Our History
Newton Community Farm is Newton’s last working farm. Located on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded land of the Massachusett people, the land has been farmed since the late 1600s. In 1917, the Angino family bought the property and continued to farm it for almost 100 years until the City of Newton purchased the farm in 2005.
The Anginos
Crecenzo and Lucia Angino bought the land in 1917 after immigrating from Italy in the early 1900s. Over the nearly 100 years that the Anginos farmed here, they mainly used the farm to feed their family. They raised chickens for eggs and meat, rabbits and pigs for meat, and cows for milk. They grew vegetables in the field and grapes to make their own wine. Their grapevines are still growing next to the greenhouse! The family also occasionally sold surplus vegetables and flowers at a stand by the road.
One of their sons, Jerry Angino, became a local legend through his work in the Newton Public School system. While working as a truancy officer, he put his students to work on the farm to “keep them busy and out of trouble.” During summer vacations, students chopped firewood and weeded the gardens. Our high school internship program is in some ways a continuation of this legacy of welcoming students to the farm to learn about food and hard work.
Over the 20th century, while the Angino farm was thriving, surrounding farms were slowly converted into suburban housing. Rose Mitchell and Jerry Angino, the last Anginos to live on and farm the land, were approached repeatedly over the years by developers wanting to purchase the farm but they always refused.
The Angino Barn in March 1957
The farm stand sign in 2008. Credit: Ken Mallory
Newton Community Farm
When Rose and Jerry passed away, the Angino family wanted the legacy of the farm, which by then was the last working farm in Newton, to continue. Their heirs honored their wishes by working with the city to preserve the property as a farm. A group of community members through the Newton Conservators worked to help the city buy the property. The city used Community Preservation Act funds to buy the farm with a conservation restriction held by the Conservators. The nonprofit Newton Community Farm, Inc was established in 2005 to operate the farm under a license agreement with the city.
Since the beginning, community members have played a crucial role in sustaining the farm. Volunteers put an enormous amount of sweat equity into starting the farm, from helping paint the house, to clearing out the chicken coop, building our first greenhouse, and helping spread piles of compost in the fields.
The farm’s mission was cemented in those early years. We started donating to the Newton Food Pantry our first year of operation and continue to this day. We continue to strive to make our produce as accessible as possible to our community by selling vegetables at our on-site farm stand, at farmers’ markets, and through our CSAs.
Extending the greenhouse in 2009. Credit: Ken Mallory
Volunteers harvesting scallions in 2008. Credit: Ken Mallory
Farm manager Greg in 2009. Credit: Ken Mallory
Renovating the Barn
Our iconic red barn was originally built in 1886. By 2008, the barn needed substantial repairs, so the farm raised funds from the community to modernize and stabilize it. In this first phase, we repaired the timber framing, added modern doors, windows and insulation, and restored the historic red cedar shingles.
The barn renovation project entered phase two in 2013 with help from a grant from the Newton Community Preservation Commission. With this funding, the farm was able to update the interior of the barn by adding bathrooms, an office, and a certified kitchen to provide an indoor space for our educational programs.
In 2023, the farm installed an array of solar panels on the barn roof. The solar panels were funded by a Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources grant and City of Newton energy funds. The panels now provide almost all of the farm’s electrical needs.
Rehabilitating the barn's timber framing in 2008. Credit: Ken Mallory
Renovating the barn, 2008. Credit: Ken Mallory
Adding insulation to the barn exterior, 2008. Credit: Ken Mallory
Renovated barn exterior in 2010. Credit: Ken Mallory
Adding the commercial kitchen in 2014. Credit: Ken Mallory
Adding the porch, 2013. Credit: Ken Mallory
Installing solar panels, 2023. Credit: Sue Bottino