Cape Elizabeth has a proud farming heritage, whose remaining farms help retain the town's rural character even today.
Consider these facts:
In 1875 the Scarborough/Cape Elizabeth Farmers Association was formed. They held a fair every fall for about 30 years at Nutter's Field, Pleasant Hill, Scarborough.In 1880 cabbage from Cape Elizabeth sold for $10/ton and was considered the best in the state.In the early 1900's peas became a major crop to supplement the already famous cabbage and more produce was being sent by ship (and later by train) to Boston.
The first tractor in Cape Elizabeth was purchased by Stewart Jordan in 1934. Horses were still the standard hauler of plows into the 1940's.Around 1940 there were between forty and fifty farms in operation in Cape Elizabeth.In the 1950's iceberg lettuce became a major product. 300 to 400 acres were planted in lettuce, on the town's approximately 20 farms. It was not unusual to ship 2,000 crates of lettuce per day to the Boston Market.By the 1960's about ten farms remained in operation. There are now six working farms of various sizes.
