The modern history of what is now Sylvan Ridge Farm traces back to the late 1700s, when records indicate the Quick family first laid claim to the hillside as farmland. Early settlers in the region, the Quicks are the stuff of local (and controversial) legend, primarily due to their violent conflicts with the native Lenape (Delaware) people. By the mid-19th century, the entire hillside was sold to Stephen Palmer. His son Robert took over the lower acreage, building a simple farmhouse, a bank barn, and a small carriage house. We know his family planted hay and potatoes, among other crops, in the famously rocky Pennsylvania soil. Other than the preserved structures, the only indication of the land's former use is its miles-long network of crumbling fieldstone walls still found throughout the forest.

In 1914 Rev. Dr. William E. Palmer, fulfilling the vision of his late son Ray, transformed his brother Bob's "old place" into the Pole Bridge Camp for Boys. Around this time the remarkable 14-foot-wide stone fireplace and full-length porch were added to turn the barn into a multi-purpose lodge for campers. Originally its own entity, Pole Bridge later affiliated with Life Magazine Life Camps (a.k.a. Fresh Air Camps), overseen by Dr. Lloyd B. Sharp, an early pioneer in outdoor education. These camps held summer programs to teach survival skills and outdoor recreation to children and adolescents primarily from inner city New York. This period in the property’s history is preserved by displays in our farmhouse and barn, and there is even a small exhibit in the local Columns Museum!

After the camp's closure in 1959, the land reverted to a private residence. Bill (son of camp founder William) and Hildegard  "Hillie" Palmer lived there with their son Stephen, who would be the last Palmer owner. They nicknamed it "Hilliehere," Hillie's go-to phrase for answering the telephone! In the 1970s, Stephen sold off much of the farm/camp acreage as a potential housing development that never materialized (it is now private land where Sylvan Ridge Farm's owners reside). After making several improvements to the remaining estate, in 1983 Stephen sold it to Bob Carpenter, a respected New York City set designer and avid gardener. He and his loved ones cherished the farm as a family getaway for decades before selling it to their neighbors, Alec and Linnea Geno, in 2017.

Linnea grew up on former Palmer land bordering "Hilliehere" and long dreamed of raising a family on the hillside she roamed as a child. When the opportunity arose in 2017 to purchase the old farm, she and her husband Alec took it, forging a vision to transform the property into a venue for the wider community to enjoy. Though the living spaces only needed minor renovation, sadly the barn was dilapidated beyond repair. Committed to preserving as much of the character of the original as possible, the Genos rebuilt a traditional mortise-and-tenon timber frame barn around the original stone fireplace using materials from the old barn where possible. Despite delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Sylvan Ridge Farm opened for vacation rentals in 2020 and events in 2021!