The Wakeman Town Farm stand is open Saturdays, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
There’s fresh, wonderful seasonal produce — zucchini, squash, tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, hot peppers, eggplant, flowers and more.
WTF depends entirely on volunteers. There’s always a lot going on. Sometimes, you’ve got to help yourself.
(Photo/Lynn U. Miller)
Go ahead. Take what you need. Leave what you owe.
Who says Westport is no longer a small, friendly town?
Which Wakeman is this? My great grandfather, Horace Staples Wakeman,
raised melons and sold them to the Waldorf Astoria in New York City. They sent a man up to Westport on the train to pick them up daily. This was when he had a big farm on So. Compo Road. His son, Burritt Wakeman, also owned a farm opposite Longshore and this farm included all of the property in each side of Yankee Hill Road. The house and the big red barn are still there.
x Sally Deegan
This is the Cross Highway Wakeman farm (which as I recall until 1970 or 71 used to extend to the corner of North Ave. & someone older than I said once extended to fields behind Staples). The last Wakemans to farm it were Mr.Isaac Wakeman & his wife.
The town took over the house & last bit of the farm after Mrs.Wakeman passed on & the town had the good sense & respect to keep the name. Unlike in Stratford w/ Mr.Pirhala’s farm. That became a community farm as well after Mr.Pirhala passed — which is great — but sadly & I think disrespectfully they changed the name. Despite it having been the last surviving farm in Stratford & John Pirhala having lovingly & proudly kept it from development all those years. He told me he refused to sell when people wanted it for housing development & I was sad that people didn’t retain the name ‘Pirhala Farm’ to honour him for that.
Your family seems to have been everywhere in Fairfield (& later what became ‘Westport’)! What a great story about the melons & the Waldorf!