Show your support for protecting land and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy in Simsbury, Connecticut!

There is a historic chance to save the iconic farmland and historic barns (“Meadowood”) where young Martin Luther King, Jr. worked in the 1940’s.

Simsbury voters can save this land and Civil Rights history for the public.

Please join the Simsbury Grange in strongly supporting the protection of Meadowood for three reasons:

  • Cultural heritage: Future generations can walk on and even work the same land as Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
  • Natural heritage: Our wildlife needs connections between pieces, and this land links State land and McLean Game Refuge.
  • Public access: Everyone is welcome to share in the past and connect to the future for health and healing.

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote and spoke fondly of his time in Simsbury. He attended services at First Congregational Church and dances at the Simsbury Grange.

Since 1931, “Our Cause is Our Community,” and we are proud to share in and protect Dr. King’s legacy. Like all Granges, we are non-partisan and non-denominational.

Protecting this land is a way we can work together toward our best future.

What is the alternative to conservation?

The land will remain in private ownership and likely be developed eventually. It is approved currently for housing.

How will it be preserved?

The Trust for Public Land is helping Simsbury with 75% of the purchase price through grants and private donations. To complete the purchase, Simsbury voters need to vote yes at a referendum in May 2021.

What can I do?

Sign here to show your support to town leaders. Donate. Vote.Please help educate others about this historic opportunity.

Our way forward . . .

There are many competing demands, but this is a one-time opportunity of national significance.

We all want to live in a beautiful community that is welcoming to all.

Protecting this land and our shared history is a visible way to express these values.

Photo credit: Steve Burns

Petition to Protect Meadowood land and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy in Simsbury

Dear Decision-makers

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In the 1940s a teenaged Martin Luther King, Jr., spent two summers working on the tobacco farms in Connecticut\'s Farmington Valley. Historians say the experience shaped King’s worldview in important ways. But today, the story of his time in this valley isn’t well known, even by many locals. And now, that history is at risk of being lost altogether: a 288-acre property that’s part of a farm where King and his fellow students once lived and worked is vulnerable to development, which could mean the loss of historic buildings, fields, and forests. But with help from The Trust for Public Land, locals and historians have teamed up to save this special place, known locally as Meadowood, and create a park that shares its remarkable history with the world.

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Petition initiator is

Barbara Friedland,
President, Simsbury Grange
info@simsburygrange.org