Lydia Ogilby on her family’s Belmont farmland. Photo courtesy of Richard Cheek.
By Neal Winston
Lydia Phippen Ogilby passed away on November 1, 2019, at age 98 at her historic John Bright House on Washington Street, adjacent to the 10-acre Belmont Farm. Living in Belmont from a young age, she was known by townspeople as a spirited preservationist of its heritage and land.
Lydia’s strong and generous opinions embodied the Belmont spirit of independence and industriousness of her forebears. Her portrait by Belmont photographer Richard Cheek hangs in Town Hall. She is seen standing in her field, seemingly growing out of the earth, ever vigilant, defying the pressures of development around her. A longtime co-chair of the Belmont Historic District Commission, she reminded many in calls and meetings to preserve our buildings and open space. In 2004, she was honored by the Massachusetts Historical Commission with their Individual Lifetime Achievement Preservation Award.
A direct descendent of Abraham Hill, who received a great deal of Belmont land through a grant from King Charles I in 1634, Lydia was determined that her family’s farm would remain undeveloped for generations to come. She protected it with an Agricultural Restriction in 2002 under the stewardship of the Belmont Land Trust and American Farmland Trust. She stated at the time, “This farm is sacred to me, an ancestral treasure. I wanted to be sure that it would be safe in perpetuity.” While remaining privately owned by her family, she noted its presence as a “boon to the community, of having something that is open and beautiful.”
The land was cultivated for decades by the Sergi family when it was known as the Richardson Farm, and is now leased from the Ogilby family by Michael Chase who runs the farm as Belmont Acres. A farm stand remains open to the public during the growing season. The Belmont schools also hold student tours and farming demonstrations at the farm.
Others in Belmont who have placed Belmont land under Conservation Restrictions have noted Lydia as their inspiration for their own preservation efforts. Her legacy lives on.
Neal Winston is president of the Belmont Land Trust.
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