History
1993-1995: "Community Building" discussion group at Wilton Montly Meeting in Connecticut
Dec. 1998: Spee and Jens Braun begin occasional visits to intentional communities around the US
June 1999: Property search near Powell House begins
July 1999: New York Yearly Meeting at Silver Bay, New York: Two interest group sessions held, with some 50 people participating
August 1999: Issue Number 1 of our newsletter Bridging the Gap issued, mailed to 50 households (March 2000 subscription list was 98 households)
Fall 1999: Brauns move to Chatham area; First visit to Bradley's Crossing property
Feb. 2000: Retreat on "Deep Community" at Powell House, Chatham, New York, attended by 42 people (37 adults, 15 children)
March 2000: Beginning of regular meetings for those interested in forming the intentional community in Columbia County, NY
August 2000: Brauns and Harris-Brauns purchase 135-acre ex-farm on Bradley's Crossing Road in East Chatham, New York (in the town of Canaan). During 2000 and 2001 we and others renovated the newer of the two houses so that the Brauns could live there. We also put a lot of effort into cleaning up the land and getting some gardens going. We planted fruit trees and grape vines, and harvested apples for cider.
August 2000: Sandy & Carolyn move from Georgia to New Lebanon, NY
Fall 2000: Celebration on the land; renovation of East House begins
January 2001: Brauns move into East House
April 2001: QIVP incorporated as a non-profit corporation
July 2001: Town of Canaan starts considering cluster housing law; QIVC Advisory Council formed
September 2001: Design charette with Michael Everett; East House exterior finished; Brauns cleared for membership in QIVC
January 2002: Newsletter #11 published; Beers cleared for membership
February 2002: QIVCers visit other intentional communities; Harris-Brauns cleared for membership March 2002: Harris-Brauns start process of selling their Connecticut house; Eloisa cleared for membership
August 2002: Harris-Brauns move to nearby house in Canaan
Winter/Spring 2003: QIVC members begin work on the original farmhouse (circa 1795) on the QIVC land (demolition of the ruined parts)
Spring 2003: Spring-meeting in Western/Central NY re interest in QIVP
Summer 2003: In June QIVC hosts a timber-framing workshop run by Fox Maple School of Traditional Building (based in Maine), in which we and others cut the four-bent timber frame for the farmhouse. In July we raised the timber framewith lots of help from friends and neighbors (100+ people participate throughout the weekend)
July 2003: QIVP attains 501(c)3 status
Winter 2003: Farmhouse roof goes on
March 2004: Many Rivers Community in Finland, Minnesota becomes the second Quaker Intentional Village under the QIVP umbrella organization
Summer 2004: QIVC continues to rebuild the farmhouse. In the fall of 2004 we completed, with the help of many friends and neighbors, the clay and woodchip walls.
January 2005: Originally we had hoped to build a co-housing style community, keeping our houses clustered close together and preserving the vast majority of our land as open space. Because this is not allowed in our local zoning regulations, we submitted a request for a five-lot subdivison to our town Planning Board, which was approved in April 2005. Within the constraints of this subdivision, each of the families currently involved in QIVC can build their energy- and resource-efficient homes. 110 acres are left undeveloped.
April 2005: QIVC obtains approval for 5-lot subdivision
Throughout 2005 work continued on the farmhouse. We plastered the walls, finished the lower roofs, and began work on the interior.
2006 & 2007: Work on the farmhouse goes on with primarily community labor. We get a certificate of occupancy.
July 2007: Two families begin building new houses on the land. Members have five garden plots under cultivation, and have been joined on the land by sheep, chickens, pigs, and two horses.
September 2007: A resident family moves into the farmhouse.
2009: the farmhouse is finished and home to one family and many community get-togethers and meetings. Two new houses have been built and three more are underway. Four families live on the land so far. QIVC is made up of thirteen adults and twelve children, whose birthdates range from 1988 to 2008.
Fall 2009: Another family moves into their new house on the land, making a total of five families
May 2010: A sixth family moves into their new house
October 2010: The seventh family finally moves in
November 2010: One family moves from rental space in the farmhouse to their own new house just across the farm road
November 2010: One family moves away and the house is rented to an interested family. QIVC actively seeks new members for three available household locations
September 2012: We approve a new type of membership, renter membership, for those who need/want to rent instead of own a house.
December 2012: QIVC buys the departed members' house (and keeps renting it to the prospective member family).
January 2013: QIVC, Inc. is incorporated with approved bylaws
January 2013: Our biggest subdivision lot, Lot 1 (>100 acres, 2 houses), is transferred to QIVC, Inc.
March 2013: A new household of prospective members moves into a newly-built basement walk-out living space below an existing house
April 2014: The family that has been renting since late 2010 is accepted into membership. QIVC is now made up of 14 adults and 13 resident children, with another one of each living on the Land as prospective members.
