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Address: 1068 Sawyer Road. Cape Elizabeth, ME 04107
E-mail: ecox@maine.rr.com
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| Dun-Roamin' Farm |
About the farm
It’s no wonder that Evelyn and Jim Cox love their family farm on Sawyer Road. Evelyn grew up in the classic
white farmhouse, and both have fond memories of working in Cape Elizabeth’s lettuce and strawberry fields in
their youth. Now married for more than 50 years, the two keep the farm productive in both spring and winter, with
help from children and grandchildren.
From the beginning of May through June, annual flowers and vegetables are sold from the help-yourself farm
stand, which runs on the honor system. The farm also has a bustling wholesale operation. Bright-faced pansies,
zinnias, snap dragons, asters, cosmos, and petunias are available, as well as hanging and cemetery baskets. Plants
are started from plugs, cuttings, and seeds in late winter, which mature quickly in the farm’s big warm greenhouses.
About 20 years ago, the first Balsam fir trees were planted for the choose-and-cut Christmas tree business.
Evelyn says, “People will come up in November and tag a tree and they come back when they want to—right up
until Christmas Eve. Children love cutting the trees.” Growing up on the farm, the Cox’s three children all worked
the Christmas tree stand. One of them, Jay, now has his own tree farm around the corner at 1148 Sawyer Road.
He’ll be carrying on the tradition after Dun-Roamin’ closes its Christmas Tree operation in 2010.
Both Jim and Evelyn are pleased that the Cape Farm Alliance has increased support for the town’s farms. Jim is
especially glad to see the Alliance work toward keeping tax rates affordable for farmers. Evelyn says farmers are
better collaborators as a result of the group's efforts. “It used to be more competitive,” she says, “but now we
work together.’
History
Evelyn Cox’s parents, Cliff and Doris Nielson, purchased the 40-acre Dun Roamin’ farm in 1930. The parcel
was originally part of a farm belonging to family of James Dyer, Jr., which established it some time between 1800
and 1830. James Dyer senior served as one of Cape Elizabeth's first selectmen when the town was established in
1765.
Cliff Nielsen worked full-time as an engineer for Maine Central Railroad, but he and his wife wanted a productive,
working farm to supplement their income, so they planted 600 apple trees. For more than two decades, the
orchard produced Macintosh, Red Delicious, and Courtland apples, which were sold to Hannaford Brothers
grocers each fall. In the summer, strawberries yielded additional income. The Nielsons retired in the mid 1950s
and stopped working the orchard, but they lived out their final years in the old farmhouse. Evelyn and Jim Cox
moved into the Sawyer Road home in 1975.
It’s no wonder that Evelyn and Jim Cox love their family farm on Sawyer Road. Evelyn grew up in the classic
white farmhouse, and both have fond memories of working in Cape Elizabeth’s lettuce and strawberry fields in
their youth. Now married for more than 50 years, the two keep the farm productive in both spring and winter, with
help from children and grandchildren.
From the beginning of May through June, annual flowers and vegetables are sold from the help-yourself farm
stand, which runs on the honor system. The farm also has a bustling wholesale operation. Bright-faced pansies,
zinnias, snap dragons, asters, cosmos, and petunias are available, as well as hanging and cemetery baskets. Plants
are started from plugs, cuttings, and seeds in late winter, which mature quickly in the farm’s big warm greenhouses.
About 20 years ago, the first Balsam fir trees were planted for the choose-and-cut Christmas tree business.
Evelyn says, “People will come up in November and tag a tree and they come back when they want to—right up
until Christmas Eve. Children love cutting the trees.” Growing up on the farm, the Cox’s three children all worked
the Christmas tree stand. One of them, Jay, now has his own tree farm around the corner at 1148 Sawyer Road.
He’ll be carrying on the tradition after Dun-Roamin’ closes its Christmas Tree operation in 2010.
Both Jim and Evelyn are pleased that the Cape Farm Alliance has increased support for the town’s farms. Jim is
especially glad to see the Alliance work toward keeping tax rates affordable for farmers. Evelyn says farmers are
better collaborators as a result of the group's efforts. “It used to be more competitive,” she says, “but now we
work together.’
History
Evelyn Cox’s parents, Cliff and Doris Nielson, purchased the 40-acre Dun Roamin’ farm in 1930. The parcel
was originally part of a farm belonging to family of James Dyer, Jr., which established it some time between 1800
and 1830. James Dyer senior served as one of Cape Elizabeth's first selectmen when the town was established in
1765.
Cliff Nielsen worked full-time as an engineer for Maine Central Railroad, but he and his wife wanted a productive,
working farm to supplement their income, so they planted 600 apple trees. For more than two decades, the
orchard produced Macintosh, Red Delicious, and Courtland apples, which were sold to Hannaford Brothers
grocers each fall. In the summer, strawberries yielded additional income. The Nielsons retired in the mid 1950s
and stopped working the orchard, but they lived out their final years in the old farmhouse. Evelyn and Jim Cox
moved into the Sawyer Road home in 1975.
