OUR STORY

The 1st Hundred Years - 1799 - 1899

 

Our paternal ancestors, surname Auxburger and later anglicized to Ogsbury, emigrated to the new world from Europe and settled on this land in 1799.  They cleared trees by hand, readying the land for farming and breaking the ground for the first time by plowing around the remaining tree stumps with draft animals.  With quality timber aplenty, trees were felled, hewed, and jointed to make the first barn on this land to house grain, hay, and livestock.

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By the late 1800’s, Peter J. Ogsbury (2nd generation) was actively farming and traveling with his horse drawn seed drill to other local farms, sowing their fields.  Peter would enlist twice in the Grand Army of the Republic during the Civil War.  Throughout his tours of duty, the farm would continue to produce eggs, grain, poultry and other naturally grown food.

 

The 2nd Hundred Years - 1899 – 1999

 

Early in our next century, with more folks leaving rural areas for the city, the farmhouse was let out to summer boarders.  It was common that boarders would take a train into Altamont and then be given transport by horse and buggy to the farm here on Lainhart Road.  The farm offered with its 100+ mile view, a restful escape from the city life and produced in its gardens and fields what was necessary to feed the visitors.  Margaret Rau (Ogsbury, 3rd generation), daughter of Peter J. Ogsbury, operates this homestead as a boarding house with her husband Frank Rau, and thus the lineage is passed to the Rau name.

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Like most farms and families, we suffered through the great depression, with farm infrastructure falling into disrepair.  The farm survived, just barely, by raising buckwheat, harvesting hickory nuts and continuing to raise produce and livestock.  The produce was transported by horse and wagon to the farmers market on Broadway in Schenectady, NY.

Everett Rau, son of Frank and Margaret, opens ‘Turkey Land’ in Schenectady, and stocks his coolers and display cabinets with Turkeys raised and processed at the farm.

In the latter half of this century, we raised Rye both for its grain and straw, milled lumber, put in hay, raised beef, raised sheep for their wool, and produced fruits and vegetables.  At a time when many farms began embracing the use and application of pesticides and herbicides, we did not, leaving the land that we use to grow food for you and your family today, pure.

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Still, scars remained from the first half of the century and after a shift in focus for a few decades to farming for personal use and needs only, the end of this century would mark the beginning of a revitalization effort that would enrich our land, our food, and our community.

 

 

The New Millennium

 

In 2007, Everett Rau (4th generation) decided a replica barn should be built from trees harvested from the woods on the farm, replacing the original barn built on the property in the early 1800’s, which collapsed in 1929 after falling into disrepair, when Ev was just 10 years old.  Plans were drawn from memory, and with momentum on the farm already building, this project would bring the 4th, 5th, and 6th generations, as well as family and friends together, and further inspire us to make Pleasant View Farm a productive, active, and known local resource for high quality food.

 

Today, that goal and dream has been realized, the remaining 3 generations working together with the support of our community.  We continue our farm restoration efforts, while producing wholesome, high quality, pasture raised, antibiotic and hormone free, pork, chicken, and turkey, on the same pure land our ancestors did, like our ancestors did.  Our online retail store and CSA program allow for easy access to farm products, with subscriptions to accommodate one individual or a large family.  We hope you will allow us the privilege of serving you.