What is that? Dec. 15, 2023

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Art Barnett and Roger McKeon immediately recognized last week’s photo (see below) as the irrigation pump at the entrance of the Old Lima Bean Fields Preserve on the corner of Cobbetts Lane and Manhanset Road. Kate Davidson was also all over it on our Facebook page.

In the early 1950s, lima bean farming took root with the Shelter Island Farmers Cooperative, a group of Island growers who produced lima beans on 1,500 acres for companies like Libby and Snowcrop.

Many Islanders were employed in the industry, but in 1954 crops and equipment were damaged by Hurricane Carol and two tropical storms. When Hurricane Connie arrived in August 1955, followed by mildew and a plague of Mexican bean beetles, the industry faded into history.

Lisa Shaw’s musical, “A Hill of Beans,” has helped to keep that history alive.

Shelter Island Group for Trails Preservation, led by the group’s founder Joe Denny, cleared the land that once served as the lima bean farm.

The clean-up was part of a stewardship plan put in place for the 21.8 acre parcel, which was purchased by the town’s Community Preservation Fund and Suffolk County in 2004.

Now, the property — cleared for pedestrians in April 2018 — contains a trail to hike marked at the beginning by the restored red pump.