Goodbye to All That: 6+ Acre Farm Parcel for Sale in Franklin

Earlier in this century and well back into the 20th century, Akin Bak Farm at 360 West Central Street, operated as the kind of small, diversified family farm once common across rural Massachusetts—an enterprise wheremultiple generations lived and worked the same land, producing a wide mix of goods for local sale.

Spread across seven acres, the family-run farm combined beekeeping, orchards, vegetable cultivation and poultry raising into a single operation. Fields were planted with seasonal vegetables, while small, carefully tended  apple orchards and blueberry plantings added fruit harvests that supplied a farm stand and nearby markets. A substantial flock of laying hens provided fresh eggs, a dependable staple that drew regular customers.

Beekeeping was a defining part of the farm’s identity. Under the guidance of longtime beekeeper Howard Crawford, whose decades of experience made him a respected figure in the trade into his 90s, the farm produced raw wildflower honey and beeswax. That beeswax was also turned into handmade candles, adding a cottage-industry element typical of family farms seeking to make full use of what the land produced.

Like many successful family farms of its era, Akin Bak relied on the labor and skills of multiple generations, blending agriculture, craftsmanship and direct-to-consumer sales into a self-sustaining local business. But those components are no longer part of the mix.

So, in recent weeks a tell-tale for sale sign has gone up and multiple real estate web sites indicate that the asking price is $4,999,900.  The seller is reportedly offering it  "AS IS" with multiple existing structures on the property "and makes no representations and or warranties."  The seller also is anxious to conclude the sale by the fall.

Town officials have also confirmed that the property was never enrolled in Chapter 61, which offers lower taxes in exchange for giving the town the "right of first refusal" -- in other words a chance to buy the property. 

And, most crucially, the property is zoned commercial. So, it seems very likely that parking lots and new buildings are in the offering, sooner rather than later.