Colonial Acres History

Colonial Acres is a truly unique neighborhood. The Acres was built in the mid 1960s, a time when there was little residential development in Glenmont, on the “Hayfield” farmland. The hundred acres of land, the farmhouse (which is still on Feura Bush Road), two barns, cows and sheep were purchased by Jim and Marion Michaels in the early 1960s. Jim was very impressed with Colonial Williamsburg and wanted to recreate that ambiance here in Glenmont. He believed that planned communities were the future, and the Acres plan from the beginning included both wading and full sized pools, a recreation area by the pool and a golf course.

Jim and his architects included colonial design elements such as “hitching posts, rustic fencing, pine paneled rooms, plank floors, large hearths, Dutch doors, antique-look lighting fixtures and lanterns, beamed ceilings, hammered iron hardware, wainscoting, chair rails, shake roofs, cupolas, colonial-style entrances, shutters, gravel driveways, brick and stone walks, stained clapboard and board and batten siding, mail huts, charming entrance lanterns and street signage, and colonial color schemes.” The development boasted large wooded lots and winding roads, and quickly became known as a very desirable place to live. A neighborhood association, Colonial-Glenmont, Inc., was established to collect dues, perform the community functions and enforce the covenants. Soon neighborhood social functions and traditions took root.

As time has gone by, most of the original settlers have moved on, some of the original design elements have been renovated away, the golf course became privately owned and then town-owned, the wading pool was filled in…but the wonderful community social functions, traditions, spirit of volunteerism and willingness to contribute time and effort to the betterment of the neighborhood live on.