A Tree Grows in Connecticut

When Anna North Coit ’30 started farming Christmas trees in 1957, she knew it would become a continuous project in her life. Fifty years later, 98-year-old Coit is still out in the fields every day, though now it is mostly to oversee the hired hands. After graduating from Vassar with a degree in English, Coit went on to write for Time before marrying World War II flyer Harlan (Pete) Coit. They moved to the Connecticut farm in 1957, and Pete decided that to keep the fields looking nice they should plant Christmas trees. It was hard work, as Coit recalled. “He gave me a pail of seedlings and marched me around, and I got so tired, I cried.” It was seven years before the trees were mature enough to sell, and even then the profits were marginal. Now Coit caters to a small but loyal clientele. “I don't sell so terribly many,” she said, “but it keeps the fields nice.” Active in both her business and writing the newsletter for the North Stonington Historical Society, Coit does not plan to stop growing trees anytime soon. “The farm will continue a long time after this,” she said.