Henry Hill Farm traces its origins to George Henry 1st (1842 to 1903), who among other things was a master mason and helped to build the New York State Capitol in Albany. The farm was first started as a dairy farm. Five generations of Henrys have lived and worked on the farm.
The working dairy operations continued from the early 1900s until the mid-1970s, when the original farmstead that included two farm houses and barns and over 100 acres became idle and one of the homes, barn and part of the lands were sold off and active dairy operation ended. The remainder of the farm remained mostly fallow and only partially used for haying and corn by a neighboring farmer. Starting in 2001 the farm was converted from a dairy and hay operation to a tree farm/nursery and multi-dimensional operation after Robert Fasanella inherited the majority of the farmlands. Renovations of the barn, farm house and farm lands began in 2002. The goal is to make the farm a sustainable, working farm and operation for future generations. Our mission is to provide sufficient revenue through products grown on the farm or locally made in order to provide local employment and educational opportunities on a seasonal and full-time basis.
Since 2004 Henry Hill Farm has been running on a seasonal and more recently full time, year-round basis, with various operations run from the farm and barn. Many renovations and redevelopments have occurred as more detailed in our Renovations section which shows photos of the various renovations and current operations. There are many seasonal events, changes of activities and products. We encourage you to visit our Calendar of Activities to check out what is happening each month. The Retail Shop opening soon will offer a variety of products on a seasonal basis and feature farm grown and locally made products, which can be purchased on-site or on-line.
Five Generations of the Henry Family:
First Generation: George Henry 1st (1842-1902); born in Glasgow, Scotland. His wife was Lavina Palmatier Henry (1844-1925). The couple divorced soon after buying the farm and George moved to New Jersey. Lavina ran the farm as a single mother and is responsible for keeping it sustainable. Lavina raised four kids, worked the farm and lived there until her death. If not for her, the story would have ended in the 19th century. She is buried in the family cemetery plot a few miles from the farm.
Second Generation: George V. Henry 2nd (1878-1968) and his wife Orilla Henry (1878-1971), sons and daughter lived and worked on the farm as dairy farmers. Robert Fasanella (current owner) stayed on the farm during the summer for many years and learned to love the farm even though until the mid-1960s it had no electricity or running water. They heated and cooked with a wood stove and used an outhouse.
Third Generation: Marion Henry Fasanella (1916-2001), George Henry 3rd (1920-2003) and Frank Henry (1924-2002). Marion Henry Fasanella ultimately took the primary interest in the farm and ensured that it stayed in the family for the benefit of future generations. The farm was passed along to the Fourth Generation Robert A. Fasanella who became the current steward in 2001.
Fourth Generation: Robert A. Fasanella (1958-) is the current owner and manager of the farm. He spent many summers at the farm during his youth and learned to love the farm from spending time working on the farm with his grandparents, uncles and aunts and cousins who lived on the farm including his cousin; Cheryl Henry Fisher and her husband Fred Fisher who lived on the farm for the past decade until Robert Fasanella purchased the farm house and barn from them in 2013.
Fifth Generation: Conor Henry McCarthy has managed and lived on the farm during various times over the past five years. Presently Robin and Troy Stine and some of their family members live on the farm and manage operations.