he farm that once belonged to Hiram Edson is now owned by Adventist Heritage Ministries, a church-sponsored organization that seeks to help Adventists and all Christians understand God's leading through the places significant in Adventist history.

Purchased in 1989 and continuously improved since then, the Edson farm includes a little more than 17 acres of Hiram and Esther Edson's property, the small home in which they lived, and a restored barn that once belonged to Edson's father and was moved to the present site. Evidence suggests that the house was also the location where Edson, O.R.L. Crosier, and Franklin Hahn wrote out the new understanding of Jesus' ministry in the heavenly sanctuary that proved a galvanizing truth to many of those disappointed in October 1844.

Adventist Heritage Ministries maintains the property for visitors, hundreds of whom each year come to this special spot. A recent acquisition of a right-of-way now allows visitors to enter the site on a compact gravel road.

The Edson barn has been the site of special gatherings since it was reassembled in 1994, much as it was during the Sabbath and Sanctuary Conferences of the late 1840s. Ongoing effort is required to keep the barn repaired and the property accessible for those wishing to visit.

Other AHM sites include the William Miller farm in Low Hampton, New York, and Adventist Historic Village in Battle Creek, Michigan, an eight-block property containing nearly 20 historic and rebuilt structures in which early Adventists lived and worked.

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To learn more about Adventist Heritage Ministries or to get driving directions to any of AHM's sites, including the Edson farm, contact: Adventist Heritage Ministries, 12501 Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, MD 20904-6600, U.S.A. Phone: 949-581-5513 Web: www.adventistheritage.org.