Brookside Farm Museum

05/25/2026

We're looking to help our infamous Earthcare Steward, Swamp Yankee Earthcare find a new home. They just need a sliver of land for a greenhouse, a shed, and a place to park their vehicles. (My guess is that invasive species removal would be built in as well.) Centrally located in CT preferred, but flexible toward southeastern Connecticut as well.

Swamp Yankee Earthcare is responsible for eradicating invasive species from the space at Brookside Farm and is in the process of restoring the wooded area, restoring the ecosystem as it goes.

Email SwampYankee Earthcare at [email protected] with any leads.

Posting again since we’re running out of time!

We started out as a home-based business in Westbrook and although we’ve only been operating here for a small percentage of that time, after more than 30 years calling this beautiful property home it’s, unfortunately, time to move on.

As such, we are eagerly searching for a new place to run the business from.

At the minimum, we’re looking for a small to medium sized building - barn, garage, warehouse - where we can store tools, equipment, and a few vehicles.

A property with some land available for a small native plant nursery would be ideal.

Long term plans include organic farming so if you have a lead on available farmland please let us know.

We’re pretty flexible on our needs and expectations but we would like to be centrally located. Our order of preference is New Haven, Hartford, Litchfield, the Middlesex counties. We’ll also consider other areas of the state if we can get an exceptional deal.

We’re currently not in the position to purchase so opportunities to lease or lease-to-own are key.

Thanks for reading this far - if you have know of any spots, please let us know.

🌍❤️🌎

05/10/2026

Thank you to everyone who came out to Brookside Farm's Native Plant Sale today, and a special thank you to SwampYankee EarthCare for making it possible.

We now have the resources to establish our own native meadow, reducing our lawn space and replacing it with native pollinators that improve our environment. And we are so excited that so native plants that we sold will be going into the ground tomorrow across southeastern Connecticut.

That is a good day for pollinators, habitat, and community. — with Swamp Yankee Earthcare.

05/02/2026

We are so happy to report that we received funding from the Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut to continue our Homegrown National Park project into Year 3.

This means more native planting, continued forest and meadow restoration, and more free workshops, walks, and hands-on opportunities for the community. What started as overgrown, underused land is steadily becoming a healthy, accessible landscape for people and wildlife alike.

Thank you to everyone who has shown up, volunteered, learned with us, and supported this work. We’re excited to keep going.

Want to know more about what Brookside is up to? Stop by our Native Plant Sale on May 9, 9 am - 3 pm, 33 Society Road, right next to the BLOOM Festival!

04/26/2026

It was a great day had by all who came out for the Earth Day Celebration at Brookside!
Entertainment, Education, Environment. It was a win win win for our planet today.

Special thanks to our volunteers, our entertainment, and Swamp Yankee EarthCare! Thanks also to our State Representative Nick Menapace for stopping by!

Stay tuned for other events coming up soon at Brookside Farm, including a native plant sale, yarn spinning and making your own mosquito bucket on May 9, as part of the BLOOM festival.

We remain so sorry that the owls ended up unable to make it, especially to those who came by just that, but we will reschedule soon! They will also be at the BLOOM festival right next door at the East Lyme Community Center on May 9.

04/02/2026

Brookside Farm Museum is growing into something bigger than a historic site. It is becoming a place where history, landscape, and community come together in a real, visible way.

Over the past year, we’ve made real progress. Native plantings are taking hold, invasive species have been removed, and the land is beginning to open up again for people to explore, learn, and connect. At the same time, we are working to bring forward more of Brookside’s human story through compelling new exhibits and expanded interpretation, including the story of a resident who lived here in 1850 whose life has not yet been fully explored. We are also building more opportunities for the community to gather through programs, events, and music.

Now we’re asking for your help to keep that work moving forward.

Your support helps us:
• continue restoring the landscape
• develop new exhibits and deepen the stories we tell
• expand programs, music, and public events
• care for this historic property in a sustainable way
• build something that belongs to the whole community

If you’ve walked the property, attended a program, volunteered, or simply care about what Brookside is becoming, this is a meaningful way to be part of it.

Learn more and donate here: https://givebutter.com/friendsgive2026

Every gift helps move this work forward. Thank you.

https://givebutter.com/friendsgive2026

02/25/2026

Even though it's hard to imagine, we are happy to be thinking about spring and seeing what more progress we can make in our Homegrown National Park next season. Thanks to the Girl Scouts for coming over on Sunday and helping us do some winter seed sowing! And thanks to Swamp Yankee Earthcare, for donating the supplies! Can't wait to begin turning dead lawn into a native meadow on Industrial Drive across from Lillie B. Haynes.

01/29/2026

Please join us in welcoming Emily Fiore as the newest member of the Brookside Farm Museum Commission!

Emily is a lifelong East Lyme resident and a 2024 graduate of Eastern Connecticut State University, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in History. She has already brought that passion to Brookside through volunteer projects and research support.

Emily is excited to deepen her knowledge of American and local history while contributing to Brookside’s growing slate of projects, programs, and community events. Having grown up in East Lyme, she values the town’s unique blend of shoreline and forest—“the best of both worlds”—and looks forward to helping steward one of its most historic places.

We’re thrilled to have her insight, enthusiasm, and commitment to the East Lyme community on the Commission. Welcome, Emily!

If you would like to be considered for the Brookside Farm Museum Commission, please email [email protected].

01/26/2026

Thank you to everyone who joined our Annual Meeting yesterday. Brookside is entering an exciting chapter, and we were thrilled to share updates on restoration work, new exhibits, community programs, and ways for neighbors to get involved.

The meeting covered our financial outlook, major projects underway, and plans for 2026—including the Hidden Histories exhibit, continued Homegrown National Park ecological restoration, the return of children’s programming, expanded community use of the barn, a new specialty store, and the growth of its summer music series.

Attendees shared ideas for environmental programs, history interpretation, community events, and educational offerings, and many volunteered to support upcoming initiatives.

Brookside is rebuilding a strong, structured volunteer program and exploring new opportunities for local artists, makers, educators, growers, and performers to use the house and barn. We welcome interest in hosting classes, craft demonstrations, small farm or cut-flower stands, rehearsals, acoustic performances, and community gatherings.

Read the full minutes on our website, and get in touch if you’d like to volunteer, propose a program, or explore using Brookside for your craft, class, farm stand, performance, rehearsal, or a barn rental.

Brookside Farm Museum is growing—and there is a place here for you.

Thank you to everyone who joined our Annual Meeting on January 25. Brookside is entering an exciting new chapter, and we were thrilled to share updates on restoration work, new exhibits, community programs, and ways for neighbors to get involved.The meeting covered our financial outlook, major proje...

01/22/2026

Thank you to the Niantic Lions Club for honoring us with a $500 gift at last night’s Annual Awards Ceremony. We are grateful for your commitment to local history, environmental stewardship, and community life.

This support will help the Friends of Brookside Farm Museum support the vision of Brookside Farm this year, including strengthening its environmental restoration work, and moving forward on new programming that brings together history, ecology, and civic engagement at Brookside.

We appreciate the Lions’ partnership and their dedication to serving our community.