The Landmark Trust USA FY21 Annual Report

The Landmark Trust USA
ANNUAL REPORT 2O21

FROM THE PRESIDENT
In the last twelve months, we have been pleased to see a surge in families renting our
historic properties as a safe and healthy way to enjoy a getaway or vacation. Thanks to
our hard working, dedicated staff, the five Vermont properties were spruced up and made
welcoming for all. While FY 2021 began with some uncertainty due to the continuing
pandemic, the Landmark Trust USA met the challenge.
The Landmark Trust’s intrepid Executive
Director, Susan McMahon, with her expert
staff, and the assistance of board members,
had hoped to bring the 1938 Essex Memorial
Library in Tiverton, RI, on as a new shortterm
rental. As the Town of Tiverton began
discussing changes to zoning regulations,
we elected to terminate the lease. The
Landmark Trust USA could revisit the
property if the town eventually determines
that short-term rentals are compatible with
the neighborhood. In the meantime, we
have moved forward and are conducting
detailed analyses of several exciting historic
properties in other New England states that,
should they meet our strict criteria, could
well be added to our portfolio in 2022 or
2023. We will be sure to issue updates as
projects gain traction.
On another note, we will miss the wisdom
of longtime board members Bill and Patrice
Champagne who have diligently served
the Landmark Trust for three full terms
and have now rotated off the board. In
their place we are pleased to report that
Claudia Sauermann Wu, a preservation
attorney and educator residing in Newton,
Massachusetts, and Susanne Brendel
Pandich, a multi-talented preservation
specialist from Chappaqua, New York, have
agreed to join the board and lend their
expertise as we move forward with our
plans for expansion.
In spite of the hurdles we faced this past
year, we were once again able to meet our
annual fundraising goal thanks to all our
loyal friends who value what we have to
offer and realize what it takes to make the
operation a success. We hope that you will
support our mission this year, either as a
repeat donor or as a first time contributor,
to help us strengthen the mission of the
Landmark Trust USA.
William Flynt, President
The Landmark Trust USA
Front and back cover: Amos Brown House

FROM THE DIRECTOR
s I reflect on this past year I am flooded
A with many different emotions and
memories. Once again, we were faced with
the unexpected and have put our ability
to be flexible to the test. Our properties
provided so many visitors a safe place of
quiet and respite to sort out their thoughts,
relax and reconnect to their values,
experience history and create life-time
memories. We continue to use heightened
cleaning and disinfecting protocols between
each stay, as recommended by the CDC. My
staff and I are honored by the feedback we
have received from our guests and take their
suggestions to heart.
We are constantly encouraged to expand
our stewardship model. Our guests
inquire about new properties to visit and
many draw our attention to threatened or
endangered historic buildings that might
be potential Landmark Trust properties.
We have been working hard on evaluating
several interesting buildings that might
be a good fit for our mission. If a property
meets our initial selection criteria, we begin
a due diligence process which investigates
and ascertains historical importance,
structural integrity, market appeal, cultural
relevance, and durability. As you may
imagine, this entire process takes time and a
lot of brainpower. Be sure to follow us while
we travel on this winding road ahead of us.
I offer sincere thanks to all of our guests,
donors, staff and board members for their
continued support over this past year. I
am so grateful to be part of a community
centered around a love of historic places
and community education. Your dedication
and generosity enable us to advance as we
move to refine our properties and expand
our offerings. I personally invite you to visit
one of our properties for a stay or an event.
Please feel free to contact me with your
comments, suggestions or questions.
Susan McMahon, Executive Director
The Landmark Trust USA
(802) 257-7783
smcmahon@landmarktrustusa.org

