Bicentennial Farm Protected in Cherry Valley
Scramlin Farm south of Cherry Valley
The 120-acre Scramlin farm has been in the family for over 200 years, and Robert Scramlin wanted to make sure that it would be protected for future generations by securing a conservation easement with Otsego Land Trust.
Located just south of Cherry Valley, this property lies in the Lindesay Patent Rural Historic District and includes active farmland, a working forest, and an expansive wetland complex. Also protected are a floodplain and streamside buffer along Cherry Valley Creek, a designated trout stream.
The original settler of the farm was Scramlin’s ancestor James Willson, a Scotsman, who came to Cherry Valley in 1738 as one of the surveyors of the Lindesay Patent. The present house was built in the 1790’s after the family returned following the Cherry Valley massacre in 1778. In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, hops were the primary crop.
Later the Scramlins became dairy farmers and Robert Scramlin was awarded a national Bicentennial Farm Award for continuous family ownership in 1990 by the USDA Farm Service Agency, one of only three farms so honored in the county. Today corn and hay are still grown on the property by a neighboring farmer.
After signing a gas lease in 2006, Bob Scramlin became concerned as information became available about the potential risks to the water, soil and air. He wanted to make sure this couldn't happen to the farm that had been in his family for generations and with persistence, he was able to cancel his lease.
The Scramlin property is within 5 miles of 4 other properties protected by conservation easements for a total of over 600 acres near Cherry Valley. Peter Hujik, Otsego Land Trust’s Executive Director, stated “Bob translated his connection with the past into a vision for the future. Working with Bob is an honor. His forefathers would be proud of his commitment to the land and to the community.”
