Malabar Farm

Malabar Farm. Ohio Heritage Days. Nestled in the appropriately named Pleasant Valley, Malabar Farm is the embodiment of one man's dream. Comprised of several older farms, Malabar was created by Pulitzer Prize winning novelist, Louis Bromfield. It's heritage is recorded in the fields, buildings and woodlots you are about to visit., Louis Bromfield was born in 1896 in Mansfield. He attended Cornell University's School of Agriculture in pursuit of his love of the land and farming. He later enrolled in journalism at Columbia University, yet left to serve as an ambulance driver for the French Army., Following the war, Bromfield returned to the United States, began a fruitful literary career and married Mary Appleton Wood in 1921. Having already won the Pulitzer Prize for his third novel "Early Autumn", he returned to France in 1927. He remained there until the out-break of World War II when he came back to Ohio with his wife and three children., Louis Bromfield wrote 33 books and numerous film scripts. In addition to the Pulitzer Prize, he also earned the O'Henry Short Story Award. Some novels were published in more than 15 languages, some in as many as 25. As an author, Bromfield was a success. He was ready to turn to his childhood love of the land learned from his grandfather., In 1939, Louis purchased the acreage from several neglected farms and endeavored to apply his own agricultural concepts to bring them back into production. The new farm was named for the Malabar coast of India which was the setting for the novel "The Rains Came." By selling the motion picture rights to his popular fiction, he obtained the funds to operate the farm., Bromfield based his agricultural practices for the area on an overall plan of "grass farming" which renewed the soil while providing excellent forage and pasture. Contour plowing and intermittent grass strips helped curb the erosion problem in the farm's rolling fields. Several ponds were constructed to provide fire protection and water for irrigation and livestock., Bromfield balanced his farm program with concern for woodland and wildlife. Areas near the ponds were enclosed and planted with trees and shrubs to provide food and cover for wild animals. Fencerows were maintained to also provide forage and protection. Mature stands of forest thrived., A focal point at Malabar was the "Big House", Bromfield's 32 room mansion. Using an existing farm house as a base, Louis intended his home to look as though it had been added on to over the years. With architect Louis Lamoreux, he designed a plan which was a blend of Western Reserve style inspired by houses in northeastern Ohio. The completed structure was furnished in a predominately French theme and richly appointed with antiques and original artworks collected during his travels., Visitors were common at Malabar. Farmers came to exchange ideas while the Hollywood elite saw this as a haven in the peaceful countryside. Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart were married in front of the twin staircase and honeymooned at the farm., Louis Bromfield once wrote, "Every inch of it (the house) has been in hard use since it was built and will, I hope, go on being used in the same fashion so long as it stands. Perhaps one day it will belong to the state together with the hills, valleys and woods of Malabar Farm." Today the house remains just as it was at the time of his death in 1956. It became a state park in 1976., His dream came true and is still alive here at Malabar Farm State Park. As you tour the Big House, watch the cattle in the fields, walk the trails or hear the tractors at harvest remember Louis Bromfield for this farm is truly a living tribute to Ohio's rural heritage.