The Westwood apartments community has plenty of charming entertainment options in the area. If you're looking for a peaceful retreat, you might consider Brook Farm Historic Site. A 15-minute drive lands you in 179 acres of beauty and history.
Brook Farm Historic Site
The Brook Farm Historic Site in West Roxbury, MA, was one of the first places in Massachusetts to be added to the National Register of Historic Places and be designated a National Historic Site. It's for good reason. The Brook Farm's history is rich and varied, beginning with Native Americans who tended small family gardens of corn, beans, and squash.
The 1700s saw the farmlands change hands several times before landing in the care of dairy farmers, Charles and Maria Ellis. Things took a captivating turn in 1841 when they sold the farm to a Unitarian minister named George Ripley, who had read and been inspired by Ralph Waldo Emerson's Nature.
Transcendentalists, Civil War, & an Orphanage
Inspired by Emerson and the Transcendentalist Movement of the early 1800s, Ripley established the Brook Farm Institute for Agriculture and Education as a cooperative. This community of transcendentalists believed that we did not need to wait for the eternal afterlife for an ideal society. They believed they could create it here and now. Residents worked toward that end until 1847 when a fire led to their disbandment.
For a short time in 1861, the site served as a Civil War training camp for Colonel Gordon and the Second Massachusetts Infantry Regiment.
In 1870, Gottlieb F. Burkhardt formed what is now known as the Lutheran Services Association. Brook Farm served as home to an orphanage. After the orphanage closed, the site hosted a residential treatment facility as well as a school. Both closed in 1974. Brook Farm was designated as a Boston landmark in 1977.
Present-Day Brook Farm
Currently, Brook Farm includes nature trails and a variety of wildlife viewing. Periodic historical tours are offered. Visitors report peaceful picnics and nature views.
We love our Westwood community and its surrounding beauty. We're eager to welcome you into a newly renovated luxury apartment. Contact us today for more information!