FIRE DESTROYS CHARLTON’S OBADIAH McINTYRE FARM WINERY
A CRUEL BLOW struck the talented, pleasant, hardworking Benjamin family on the night of August 2 when a veritable inferno destroyed their winery in central Massachusetts. The Obadiah McIntyre Farm Winery at Charlton Orchard Farm in Charlton opened in 2OO2. Nate Benjamin, Jr., maked tasty fruit and grape wines and hard ciders there, some from own-grown fruit, some from purchased produce.
The winery is owned by Nate’s parents. The senior and junior Benjamin families reside on the property. No one was injured. The farm was established by Obadiah McIntyre of Salem, Massachusetts, in 1733 by grant from George II. McIntyre was widely reviled for his mean-spiritedness. One might have expected that bitter man to have been incinerated in colonial Massachusetts, rather than the winery of the worthy Benjamins with its sweet contents. The building, bottling equipment, 4OOO gallons of wine (well over a recent year’s production), office records, and valued memorabilia were consumed. Charlton was assisted by fire departments of five neighboring towns – to no avail. Difficulty in access to water was said to delay and impede their efforts. Nate, Sr., has expressed displeasure with their performance.
Nate must be feeling like a modern Job. The farm had been suffering financially for several years, so much so that, with Nate’s father nearing retirement, it had been up for sale until last fall, when the placement of solar panels and the success of the Hard Cider turned the red ink black. Nate’s leg injury in a 2O1O auto accident had brought him prolonged disability and pain, but recent acquisition of a high-tech appliance has appeared to provide relief. Now this.
As I spoke with Nate three days after the fire, he related he had just been informed by the state fire marshal that the fire had been deliberately set, presumably by a deranged thrill seeker. At this early stage, it appears likely that the winery will not be able to be rebuilt. So far, in addition to the lack of injuries, except perhaps to chickens, two bright spots have shone through the smoke and gloom. Offers of help are coming from all directions, especially including other farmers and farm wineries, and even from the bureaucracy. Nate’s 2OO5 Concordance Gold Medal at the Indiana State Fair for Nate’s Hard Cider, his most treasured memento, was thought irretrievably lost in the fire, but, through the good offices of a reporter with Indiana connections and an official at the fair, a replacement will be furnished.
The denouement will play out over time. -HARVEY FINKEL
