Editorial from The Boston Globe

WHO KNEW that a Colonial act of generosity would someday divide an affluent suburb? In 1701, Governor William Stoughton willed a 34-acre parcel to the town of Milton for the benefit of the poor. Over the centuries, the land known as the Town Farm has been used for smallpox quarantines, transient housing, and an animal shelter. It also hosts three rental housing units whose modest proceeds help the poor. But the farm’s buildings are crumbling, its endowment is dwindling, and the town must decide what to do with the land, now surrounded by million-dollar homes. (Read the full editorial here.)