THE LANDMARK TRUST USA PROPERTIES
The Landmark Trust USA owns and manages five historic properties and the 571-acre historic Scott Farm, a Certified Social Benefit
Corporation (B Corp). A conscientious cycle of monitoring and repair helps us extend the life of these structures and ensures our
nonprofit stewardship mission.
Kipling’s Carriage House Dutton Farmhouse The Sugarhouse
Naulakha was the
American home of
author Rudyard Kipling,
built in 1893 and restored
to Victorian splendor
in 1993. The Landmark
Trust USA completed
this first major project
in partnership with The
Landmark Trust UK.
Kipling’s Carriage
House, also built in 1893,
was designed to provide
comfortable housing for
the coachman and his
family. This cozy home is
located on a hillside near
Naulakha.
Dutton Farmhouse, built
in 1837, overlooks the
Scott Farm Orchard and
long stone walls. The
large bright rooms of
the Greek Revival-style
farmhouse reflect the
optimism of the period.
The Sugarhouse, built
in 1915, was formerly
Scott Farm’s primary
facility for boiling sap
to produce maple syrup.
The rustic building,
restored as a comfortable
retreat, is tucked into
the surrounding maple
sugarbush.
Amos Brown House in
Whitingham, Vermont,
was built for Amos
and Sally Brown on a
high hilltop in 1802.
The restoration of the
Federal-style brick
farmhouse provides a
testament to the skills
of the area’s dedicated
craftsmen.

Scott Farm in Dummerston, Vermont —The 1791 Scott Farm,
a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Landmark Trust USA,
allows us to continue our historic preservation mission and
demonstrate the viability of a sustainable working agricultural
landscape suited to the particular conditions of southeastern
Vermont. The heirloom apples and fruit grown at the farm
represent an international and local cultural history that
stretches back through the centuries.

COMMUNITY EDUCATION AND EVENTS
Fiscal Year 2021 proved to be yet another year of challenges
and triumphs. We put our talents and flexibility to the test and
learned so much, ensuring that all of our events followed Covid-19
safety protocols. In June 2021, we held our Estate and Garden
Tour - our first in-person event of the year. It was held over three
splendid days at our always popular Naulakha Estate where visitors
were treated to self-guided tours and informational handouts.
Visitors took in the beauty of the grounds while wandering at
their own pace through the tunnel of rhododendron bushes, the
gardens, a stone pergola, and catching a view of the clay tennis
court. They also had the opportunity to tour Kipling’s Carriage
House immediately adjacent. This past year staff began planning,
with Next Stage Arts, for an artist-in-residency program for the
next fiscal year. We look forward to hosting an artist in one of our
gorgeous historic properties and are excited to see what creative
endeavors they inspire.
Scott Farm hosted some
fun-filled in-person and online
events. In the summer the Farm
hosted a series of virtual cider
tastings with Eden Cider. In
the fall of 2020, Scott Farm and
Next Stage Arts sponsored and
hosted the storytelling event,
Fables. During this event local
people shared personal stories
around the year’s theme of
gratitude.
The historic Scott Farm
provided an important and
much needed outdoor space
for our community. We loved
seeing folks enjoying the solace
and calm the farm exudes with
their friends and family, and
have heard numerous stories
about the joy the farm and
our trails have brought during
trying and uncertain times. The
farm donated early producing
apple trees to our local schools
so that the students would
enjoy heirloom apples at the
beginning of each school year.
The Scott Farm fruit CSA
dramatically grew and the Tree
and Plant sale in the spring
of 2021 was a success. We are
warmed knowing so many
members of our community are
growing a piece of our history in
their own backyards.
The Landmark Trust USA
and Scott Farm have for many
View through the
Rhododendron Tunnel
at Naulakha
years hosted another nonprofit
partner, The Stone Trust. The
Stone Trust provides education,
training, and consulting
services by advocating for the
preservation of existing dry
stone walls and promoting
the use of correct structural
standards for the construction
and restoration of dry stone
walls. Their unique work adds
to the majestic landscape and
beauty of our properties.

