Heart's Delight Farm, Then and Now

From the Heart's Delight Heritage Museum website:

The building of Heart’s Delight Farm began in 1903 and grew from a farmhouse and a couple of barns on 144 acres into a model farm of 300 structures situated on 15,000 acres. The farm utilized a scientific approach to agriculture on a vast scale, embracing hydroelectric power and technological advances to run an enterprise that employed 800 workers in its heyday. It shipped ham, sausages, eggs, and other produce to the best hotels and restaurants in New York City and Chicago.

William Miner gained his wealth as a railroad industrialist who patented several inventions used in the railroad industry. He used his good fortune to expand his farm and take advantage of new technologies such as hydroelectric dams to provide power to his ever-growing empire. Alice Miner began running the Alice T. Miner Museum in 1924 as a part of her devotion to the colonial revival movement. The two had sadly lost their only child after birth, and after began working towards improving the economy and culture of the Chazy area, building up their farm and founding the Chazy Central Rural School and the Physician's Institute.  

Since 1951 Heart's Delight has lived on as the William H. Miner Agricultural Institute, where students can gain experience in dairy, equine, and farm management, as well as agricultural research. It is still a running dairy and equine farm where horses are bred and trained in various disciplines. The institute also offers an applied environmental science program, and the opportunity to participate in community outreach.  

Learn more about the history of Clinton County and see hundreds of beautiful, historic photos in the Press-Republican's new book, Clinton County Memories: The Early Years.