09/17/2026
Happy 100th Birthday! A Century of Stewardship: Homer Stambaugh Preserves His 260-Acre Farm
Story by Sean P. Kenny / Photos by Gretchen Nevin
Homer Stambaugh knows the value of a hard day’s work and the irreplaceable beauty of open landscapes. With his 100th birthday taking place on September 17th 2026, Homer recently celebrated another monumental milestone: preserving his 260-acre farm with Farm & Natural Lands Trust of York County.
Sitting with Homer and his daughter Carolyn, you get a front-row seat to nearly a century of local agricultural history. Homer’s roots in farming run deep, stretching back to his childhood in New Oxford, where he remembers trying to teach himself to plow fields at 12 years old.
After securing a deferment to finish school, Homer served in the Army for 18 months during the World War II era. He returned home to York County and began working at the Doubleday factory in Hanover—starting at just 35 cents an hour. He worked there until he retired at 62, but deciding he needed to go back to work, he soon took another factory job at SKF.
Yet, factory work was only half the story. Homer worked full-time while tending to his own farm, renting additional ground, scraping together funds to buy adjacent land that came up for sale, and helping neighbors with their harvests and livestock. He had plenty of help at home, too. Carolyn had ten siblings—six of them girls—and all trained to work on the farm. As she remembered the rules: you "have to pull the weeds if you want to go to the carnival," and everyone had to "pick potatoes before supper." For decades, the Stambaugh property was home to a herd of beef cattle, chickens, fields of corn, hay, beans and more. Homer only stepped back from tending to the farm (and deer hunting) well into his 90s.
Permanently protecting this land was driven by a deep family commitment. The Stambaughs had applied to the York County Agricultural Land Preservation Board a number of times, but the property did not quite meet the ranking criteria for that program. Given Homer’s age, there was a growing urgency to ensure his legacy was secured. Recognizing this, the YCALPB passed their contact information along to FNLT, and we were honored to step in, working with Homer and Carolyn to preserve this incredible landscape.
"When Carolyn called York County Agricultural Land Preservation Board in 2023 about her father's farm, there was immediate excitement. After walking the property, I realized YCALPB wouldn't be able to preserve the entire farm, and it could take at least three to five years to reach the finish line. The reality of the preservation world is that we just want to see land protected. Whether through YCALPB or FNLT, the benefit to York County is what matters most." Eric Naylor, YCALPB Director.
When you ask Homer why he chose to permanently protect his land, his answer is grounded in reality. "What are people gonna eat after a while?" Homer asks, noting how quickly good farmland is being bought up for development. "They keep buying up all the good farmland. Nobody’s gonna have anything left to eat."
Spanning 260 acres, the farm sits perfectly inside a valley teetering in Manheim and West Manheim Townships, offering a gorgeous farmland view from front to back along Blue Hill, Lily Springs, and Hoffacker Roads. Homer’s respect for local history runs as deep as his love for the land itself. At one point, there was talk of renaming Hoffacker Road to Stambaugh Road to honor his footprint in the area. Homer declined the idea, noting that the Hoffackers had been around longer than him, and it was only right to respect their place in local history.
The Stambaugh farm isn't just an agricultural asset. The conservation easement protects forest and vital waterways that traverse the property. Long Run flows through the easement area for over 4,000 feet and three additional unnamed tributaries also weave through the land for a cumulative 4,200 feet before emptying into Long Run.
These large wetland areas are home to one of Pennsylvania's rarest, most vulnerable, and highly protected endangered species. Because this sensitive species is somewhat migratory, permanently protecting this entire expansive habitat demonstrates the importance of balancing agricultural preservation with vital wildlife biodiversity.
Homer bought this land to have space to breathe. As he used to tell Carolyn, he bought the farm so he could holler on his way without anyone hearing him. He now lives with Carolyn in her house, adjacent to the property. They sit on the porch and look out over the expanse of his fields, enjoying the wildlife, enjoying the memories. Thanks to this new conservation easement, that spectacular valley view—and the viability of the land—will remain.
Please join us in wishing Homer a very happy 100th birthday, and in thanking him and Carolyn for their incredible gift to the future of York County.
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Please consider a donation to FNLT - your generous support goes directly to our mission in preserving York County's natural resources, and stories like this one. Give today at www.farmtrust.org.
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