From Farmhouse to Fountain Park: The Story of the Wilbraham Game Farm

According to Wilbraham historian Chauncey Peck, the earliest known resident of the farmhouse at 883 Tinkham Road was Loren Phelps. Built in the 1840s, the home appears in both the 1850 U.S. Census and the 1857 map of Wilbraham, confirming that the Phelps family had settled there by the mid-19th century.

Loren Phelps, born in Connecticut in 1814, was listed in the 1860 Census as a 48-year-old farmer. He and his wife, Assenith (then 53), owned $4,000 in real estate and held $500 in personal property, a respectable amount for the time. They raised five children: Sarah A., Wells L., Albert, Emily, and James. Sarah went on to become a local schoolteacher.

Albert A. Phelps eventually built his farm nearby, just east of his father's land, as indicated on the 1870 map and later confirmed in the 1880 Census. By 1894, ownership of the original farmhouse had passed to Loren’s youngest son, James F. Phelps. That same year, a map of Wilbraham shows four barns on the property, suggesting a bustling and active farmstead. James and his wife, Emma M., raised three sons there: Frederick C., George C., and Arthur E. Phelps. However, by the turn of the 20th century, Emma had passed away, and the family vacated the home not long after 1900.

By 1912, a man named R. Bostick had taken up residence in the farmhouse. That year’s map notes that the property included 100 acres and four barns.

In that same year, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts began acquiring land in the area for a new purpose, the creation of the Wilbraham Game Farm. The site was intended for the study and breeding of game birds, one of five such facilities established across the state in the early 1900s. Initially leasing the land from Bostick, the state soon purchased it outright, eventually acquiring a total of 142 acres, which included the former Phelps farm and surrounding properties.

Locally remembered as the "Old Pheasant Farm," the Wilbraham Game Farm became a center for wildlife research and propagation. The state Department of Fish and Game raised a variety of birds there, including wood ducks, black and mallard ducks, wild turkeys, Reeves pheasants, ring-necked pheasants, and quail. Once the birds reached maturity and observation was complete, they were released into the wild, primarily in western Massachusetts. By the 1960s, an estimated 22,000 birds were released annually.

A 1916 report from the Commissioners on Fisheries and Game describes the operation in detail. The main hatching facilities were located behind the farmhouse, where the superintendent and his family lived. At that time, the farm had a workshop, two older barns, and several smaller structures. In 1917, additions included a new New England-style barn, an expanded carriage house with an ice house, a new incubator house, and a rearing coop. A former shop building was converted into a bungalow and relocated.

Operations were handled by a small team of four employees: the superintendent, an assistant, and two laborers. These workers also cleared and cultivated the surrounding land for feed crops. By 1917, some 40 acres had been put under cultivation. The farm’s first superintendent was Joseph H. Mosher, who oversaw the construction of a modern water system, extensive bird pens, and rearing areas.

In the mid-20th century, Walter Jajuga served as superintendent from the 1950s into the 1970s, living on-site with his wife, Nellie, and their family.

By the 1980s, the state’s interest in game bird propagation began to wane. The research goals had largely been achieved, and operations were discontinued. For several years, the property sat idle until 1992, when the Town of Wilbraham signed a management lease with the state. Later that year, the Wilbraham Nature and Cultural Center was formed to oversee the site’s care and programming, and the Wilbraham Pheasant Farm Trust was established as a public charitable organization.

Thanks to the generous contributions of Laurence R. Fountain, the area was renamed Fountain Park. The formal transfer of the land from the state to the trust occurred in 1999. Today, the 143-acre park includes walking trails, open fields, and historic outbuildings once used during the game farm era. These facilities now serve as venues for community events such as concerts and the annual Peach Festival.

In June of 2025, the original farmhouse was torn down after standing vacant for many years. Though the house is gone, the surrounding land and historic outbuildings remain, serving as a quiet testament to Wilbraham’s rich agricultural and environmental legacy.

883 Tinkham Road Wilbraham, MA (Google)