Stewards of the Land
Part II: Doug Mitchell & Christine Welsh
of Seabury Farm
Conservation Restriction in Barnstable
At the intersection of Route 6A and the railroad tracks, just north of the underpass, lies Seabury Farm. It is a spectacular property that abuts 70 acres of Mass Audubon land and connects to the Great Marsh ACEC.
Douglas Mitchell grew up on Seabury Farm, which is named for his grandfather, George Seabury, who lived with the family until he died in 1952 when Doug was ten. In addition to scenic value, the land has historic significance as well. “My grandfather bought the land in 1893 from Captain Hinckley, a sea captain and a relative,” Doug explained. He added that his mother’s family can be traced to the Mayflower and early relatives lived in Plymouth (Plimoth) MA; a decade later, they relocated to “Pond Village,” the earliest colonial settlement in Barnstable. “They moved there to take advantage of the Great Marsh and to use the salt hay for cattle,” Doug explained. Just east of Seabury Farm, are four properties in Pond Village with CRs held by BLT.
“It was very different when I was growing up,” he said. “It was a country town with a lot of farms and was much less populated. We had gardens, grew fruits and vegetables and there were lots of trees. It was very rural and lots of fun.”
The land is important to Doug and his wife Christine Welsh, a Syracuse native who came to the lower Cape when she was younger. Seabury Farm was, in fact, the site of a nursery the couple owned, growing and selling native plants (rosa rugosa, sea grasses, beach plum) to commercial landscapers to help with erosion control. They eventually sold the successful business.
Doug and Christine decided to place a conservation restriction on 12.77 acres of their land for several reasons. “First, I have roamed this land since I was a kid,” Doug explained. “My brother and I swam, dug clams and went skating on the ponds.
“My grandfather leased adjacent land down to Scudder Lane and Calves Pasture Point so that cattle could graze. There were always cows around and I have a deep love of the land as a result. 
“Second, I am fortunate to have carved out a career that allowed us to hold on to the land. It was a struggle to pay the taxes in the early years for my father, who worked for a local lumber company. We always resisted the letters and phone calls from realtors and people from all over the eastern seaboard offering to buy. We said no to everybody.
“Over the years we thought about selling, not intending to sell but we thought about it. I love this place and Christine loves it as well. If we sold, we’d get the money but then what would we have? You can never replace what had been. Now it will be this way forever and ever.”
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