This article was posted by Leah Bush. It was written by Amanda Lindner.
Flames engulfed a 110-year-old potato farm in East Northport late Monday afternoon.
Johnson's Farm located at 123 Cedar Road, caught fire shortly after 4 p.m. Owner Howard Johnson lives on the property, but the fire did not spread to the house. No one was home at the time of fire.
The largest of the property's barns is nearly completely charred.
The farm and property have been in the hands of the same family for about 110 years, Johnson said.
Johnson grew up on the property as a farmer, helping his parents cultivate the land, however, Johnson's Farm had mostly stopped growing vegetables, other than potatoes, in 1987. More recently, flowers had been grown in the property's greenhouses and then sold, according to a New York Times article on the family farm.
The Johnson family has seen some incredible history take place on their farm, including when Charles Lindbergh flew on Jericho Turnpike, Jonson said. He added that when he was a young boy working on the farm, he could see Jericho Turnpike from the field since there were no homes or development yet on the land except for other farms.
Suffolk County Police and fire officials are investigating the cause of the flames.
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