such, she applied for and was awarded the curatorship of Smith Farm. It now seems more than 130 years later that Smith Farm has come full circle and with Carrie's vision, will return to a place of physical, emotional, and spiritual healing. Please join Carrie, Borderland State Park, and the people of Easton in supporting this important vision and contributing to the wellness of all.
About 6 years ago, Carrie Crisman was walking the Borderland S.P. trails when she came upon the old farm, long since vacant, and wondered why it wasn't being used or lived in. She soon found out that the Department of Conservation and Recreation was offering it under their curatorship program for historic properties. Envisioning the farm as a place for a variety of health and wellness programs, yet not being aware of its history as such, she applied for and was awarded the curatorship of Smith Farm. It now seems more than 130 years later that Smith Farm has come full circle and with Carrie's vision, will return to a place of physical, emotional, and spiritual healing. Please join Carrie, Borderland State Park, and the people of Easton in supporting this important vision and contributing to the wellness of all.
