History
1993-1995: "Community Building" discussion group at Wilton Montly Meeting in Connecticut
Dec. 1998: Spee and Jens Braun begin occasional visits to intentional communities around the US
June 1999: Property search near Powell House begins
July 1999: New York Yearly Meeting at Silver Bay, New York: Two interest group sessions held, with some 50 people participating
August 1999: Issue Number 1 of our newsletter Bridging the Gap issued, mailed to 50 households (March 2000 subscription list is up to 98 households!)
Feb. 2000: Retreat on "Deep Community" at Powell House, Chatham, New York, attended by 42 people (37 adults, 15 children)
August 2000: Brauns and Harris-Brauns purchase 135-acre ex-farm on Bradley's Crossing Road in East Chatham, New York (in the town of Canaan). During 2000 and 2001 we and others renovated the newer of the two houses so that the Brauns could live there. We also put a lot of effort into cleaning up the land and getting some gardens going. We planted fruit trees and grape vines, and harvested apples for cider.
April 2001: QIVP incorporated as a non-profit corporation.
Winter/Spring 2003: QIV-C members begin work on the original farmhouse (circa 1795) on the QIV-C land (demolition of the ruined parts).
Summer 2003: In June QIV-C hosts a timber-framing workshop run by Fox Maple School of Traditional Building (based in Maine), in which we and others cut the four-bent timber frame for the farmhouse. In July we raised the timber framewith lots of help from friends and neighbors (100+ people participate throughout the weekend).
July 2003: QIVP attains 501(c)3 status
Winter 2003: Farmhouse roof goes on.
March 2004:Many Rivers Community in Finland, Minnesota becomes the second Quaker Intentional Village under the QIVP umbrella organization
Summer 2004: QIV-C continues to rebuild the farmhouse. In the fall of 2004 we completed, with the help of many friends and neighbors, the clay and woodchip walls.
January 2005: Originally we had hoped to build a co-housing style community, keeping our houses clustered close together and preserving the vast majority of our land as open space. Because this is not allowed in our local zoning regulations, we submitted a request for a five-lot subdivison to our town Planning Board, which was approved in April 2005. Within the constraints of this subdivision, each of the families currently involved in QIV-C can build their energy- and resource-efficient homes. 110 acres are left undeveloped.
April 2005: QIV-C obtains approval for 5-lot subdivision
Throughout 2005 work continued on the farmhouse. We plastered the walls, finished the lower roofs, and began work on the interior.
2006 & 2007: Work on the farmhouse goes on with primarily community labor. We get a certificate of occupancy.
July 2007: Two families begin building new houses on the land. Members have five garden plots under cultivation, and have been joined on the land by sheep, chickens, pigs, and two horses.
September 2007: A resident family moves into the farmhouse.
2009: the farmhouse is finished and home to one family and many community get-togethers and meetings. Two new houses have been built and three more are underway. Four families live on the land so far. QIV-C is made up of thirteen adults and twelve children, whose birthdates range from 1988 to 2008.
Fall 2009: Another family moves into their new house on the land, making a total of five families.
May 2010: A sixth family moves into their new house.
October 2010: The seventh family finally moves in.
November 2010: One family moves from rental space in the farmhouse to their own new house just across the farm road.
November 2010: One family moves away. QIV-C actively seeks new members for three available household locations.
