Eleazar Davis Farm Is Sold – and Will Remain a Farm

January 4, 2023
The Davis Farm on Davis Farm has been bought by Kerry and Charlie Dirac. Staff photo by Wayne Braverman

The Historic Eleazar Davis Farm on Davis Road has been sold and will remain a horse farm.

“While bittersweet, this outcome could not have been better. The Davis farmstead remains a farm,” wrote owner Lisa Samoylenko and her daughter Seija in a letter to neighbors and friends last week.

The purchasers, Kerry and Charlie Dirac, are Bedford residents. Kerry Dirac is head trainer and event team coach of Mango Bay Eventing, affiliated with Churchill Stables at Huckins Farm on Dudley Road. Mango Bay “offers quality instruction for both horse and rider with a focus on eventing,” according to its Facebook page.

The formal transaction took place on Dec. 28. Samoylenko, in her message, said, “For the near future (until summer 2023) I will remain in the house, teaching, training horses, and coaching students at the farm. Later this year Kerry, Charlie, and their three boys will move to Davis Road.”

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“In the meantime, Kerry will also move her students and horses to the farm and continue to develop her program and expand ‘Wellness for Horses,’ her not-for-profit organization.”

The farm, about seven acres at the big curve on Davis Road, includes the 17th century house that was home to generations of the Davis family. 

The Davis Farm has been sold and will continue as a horse farm. Staff photo by Wayne Braverman

Samoylenko initially offered the property for sale in the summer of 2020. Last April she said she was abandoning plans to maintain the horse farm, as the industry had changed. She said she was seeking a “creative, ethical, knowledgeable developer/builder who wants to come in and keep the farm setting,” as well as conserve the open space in the rear of the property, part of the Concord River flood plain.

However, on Tuesday, Samoylenko confirmed that the new owners plan to continue the so-called 61A Agricultural designation. Under that state law, land is taxed at a lower rate if there’s a commitment to agricultural use.

According to her letter to neighbors, the transaction has been in the works for a while. 

“Over the last months, we have all worked to plan the transition and ensure that it will be as smooth as possible,” she wrote. 

“We live in interesting times and it’s heartening that the Diracs have a vision for this 325+ year old farmstead and have mobilized the financial support that will be needed to maintain it. I cannot think of a better outcome for the farm, for the neighbors, and for the Town of Bedford.” 

On Tuesday, Samoylenko stressed that “the behavior of the community at large affects the owners and their ability to run an agricultural and recreational operation that is fiscally sound.” 

The community can best support the farm by working “to obey traffic laws around the farm, to refrain from speeding past horses on the road, and to refrain from making complaints about all the things that make the farm a farm.”

According to the Churchill Stables website, Kerry Dirac “has over 30 years of recreational and competitive riding experience. She has been teaching professionally for over 10 years and has students ranging in ability from those sitting in their very first saddle to advanced riders pursuing their own competitive event careers.”

“Spending time with horses and sharing her knowledge with riders are two of Kerry’s greatest passions,” the website reports. “In her teaching, she incorporates an awareness of the horse and a focus on the rider’s position. Kerry believes that riding should be equal parts hard work and fun, and is committed to helping others achieve their goals.”

For more information about the farm, visit https://www.loc8nearme.com/massachusetts/bedford/eleazer-davis-farm-inc/7042104/.

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Patty Dahlgren
January 6, 2023 9:20 am

Heartwarming!! Thank you to everyone that worked so hard to make this happen. Our town is blessed.

Ellen A Ryan
January 5, 2023 12:28 pm

GREAT NEWS!

Joseph Damery
January 4, 2023 10:16 pm

Hoorah for the Continuation of Horse-Activities on that Historic Site.. Hopefully traffic will recognize the need for Care on that 90 degree corner………

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