History of Ambler Farm
The timeline below excerpted from Bob Russell's WILTON, CONNECTICUT: Three Centuries of People, Places and Progress. Available from the Wilton Historical Society.
1794 -
Josiah Raymond began buying land in this area, and
soon after, he and his son Platt Raymond built two
homes on the property and established a farm here.
Under Lewis Raymond, son of Platt, the farm
encompassed nearly 300 acres.
1799 - The large White house (the Raymond-Ambler
House) was built by Josiah Raymond and was occupied
by the Raymonds and their Ambler descendants until
1999.
1800 - Lewis's daughter, Hannah, married Charles A.
Ambler, and they eventually inherited the farm.
Their two sons, Charles M. and Lewis Ambler, lived
in the two houses until their deaths in the 1930s.
The large yellow house at the entrance to the Farm
was built around 1800, and was occupied by the
Raymond and Ambler families until 1937.
1880 - The white horse barn was built.
1899 - The red hay barn was built by local carpenter
George Taylor.
1900 – The ice house was built by George Taylor. He
also built the back wing on the white house, and
remodeled the yellow house, taking out the center
chimney and traditional front stairs, and adding the
bow windows on north and south.
1918 – Charlie M Ambler married Anna Schuessler.
1919 – Elizabeth (Betty) Ambler was born to Charlie
M and Anna Ambler.
1942 - Betty married Reed Shields, the first
president of our Wilton Kiwanis Club.
1950 – Betty + Reed divorced. He moved to Ridgefield
and she went back to live with her mother at the
family homestead.
1998 - Anna and Betty continued to run the farm
until Anna died in 1988 at 95, Betty continued on
until she died in 1998 at 79.
1999 - The Town of Wilton, with overwhelming taxpayer support, purchased this beautiful 200-year-old working farm.
