Mount Wiltshire's History
John Lessiter's son, John Lessiter Jr, pictured next to the barn in 1904.
The 400 page book documenting all of the farm's history, made possible by Frank Lessiter Jr. The book can be purchased on amazon.com at the link below.
https://www.amazon.com/Centennial-Farm-Generations-Farmed-Land/dp/0944079059/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1SBPHIN7GX3HP&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.JE8Op0ZvpjaxacxJj3aMqA.wAmT7VoWoviNbpwCy2OoBLdm6h99kqlMb9owUkikK_Q&dib_tag=se&keywords=frank+lessiter+farm&qid=1713476662&s=books&sprefix=frank+lessiter+far%2Cstripbooks%2C106&sr=1-1
Mount Wiltshire was, for nearly 200 years, a dairy farm founded by John lessiter in the mid 19th century. After an ardjurous journey from Wiltshire, Engalnd, John purcahsed a small working farm in Orion, Michigan. This farm would grow to become one of Michigan's most respected dairy farms. So well respected, in fact, that local farmer Henry Ford, later the founder of Ford Motor Company, would travel to the farm from Dearborn, Michigan in the late 19th century to purcahse one of the Lessiter's bulls. The farm would go on to remain in the Lessiter family for six generations, before finally being sold in the 1990's. It would come to us in the year 2020, and undergo an extensive restoration. After four laborious years and with the support of our family, the barn has been brought back to its former glory under its new name, Mount Wiltshire.