Flints and Hannan spread Lincoln’s farming bounty at dinner

Two farming concerns in Lincoln — one centuries old and one very new — recently collaborated on a farm-to-table event to raise awareness of local agriculture and the Flint Homestead Project.

About 65 guests were treated to food made from Hannan Agro Farms produce prepared by Lincolnite Brianno Doo and helpers (both Doo and Mohammed Hannan donated their time and effort). Codman Community Farms also helped by loaning a grill and chairs.

Sponsors arrived early for private tastings, a half-hour tour of the Flint fields, and gift bags hand-sewn by Tom’s wife. After dinner, everyone enjoyed music and learned about Hannan’s journey from Bangladesh to Lincoln in a short film produced by Tom Flint, a filmmaker and the latest in a line of Flint owners dating back to the 1600s.

“The event went swimmingly, and it was a real tribute to Lincoln’s agricultural heritage,” Flint said.

Guests also learned about the Flint Homestead Project, which aims to preserve the 1709 Flint farmhouse and barn dating from the 1750s on the north side of Lexington Road (Matlock Farm, also owned by the Flint family, is on the south side of the road). On the day of  the dinner, organizers turned the barn into a pop-up museum displaying historic artifacts from the family and items borrowed from the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust.

The Flint family did some repair work on the buildings that was deemed critical by a 2014 conditions assessment, though the trust fund devoted to maintaining the property is almost exhausted and much more work remains. They’re also exploring other options including donating the homestead to a nonprofit or turning it into a museum, but the maintenance costs have been an obstacle, Flint said.

The family has connected with a preservation consultant to help Tom and his sisters Sarah and Susanna (all three inherited the homestead in 2013) to help formulate financial and repair strategies. She previously arranged a charrette with about a dozen people specializing in history preservation, fundraising, archeology and museum curation. The Flints had hoped to have an open house two years ago but weren’t able to, so “Saturday was the first opportunity to showcase the project and speak to a larger group of people,” Flint said.