by timothy mcquiston vermont business magazine the owner of the three stallion inn in randolph, jesse “sam” sammis, sold the iconic property to a high school in connecticut, from which he graduated. After nearly a year of research, planning, and an April site visit/inspection by board members, Brunswick School in Greenwich announced Tuesday that it will take over its new campus on September 14. /p>
The property encompasses more than 650 acres of wilderness, hiking trails and open fields, providing the ideal environment for a permanent, fully integrated program of wilderness education and applied learning in the off-campus classroom, which is now being developed by brunswick faculty. and school leaders, said principal thomas w philip.
brunswick alumnus jesse f “sam” sammis iii ’56, president of the greenwich new england land company, approached the school in 2016 with the idea of establishing a permanent home for an “outside” program. “in the vast green mountain cattle farm and surrounding hills and forests.
He owned the property since 1971.
The purchase price was $2.14 million, fully covered by “extraordinary and exceptionally generous gifts” from two anonymous donors, Philip said.
The Green Mountain Stock Farm includes a three-stud home, a three-story, 6,100-square-foot farmhouse with six bedrooms. Additionally, Morgan House, situated close to an acre, is a 3,500 square foot residence with seven bedrooms.
The property also encompasses 668 acres and a 35-kilometer trail network.
“We are very fortunate that the site not only includes so much nature, but also buildings that can be so easily adapted to accommodate visiting teachers and students,” said philip.
“In the meantime,” said Philip, “brunswick faculty and staff will visit Randolph and remain on site as our plans continue to evolve.”
philip sees the vermont initiative as the “cornerstone” of the brunswick trust, the school’s comprehensive program to ensure excellence in character and leadership education.
“In an ever more technological world, having the sensitivity, self-awareness, skill, and patience to communicate directly, to communicate in a human way — in person, eye to eye, in the same space with others — will, in our ‘new’ world, serve as the defining characteristic of those most successful in both business and in life,” Philip said.
“That’s what we’re focusing on here,” he said. “in vermont, there will be no tvs, no iphones, no netflix.
“Children will cook their own food, clean their own rooms, read and work together in groups, and yes, make their own beds, just like Admiral William H. mcraven suggests in last summer’s brunswick trust read, make your bed: little things that can change your life and maybe the world.
“more than anything, the vermont experience will be real, not photoshopped. inclusive, not exclusive. unpredictable, unstaged. such is the material, we believe, that serves to prepare young people for life in the short and long term.”
sammis, whose holdings include various commercial entities in downtown randolph, also owns the montague golf club adjacent to the inn. Sammis earlier this year sold a piece of land at Exit 4 of I-89 after a three-decade effort to develop the land. That development would have included commercial and residential properties and a new rest area/state promotional facility, similar to those at Sharon and Guilford.
sammis, still facing a lengthy legal battle, finally sold the piece earlier this year after reaching a $1.2 million settlement with environmental groups to preserve the land for farming.
sammis owned the property with his wife and said in april, “while jinny and i were very excited about our proposed development of the exit 4 project, it would have been great for the randolph community and much more profitable for Our family has decided to work with our friends at the Vermont Preservation Trust, the Conservation Law Foundation, and the Vermont Natural Resources Council to conserve this valuable land for agricultural use by local farmers.”
Sam and Jinny Sammis at their home in Randolph. VBM file photo.
sammis told vbm in an email, “i definitely have a long-term interest in randolph and have no intention of moving.”
still has the following properties:
- green mountain stock farm – 16 construction sites over 10 acres totaling approximately 170 acres
- depot square – the beautiful, historically renovated Canadian National Railway building in the heart of the randolph center with a total of 4,207 sf. This property is listed for sale for $800,000.
- Two South Main Street: A 10,000 square foot, two-story office/commercial building in the heart of downtown Randolph. the entire ground floor of 5000 square feet is for rent. The entire 10,000 sf building is for sale for $1,250,000.
- 24 Pleasant Street, Unit B – A 7,800 sf ground floor condominium space in the heart of downtown Randolph. this property is listed for sale for $450,000.
- two park street – 3,200 sf, office/commercial building located at the gateway to downtown randolph. this building is for sale for $450,000.
- montague golf club: 18-hole montague golf club golf course, which is privately owned and open to the public.
“jinny, my wife and i also own a house in randolph where we spend a lot of time,” sammis said. “Jinny and I are at a point in our lives where we are consolidating our real estate holdings, which is why we are selling some of the properties we have in Randolph.”
The historically renovated Canadian National Railway building in the heart of downtown Randolph. Courtesy photo.
Scheduled to begin at the beginning of the 2018-2019 school year, Brunswick’s Vermont program is now in the planning stages. When the new initiative gets underway, plans now call for small groups of students to spend approximately 10 days in Vermont, with activities beyond normal class time, including farm and farm maintenance, and possible local internship opportunities.
related story: the castanea foundation acquires land at exit 4 in sammis for $1.2 million
source: brunswick school 9.19.2017