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Uihlein buys Lake Placid Club farms

Sale of the major portion of the land and buildings comprising the Lake Placid Club farms to Henry Uihlein has now been formally concluded, it was announced here this week. Mr. Uihlein is the owner of Heaven Hill Farm on Bear Cub Road, and the new holdings will be merged with that property.

While no figures on price have been made public, other details of the sale reveal it to be the most important transaction of its kind to occur locally in recent years. Approximately 800 acres and a score of buildings, including tenant houses, dairy, horse and equipment barns, figured in the sale. Buildings and acreage represented what has hitherto been known as the Pynbruk and Tebleland farms of the Lake Placid Club.

Other units of the club’s farm holdings, principally the Knolls poultry farm, Highlands on the Averyville Road, Intervales and Mid-river farms on the River Road continue to be owned by the Lake Placid Co., the corporation that owns and operates all Lake Placid Club properties.

It was Mevil Dewey, founder of the Lake Placid Club, who assembled the properties known as the Club Farms, eventually merging under single ownership more than 40 small farms scattered around Lake Placid. Until recently, the operation included registered dairy herds, poultry and pigs.

The farms served to provide the club with dairy products carefully graded to the high standards which the club table demanded.

Club farms pioneered in the Adirondacks in the raising of certified seed potatoes, and “Placid Brand” potatoes, have enjoyed premium demand from eastern growers for some years.

Heaven Hill farm was originally known as the Newman farm. Mr. Uihlein has transformed Heaven Hill into one of the country’s foremost breeding establishments for pure-bred Jersey cattle. The herd now numbers approximately 170 head and it is planned that the herd will comprise 100 milking cows. Jersey stock bred at the farm has been sold all over the United States and Canada, and frequent shipments have been made to countries in Central America.

Milk production records have won the farm numerous awards and added to its fame among the nation’s Jersey breeders. Under the terms of the recent sale, Heaven Hill Farm will provide premium milk to the Lake Placid Club.

The new purchase now gives the Uihlein farm a total of nearly 1,600 acres. All tillable land will be cultivated to provide lush pastures and hay grain for the Jersey herd and for the production of certified and foundation stock seed potatoes.

In announcing the consummation of the sale, Mr. Uihlein also confirmed the appointment of Favor P. Smith as manager of his newly combined farm holdings. Mr. Smith was farm manager for the club from 1935 to 1947. After leaving here, he served as executive secretary of the Long Island Agriculture Council. Leroy Bannister, who succeeded Mr. Smith in the club organization, has continued in charge of the farms not involved in the recent sale.

Smith was the farm bureau agent of Essex County from 1928 to 1935.