Gathering at the Fables Storytelling Event
Relaxing at The Sugarhouse
Playing checkers in the Naulakha game room
Chatting at an event at Naulakha

STEWARDSHIP
The Landmark Trust
stewardship model aims for
60% guest occupancy to fully
cover the direct and indirect
costs of maintenance and
operation at each of our historic
properties. Fortunately, this
past year there was tremendous
demand to visit our properties
and occupancy rates rebounded
with an increase of 13% from
the previous year. We are seeing
this trend continue into our
upcoming fiscal year.
Our annual fund and
community events are both
invaluable, providing us with
unrestricted funding to advance
our programs. We are thankful
for the confidence from our
donors, both new and old, which
enabled us to meet our annual
fund goal. Additionally, we met
our event fundraising goal with
the three day Naulakha Estate
and Garden Tour where we
hosted more than 250 attendees
during this annual event.
The Landmark Trust USA
continues as the sole owner of
our commercial subsidiary, Scott
Farm, a Certified B Corporation.
The farm’s retail sales were
much higher this fiscal year,
both in the on-site market and
through the CSA, while apple
sales were steady despite an
average crop. Restrictions on
public gatherings were offset by
Covid relief grants, and the farm
fared well.
This past year, more than 1,650
people stayed overnight in
one of the Landmark Trust’s
historic properties or attended
a sponsored event. Scott
Farm continues to increasingly
draw more and more people
to purchase fruit or enjoy the
property. This interplay allows
the public to participate in
our mission and understand
the importance of historic
preservation and the historic
working landscape.
80
70
60
Occupancy of properties
FY 21 and FY 22
■ Budgeted ■ Actual
■ Projected
THE LANDMARK TRUST USA FOR THE YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 2021
Fiscal Year 2021 Operating Income $344,420
Fiscal Year 2021 Operating Expenses $375,712*
50
40
30
20
10
49 % 55.10% 54 % 60.90%
Grants, Events &
Donations
22.5%
Earned
Income
77.5%
Maintenence
and Repairs
35.4%
Administration
23.7%
Property
Management
& Marketing
40.8%
0
FY 21 FY 22
* with depreciation expense included ($51,000)

“The Amos Brown
house is one of the most
interesting places I’ve
stayed. It is truly an
‘old house’; you can feel
its history.”
— Guestbook, Amos Brown House
Interior Amos Brown House

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE
Regular maintenance keeps each of our properties in top
condition. Each year, the Landmark Trust USA develops
a maintenance plan to identify any short term or major capital
needs our properties may have. This past year staff have been busy
carrying out the maintenance plan with projects such as refreshing
the paint in the Amos Brown House, fixing and replacing the
historic furniture in Naulahka, and replacing the Marmoleum
bathroom floors in the Dutton Farmhouse.
The potential is still great to
adapt our stewardship model to
additional historic properties.
We are seeing increasing
interest on the part of familyowned
properties and former
historic house museums as
possible Landmark properties.
Some families are finding that
the next generation has neither
the interest nor the ability
to manage the upkeep and
maintenance of the historic
property. Yet, the family is
worried that if they put the
property on the open market
it would likely lead to drastic
changes or even demolition.
Not every old building suits
our model of stewardship, but
we carefully evaluate each
potential property to see if it
might be feasible for reuse.
In this upcoming year we are
evaluating four properties
across New England with the
likelihood of a new property in
our portfolio in late 2022.
Our partnerships with the
numerous statewide historic
preservation organizations
continue to grow. Statewide
historic preservation
organizations also bring to our
attention properties that might
fit our specific stewardship
model. Most importantly our
statewide partners understand
the needs of the communities
they represent and help us
Enjoying the south porch at Naulakha
find the funding for these
community treasures. We value
these partnerships and expect
them to continue to strengthen
as we expand our portfolio of
properties.

Looking out from Dutton Farmhouse to the orchard and Mt. Monadnock.

The Landmark Trust USA
The Landmark Trust USA
707 Kipling Road
Dummerston, VT 05301
(802) 254-6868
info@landmarktrustusa.org
www.landmarktrustusa.org
The Landmark Trust USA is a 501(c)(3)
nonprofit organization established in 1991.