Kristoff Pig Farm
The Kristoff Brothers pig farm in Sterling, MA was once the largest pig farm in New England. Long abandoned, the property is now state land and open to the public.
Starting down the main access road there is not much to see except broken road and occasional pieces of fence and foundation.
The first real interesting sight is about a half mile in. It is what I call the "Temple of Doom" (after the Indiana Jones movie). What it actually was is not clear and I could not find a definitive answer in my research. It appears to be some type of loading area because those two metal doors open to dump the contents of the large metal tubes. However it could also be related to the now-demolished cooking facility that turned waste into feed. It may be easier to identify in the off season without the growth.
The property is vast and there were numerous trails/roads to get lost on as I walked around. Many of these roads/trails seemed to lead nowhere. They were probably access roads to some of the grazing or farm areas, or to a now lost structure. There were constant remnants of foundation or metal throughout the wooded areas.
One of these roads led me to the abandoned trailer, car, and dumpsters. This area apparently was considered a landfill and is not technically public land despite being wide open.
I knew there was at least one old pig pen building still standing, which turned out to be right on the main road through the property. There was also some old farm equipment nearby, and a chimney from one of the residences or support buildings that once stood.
In total the loop trail is about 2.4 miles, but the ground was wet in several places and I didn't walk the whole thing. If you visit I recommend late fall or early winter (before the snow).
Location: Sterling, MA
Explored: May 2021
Status: Still Standing