Hill-Agor Farm Designated as Historic Site
During the Dec. 6 meeting of the Putnam County Legislature, local lawmakers unanimously voted to pass two resolutions to elect the Hill-Agor Farm in Mahopac Falls as an historic site within the county.
The farm, which was purchased in the $11 million package that included the Country Club at Lake MacGregor, the old Mahopac Airport and the Putnam National Golf Club in 2003, has been up for discussion regarding its status in the county’s historical registry for quite some time now.
With all members in consensus, The Putnam County Legislature voted unanimously to make the 375-acre farm an historic site with a Preserve America designation. A federal initiative, the Preserve America program was established in 2003 under former president George W. Bush via the first lady, Laura Bush. According to its website, the program “encouraged and supports community efforts to preserve and enjoy our priceless cultural and national heritage.”
According the Putnam County Historic Preservation Advisory Commission Chairwoman Kathleen Delamere, Putnam was one of only 10 counties in the United States to receive the first Preserve America designation.
“Friends of the Hill-Agor Farm has been seeking recognition by Putnam County for the inclusion on The Preserve America list for the past seven years,” Delamere said in a statement. “This should be a big step toward restoration, preservation and use of this valuable historic asset for our entire community.”
Delamere also said the Putnam County Legislature passed a second resolution to move forward with listing the Hill-Agor Farm on the National Register of Historic Places. The national register is the official list of the United States’ historic places worthy of preservation. It was authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, and seeks to “coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate ad protects America’s historic and archeological resources.”
“This designation has been sought for the past eight years,” Delamere said. “A few administrative details still need to be completed. It is expected that National Register designation will be completed in the spring of 2012.”
Delamere offered a special thanks to those who helped make the Hill-Agor Farm into an historic site in Putnam County with a Preserve America title.
“Our special thanks go to all who brokered this agreement especially [former] Putnam County executive Paul Eldridge and Town of Carmel Supervisor Kenneth Schmitt,” Delamere said. “We also wish to thank members of Putnam County Legislature, especially Dini LoBue and Richard Othmer, as well as our present Putnam County Executive MaryEllen Odell.”
Adam has worked in the local news industry for the past two decades in Westchester County and the broader Hudson Valley. Read more from Adam’s author bio here.