A short walk from parking along an old farm road that leads to an ice pond constructed during the first half of the 19th Century. Pond ice was stored in an ice house (no longer standing) where it remained frozen into the summer. The railroad reached Bedford in 1847, and the ice was used in warm weather to chill milk for shipment to New York City. Before the railroad arrived, the Jay farm produced butter, cheese and flour for the city market. Founding Father John Jay developed 760 acres of land here as a working farm when he retired from public life in 1801. The farm remained in the family for six more generations before becoming a public museum in 1965. Today, the historic site covers 62 acres and includes John Jay’s retirement home and several other building dating back to Jay’s occupancy of the property.
For details regarding the Taconic Region Geocaching Challenge, please see JJH #1.