Patterson Farm was purchased by Lower Makefield Township in 1998 for $7 million to preserve open space. Since then, the Patterson farmstead and the nearby Satterthwaite farmstead, along with barns and other outbuildings, have fallen into disrepair. On Sept. 26, the public got its first look at possible reuses for the buildings in a presentation at the township building by Douglas Seiler, of Seiler + Drury Architecture. The plan aims to restore the Patterson and Satterthwaite homes to be rented or leased for public use, possibly as a bed-and-breakfast. The old barns could be repurposed as meeting spaces and educational classrooms to teach about the farm and its value. Walking and bike trails would give people a place to experience one of Bucks County’s oldest continuously operated farms. Last year, the Patterson farm produced 60,000 pounds of corn, 50,000 pounds of tomatoes, 25,000 pounds of watermelons and 25,000 pounds of cantaloupe. The plans are a work in progress, and more public discussions will be forthcoming. To find out more, visit the website of Patterson Farm Preservation Inc., a private nonprofit organization. The Lower Makefield Township Ad Hoc Property Committee, overseeing plans for the farm, meets the second Thursday of each month at 7:30 p.m.
Source: Bucks County Courier Times; 10/4/2023