Vermont: 1960's to Present Day
In 1962, Jackson and Lydia Clemmons moved their young family from Cleveland to the small rural community of Charlotte, Vermont. They left family, friends and community to seek a place away from the racism and the limited employment opportunities for African Americans in the Cleveland of the times. An intrepid couple, the fact that Vermont was the "whitest" state in the US-- with less than 1 percent of the population being people of color-- did not deter them from their dream of owning a farm where they would be able to give their children a safe and wholesome life.

An African-American Legacy and A Magical Place in Vermont.

Part 1 of a short video that tells the story of the Clemmons Family Farm- one of the largest African American owned historic farms in Vermont. The video features aerial views of the 148 acre property and storytelling by owners, Jack and Lydia Clemmons.

An African-American Legacy and A Magical Place in Vermont.

Part 2 of  features storytelling by owners Jack and Lydia Clemmons, and highlights of their lives, careers and activism in their community.

The "After Ski" Party.

​Don't Steak Rosebud.

Wood Talk.
Jack and Lydia Clemmons moved from Cleveland Ohio to the rural community of Charlotte Vermont in 1962. Some of Lydia’s favorite stories about their early days in Charlotte are about the holiday parties on Greenbush Road, which was just a narrow dirt road back then. 

The Garden.

​Back in rural Charlotte, Vermont in the 1960s, the highlight of Lydia Senior's life was her vegetable garden.
During the 1960's the Clemmons children formed strong friendships with the family's cows. One of the cows, Rosebud, had a knack for getting out of the ​fence and wandering off of the farm.

When Mom and the Chesapeake Bay Retriever Were Pregnant at the Same Time.

​Lydia Senior shares stories about the 1960s in Charlotte, Vermont, when she and one of the family dogs were both expecting.
Red pine. Red fox. Hemlock. Oak. Maple.  Beaver. Black Bear. Brown Deer. The occasional moose. Bobcat. Raccoon. Snapping turtle. Painted turtle. Salamanders. Owls. Wild turkey. The forty acres of forest was a child's wonderland in the 1960's-1980's. Today, under the Farm's forest management plan, it's logging time. Time to remove old, sick and dying trees, and cull those that have grown too close together, so that the forest remains healthy.