The Webster family cemetery is part of the 141-acre farm. (Gail Rousseau)

The New Hampshire farm that statesman Daniel Webster (1782-1852) used as a retreat has been saved from development.

Yesterday the Trust for Public Land paid $1.75 million for the 141-acre farm in Franklin, N.H., the site of Webster's home and an orphanage that was constructed in 1871.

Former owner P.D. Real Estate Consultants initially intended to build 130 houses on the land but scaled back the plan to 70 houses after the Franklin planning board rejected his proposal. In June, the National Trust named the Daniel Webster Farm one of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places.

"It has taken a long time to get to this point, and the work of many has led us here," says Jennifer Goodman, executive director of the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance, which used a grant from the Trust's Northeast Office to conduct an adaptive-reuse study of the farm's nine buildings. "There are still huge challenges before us."

A conservation easement will protect 122 acres of farmland, and another easement will be placed on the farm's deteriorating structures. Tonight the town of Franklin will hold its first public hearing to determine what residents want the buildings to become.

"That's the beginning of a very long process," says Colin Cabot, a member of the local Webster Farm Preservation Association. "The goal is to preserve the character of the site and provide an economic engine to the city of Franklin. We have our work cut out for us."

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