Our History

---

Long Ago...  
Prior to European settlement, the area was populated by the Abenaki, one of the Algonquian-speaking peoples of northeastern North America. More specifically the local tribes, also known by the names Penacook and Pennacock, were a North American people of the Wabanaki Confederacy who primarily inhabited the Merrimack River valley of present-day New Hampshire and Massachusetts, as well as portions of southern Maine. The Pennacook are also sometimes called the Pawtucket people or the Merrimack people. Locally they were known as the "Naticook".

Colonial
Later, most of Litchfield was part of the large town known as Dunstable, which was organized in the 1600s and included land along both sides of the disputed New Hampshire-Massachusetts boundary, and out of which were carved several towns and cities in both states. The area which became Litchfield was originally known as "Naticook". In 1656, William Brenton was granted land which included much of present-day Litchfield. The name was changed to "Brenton's Farm" in 1729, after William Brenton, colonial governor of Rhode Island. The town was first incorporated into Massachusetts on July 4, 1734. After Brenton's death in 1749, the land was granted to another group of settlers and named "Litchfield" after George Henry Lee, Earl of Lichfield. Litchfield was incorporated into the Province of New Hampshire on June 5, 1749.


1895 The Whittemore Farm
The current house on the property was built in 1895 by James Hopwood, who lived in the house across the street, for his in-laws Jacob and Zoe Whittemore. It wasn’t the first house built on the property however, while plowing one year another house foundation was discovered on the property. The home originally was a simple 1 ½ story clapboard house on a brick foundation. As different families moved into the house it was updated and expanded at least 3 times. Over the years the property has been in constant farm use.


2020 Tall Glass Vineyards
The property was purchased in 2020 to start a vineyard and winery. The land survey showed that the soil type called “Occum” would be ideal to grow grapes. The grape vines were started as hard wood cuttings in the spring of 2020 and transplanted in the spring of 2021 to the vineyard.

A goal of Tall Glass Vineyards is to preserve the rich farming tradition of the area and continue to care for the land for the benefit future generations.