In the ensuing years, some of that fertile soil was covered by a steel mill, a landfill and the communities of Fairless Hills and Levittown. Today, the township population is about 35,000, and only two farms remain.
One of those relics is the 150-acre Snipes farm near Morrisville, Pa. It is hemmed in by housing developments and highways, notably Route 1 — a noisy, garish four-lane commercial corridor.
The din of traffic can be heard from the porch of the homestead, built in 1854. The farm has been in the family since 1808, and forebears came to the area with William Penn.
For decades, Sam and his brother Brad sold produce from the farm and operated a nursery. Five years ago, bowing to competition from big-box stores and chain gardening centers, they shuttered the enterprise.
That would have been a logical time to sell to developers, who have been knocking on the door for years, waving millions. Instead, the task of perpetuating the family farm was assumed by two people with a passion for the past, a vision for the future, and a fervent sense of mission — Jonathan Snipes and Susan Snipes-Wells, the son and daughter of Sam Snipes, and the 10th generation of the family to care for this pastoral oasis.
"People often ask, 'Why don't you sell out?' But I believe we have a larger purpose, and I want to fulfill it," says Snipes, 49, who lives in the family manse.
"Selling land for suburban sprawl is the least creative thing we could do," says Snipes-Wells, 54, who lives in Yardley, Pa. "It's been done many times, and we all know the result. It isn't very interesting."
From the outset, the two knew that running a family farm in this day and age would be difficult. They also knew they wanted to protect the land, keep it open to the public and contribute to the local economy.
Last year, they made their vision concrete by opening a 25-acre "outdoor classroom," the Farm School at Snipes. Its mission: to model and teach sustainable farming while building community and reconnecting people to the land.
(2 of 2)Washington Report: GFEsPulte’s size gives it cash safety net
