The Winney family came from Flanders, in present day Belgium, and settled in the Hudson Valley Town of Bethlehem, NY, in 1652, where they operated farms and a gristmill. In 1772 the Winney and Vandenburg families bought 2400 acres of land in the Schuylerville area. During the Revolutionary War many Winney men fought on the American side and received land grants in the Hudson and Mohawk Valleys. The grist mills also supplied the American army. Fifteen generations have been farming in the Hudson Valley.

The farmhouse is about 200 years old and was purchased 51 years ago by Byron’s grandfather from the Vanderwerker family. The house was badly in need of repair at that time so Byron’s grandfather and other family members restored it. Shortly after the family of six moved into the house. From 1830 to 1850 a blacksmith shop operated where the current farm retail store sits today. At that time, the farm boarded mules during the winter months. The mules, shod with cleated shoes, were used on the frozen river to transport cut ice blocks that were later shipped by barge to ports along the Hudson River.

In the 1920’s Byron’s grandmother began to raise gladiolus and to market the flowers locally. At one point they were raising 60 acres of gladiolus to service 75 florists in three states and selling 1000 dozen gladiolus a day! "My grandmother hit the market at the perfect time. The 1930’s through the 50’s brought the era of flowers, big houses, big flowers," Byron observed.