Robert Frost Farm State Historic Site

Available Activities

Hiking

✍️ The Farm Where America’s Greatest Poet Found His Voice — Robert Frost Farm State Historic Site in Derry, New Hampshire, where Robert Frost lived 1900–1911, wrote “Mending Wall,” “After Apple-Picking,” “The Tuft of Flowers,” “Tree at My Window,” and “The Road Not Taken” was inspired by walks in these woods, restored 1884 farmhouse, apple orchard, Hyla Brook, nature/poetry trail, four-time Pulitzer Prize winner — Rockingham County, NH

In 1900, a 26-year-old failed farmer and part-time teacher named Robert Frost moved to a small farmhouse in Derry, New Hampshire. Over the next eleven years, walking these fields and mending these stone walls, he wrote the poems that would make him the most celebrated American poet of the twentieth century.

“Mending Wall.” “After Apple-Picking.” “The Tuft of Flowers.” “Tree at My Window.” The stone wall is still here. The apple trees still bear fruit. The brook — Hyla Brook, which he named in a poem — still runs through the property.

What to See

Feature	Details
The Farmhouse	Restored 1884 New England farmhouse where Frost lived with his wife Elinor and their children from 1900 to 1911. Period furnishings. The kitchen where he wrote late at night after the family slept
The Orchard	Apple orchard that inspired “After Apple-Picking.” Heritage apple trees. The orchard overlooks the fields where Frost walked and observed nature
The Stone Wall	The actual stone wall between the Frost property and his neighbor’s — the wall that inspired “Mending Wall” and the line: “Good fences make good neighbors”
Hyla Brook	The seasonal brook running through the property — named by Frost in his poem “Hyla Brook.” “We love the things we love for what they are”
Nature/Poetry Trail	Half-mile walking trail through the property with poetry stations — Frost’s poems displayed at the locations that inspired them
Barn	Restored New England barn. Seasonal poetry readings and events in summer

The Timeline

Year	Event
1874	Robert Lee Frost born in San Francisco. Named after Confederate General Robert E. Lee (his father was a Southern sympathizer)
1900	Frost moves to the Derry farm with his wife Elinor. He is 26, has failed at farming in Lawrence, MA, and has published almost nothing
1900–1911	The Derry years. Frost farms (poorly), teaches at Pinkerton Academy, and writes the poems that will define American poetry
1912	Unable to find an American publisher, Frost moves his family to England
1913	“A Boy’s Will” published in London — his first book, containing poems from the Derry farm. Immediate critical success
1914	“North of Boston” published — including “Mending Wall” and “After Apple-Picking.” Frost becomes famous
1924, 1931, 1937, 1943	Four Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry — more than any other poet in history
1961	Recites “The Gift Outright” at John F. Kennedy’s inauguration
1965	The Derry farm is preserved as a New Hampshire State Historic Site

Best Time to Visit

Season	Best For
Fall (Sep–Oct)	🍂 Peak New England foliage. Apple harvest in the orchard. “After Apple-Picking” comes alive
Spring (May–Jun)	🌿 Hyla Brook at full flow. Wildflowers. The poetry trail at its most atmospheric
Summer (Jul–Aug)	Full hours. Poetry readings in the barn. Warm weather for the nature trail
Winter (Dec–Feb)	Closed. But the landscape echoes “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” — written later, inspired by these New Hampshire winters

Frequently Asked Questions

Did Frost write “The Road Not Taken” here?

The poem was inspired by walks in these woods, but written later (1915) in England. Frost said the poem was about his friend Edward Thomas, who agonized over which path to take during their walks together. The poem is commonly misread as inspiration — Frost intended it as gentle irony.

Was Frost a good farmer?

By his own admission, no. He stayed up late writing, slept past dawn, and neglected the farm work. His grandfather had purchased the Derry farm specifically to give him “one more chance.” The poems that resulted were worth more than any crop could have been.

What is the stone wall?

The actual New England stone wall between Frost’s property and his neighbor’s. It inspired “Mending Wall” (1914), one of the most quoted poems in the English language. The wall still stands. The poem’s first line — “Something there is that doesn’t love a wall” — was written about this exact location.

✍️ “Something There Is That Doesn’t Love a Wall”

The stone wall still stands. The orchard still bears fruit. The brook still runs. The farm where Robert Frost wrote the poems that defined a century of American literature.

🗺️ Official Park Page

Last updated: April 25, 2026