This 13-acre farmstead was part of a larger, 300-acre farm owned by the father of Isaac Williams. In 1876 this property was transferred from father to son with Isaac and his wife raising 15 children in the house that was built on the stone foundation that is seen in this photograph. Members of the Williams family, along with other local inhabitants of the time, are buried less than half a mile from this site in a little known cemetery just across Highland Lakes Road at the entrance of our driveway.

The Isaac Williams Farm is one of the ‘Mountain Farms’ of Vernon. One can only imagine the lifestyle involved in making a go on this remote and rocky piece of land. Currently, an effort is being made to clean up the area and to explore some of the farm’s outbuildings, evidence of which is seen in several ‘laid-up’ stone foundations.

The Williams Farm is privately owned and sits inside of the Newark Watershed. The property continues to be actively farmed as a tree farm. Most of the activity that can be seen is known as timber stand improvement (TSI). The area also has a large wildlife population with the brush piles serving as shelter for smaller animals. There is also a rich variety of birds that is created by the forest transitioning to open space. It is not uncommon for people to walk in to the property just to listen to the birds.

South of this location, following what is known as ‘Williams Mine Road’, you will find the Williams Mine. The mine site has several deep shafts and care must be taken in exploring the site. When at its peak, the mine site contained a small community. The mine is on the trail, which bears to the left off of the main road, approximately about 1,500 feet from this site.