our history

our history

The Bishop family was among the earliest settlers of Lisbon, in the White Mountains Region of NH. The Bishops started farming this land in 1770. For several generations from the late 1800’s until the 1950’s, the family successfully operated this beautiful place as a dairy and stock farm. In addition to the farmhouses, the Bishop family built six cottages in the late 1800‘s to accommodate the many travelers passing through.
The Bishop Farm was sold to the Simson family who operated the farm until they sold it in the 1960’s. At that point the dairy farming was discontinued, and the grounds became over run with vegetation. In the 50 years to follow the paint started to fade. Along with nature’s destructive forces, the house and barn were pilfered. By 2003 the barn floor was gone, the stair case and balusters were gone, supporting walls were removed, all of the chimneys in the cottages were destroyed. The house was about to cave in.
In the spring of 2003, the Salter family rescued this poor looking property and made the commitment to give her much needed TLC.  The Salter’s put their heart and soul into this wonderful place. After a three-year restoration project, the buildings were complete, and they stand tall and proud just like the old days!
In October 2005 the Salter’s opened the doors of Bishop Farm Bed and Breakfast in the old farmhouse. The six old cabins were transformed into 6 fabulous cottages during the summers of 2007 and 2008 with the addition of the 7th cottage. All cottages were remodeled in their own style. In 2016 The Ceremony barn was completed as our indoor ceremony location.  Back in its day the barn housed cows and horses. Now it is a magical place where couples come to say, “I DO”!
With Bishop Farm now owned and operated by Sean and Kayla Hall.  They are dedicated in preserving this beautiful historical property and taking it to its next level so it can be enjoyed for many generations to follow. There is a milk house and the carriage house, that also still stand today. The carriage house in the old days was the machine shop and now a private residence for the Hall’s.
The Milk house is the perfect backdrop for the cocktail area that still has its original guts including concrete holding tanks and an underground refrigerator.  The milk house is the next part of Bishop Farm that the Hall’s will restore and give it a new life.