Smiling Hill Farm

Smiling Hill Farm
Private
Industry Agriculture, Food Processing
Founded 1720
Headquarters Westbrook, Maine, USA
Key people
 Warren R. Knight - President
Products Milk, Ice Cream, Cheese
Number of employees
 17
Website www.smilinghill.com

Smiling Hill Farm is a 500 acre[1] traditional New England farm encompassing parts of the municipalities of Westbrook, Scarborough, and Gorham, Maine. Founded in 1720 as the homestead of Nathaniel Knight, the 12th generation descendents continue to operate the farm today. Known as the "Knight Farm", the farm was renamed "Smiling Hill Farm" by Roger D. Knight in 1974. Roger named the farm after a favorite childhood book "Smiling Hill Farm" by Miriam E. Mason (1937).[2] Smiling Hill Farm is known for its characteristic smiling cow logo. Smiling Hill Farm is the 9th oldest continually operating family business in the United States according to Family Business magazine.[3]

History

Smiling Hill Farm was founded in the 1720s[4] as the home of the Knight family. The Knights had been in Scarborough since the mid-1600s starting with George Knight d.1671. Following George's early death his widow left the family's land holdings in Scarborough for the relative safety of Portsmouth, NH, with her two young children Mary and Nathan. Nathan Knight married Mary Westbrook and returned to Scarborough in the late 1600s with his brother-in-law, Col. Thomas Westbrook. Col. Thomas Westbrook's gravesite is located on the Scarborough portion of the property.[5] Col. Westbrook was the uncle of Nathaniel Knight who was the first Knight to occupy the area now known as Smiling Hill Farm.

George Knight ca 1635-1671 Nathan Knight 1668-1746 Nathaniel Knight 1698-1786 George Knight 1737-1801 George Knight II 1778-1837 Lewis Knight 1827-1909 Benjamin Knight 1855-1939 Perce C. Knight 1887-1972 Roger D. Knight 1935-2015

Today

Smiling Hill Farm houses Silvery Moon Creamery, an artisanal cheese manufacturer. Smiling Hill Farm at one time packaged milk for Maine's Own Organic Milk Company. Smiling Hill Farm also bottles milk in glass bottles for some other small local farms in Maine and New Hampshire.[6] A farm animal exhibit, known as the "Barnyard", has been a popular feature of this farm.[7]

References

  1. ↑ "Smiling Hill Farm", VisitMaine.com(website) accessed 26 July 2011
  2. ↑ Our Land, Our Literature Miriam E. Mason Archived September 27, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
  3. ↑ "America's oldest family run businesses according to Family Business magazine". News.everest.edu. 2009-08-12. Retrieved 2013-01-22.
  4. ↑ Tess Nacelewicz, "Changing coming to dairy operation at Smiling Hill Farm", American Journal, keepmecurrent.com, 23 July 2010, accessed 26 July 2011
  5. ↑ Isabel T. Coburn, "The Westbrook Secret: A Skeleton In The Woods Solves A 232-Year Old Mystery", Portland Evening Express, Tues, July 27, 1976, (with photo of Westbrook's partially exhumed skeleton) copy at Westbrook Historical Society
  6. ↑ Clarke Canfield,"MOOMilk Organic Milk: Maine Dairy Farmers Might Have Business Model To Emulate", Huffington Post, 17 February 2010, accessed 26 July 2011
  7. ↑ Beth Alteri and Kristin DiCara, "Smiling Hill Farm brings back its petting zoo", WCSH6.com, 22 May 2010, accessed 26 July 2011

Coordinates: 43°38′50″N 70°22′44″W / 43.647097°N 70.378828°W / 43.647097; -70.378828

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