Andrews Farm & Andrews Grove

Property Address: 392 Old Meeting House Road, East Falmouth

The preservation of Tony Andrews Farm and associated family lands along the Coonamessett River for farming and conservation was an opportunity that The 300 Committee seized as one of Falmouth's most significant open space projects ever. A complex and multi-faceted project, The 300 Committee worked closely with the Town and the Andrews Family to negotiate and coordinate the linked land acquisitions of 35 acres of farmland and nearly 11 additional acres of riverfront land. These deals closed in February 2018, with the town buying the Farm for $2 million and T3C purchasing the waterfront parcels for $950,000. Funding for the town's purchase came from Community Preservation Funds ($800,000), a MA LAND grant ($400,000), town free cash and a contribution from T3C. The land trust raised more than $1.4 million through gifts and grants to support the acquisitions. We are grateful to our loyal and generous friends and members for supporting this landmark project!

Located in East Falmouth at 398 Old Meetinghouse Road, the farm has offered locals and visitors the opportunity to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables since its establishment in 1927. During the height of strawberry farming in the 1930's, Tony Andrews maintained 23 acres of strawberry plants, which thrived due to the farm's coarse, highly acidic and sandy soil. Since the passing of Tony Andrews and his wife, Marina, son Jeff, the youngest of the seven Andrews brothers, has continued to farm the land, keeping the farm stand open to the public during spring, summer and fall seasons.

The farmland together with the waterfront parcels provide farm fields, riparian corridor and wooded buffer to Pond 14 and the river. Keeping these 46 acres undeveloped will forever protect water quality as well as important fish and wildlife habitat, including the well-known Coonamessett herring run. The preservation of the Andrews lands also complements the Coonamessett River restoration project, which got underway in 2017. The Andrews lands link to existing open space both to the north (Bartolomei Conservation Area) and the south (lower Coonamesseett River Conservation Lands) and fill a key puzzle piece in the Coonamessett Greenway,

While protecting these 46 acres in perpetuity, the intent is to keep the farm parcels as working agricultural lands and to preserve the waterfront parcels for conservation, passive recreation, habitat and water quality. With the farmland under town ownership, Jeff Andrews will continue his family traditions at least through 2023, with pick-your-own strawberries in June, abundant produce at the farm stand through the summer and pumpkins in the fall. Looking ahead, it is anticipated that the town will continue to lease the farmland, perhaps to a nonprofit group that will oversee a new farmer, or group of farmers, who will tend the fields, grow and sell crops, and run educational programs. We encourage everyone to visit the beautiful farm and to take a walk or enjoy a picnic at Andrews Grove, the T3C-owned land along the Coonamessett River, which is open to the public year-round.