It's an overcast afternoon in late June. The half-hearted drizzle that's been raining on Shelburne Farms since morning has done little to relieve the hot spell that grips northwestern Vermont. And no matter what amount of rain might fall, humidity remains high. Everyone seems to know Webb, who returns kudos and good wishes with modest, almost awkward replies.
Educational programs focus on local children rather than tourists.
The Webb name, nearly as weighty in Vermont as Stowe's von Trapps, might conjure up images of railroad tycoons and posh living. Don't believe it. Agriculture and the Webbs have been two constants in Shelburne Farms over the years. In the late 1880s, the property was a collection of more than 30 small farms on 3,800 acres, which Dr. William Seward Webb and his wife, Eliza Vanderbilt Webb, purchased to create an agricultural estate. By contrast, Seward's passion was horses, which he intended to breed in Shelburne.