Crops to casino: Family sells former Tiverton farmland to Twin River

By Bruce Burdett
Posted 2/23/17

TIVERTON — Les Cory and family had been trying to sell their 40-plus acres in northeast Tiverton for years, so it was welcome news when a serious buyer approached.

“It was completely out of …

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Crops to casino: Family sells former Tiverton farmland to Twin River

Posted

TIVERTON — Les Cory and family had been trying to sell their 40-plus acres in northeast Tiverton for years, so it was welcome news when a serious buyer approached.

“It was completely out of the blue. I had no idea who the buyer was,” he said.

A deal was reached with the unknown buyer and finally, a couple of weeks ago, the property transfer was signed.

Lester and Elsa Cory, Tiverton, to Twin River, LLC, property off William Canning Boulevard for $787,500.

By then, of course, they had known for a while that the buyer was Twin River, that this is where the Tiverton casino is to be built.

A casino spokeswoman said last week that Twin Rivers now owns all of the property needed to proceed. That property includes two additional parcels whose sales were also completed a week ago. One, at 103 Stafford Road along the southern edge of the Cory property, was sold by Betty Marsden for $293,000. The other, at 1712 Eagleville Road, was sold by Jennifer Hamilton for $38,000.

Mr. Cory, a lifelong Tiverton resident, is director of the Center for Rehabilitation Engineering at UMass Dartmouth. He founded the center with two fellow engineering professors to develop and engineer computer systems to help disabled people lead normal lives.

He grew up in the 73 Stafford Road House right near where William Canning Boulevard angles away from Stafford and heads a few hundred yards north into Fall River.

Today it’s a bustling place of houses, businesses (Hose Connection, Aquidneck Fasteners, State Line Tobacco … ) and traffic near the Route 24 interchange.

But then, “it was entirely different.” Peaceful, quiet, a great place for kids to grow up.

“I certainly have mixed emotions about parting with the property.”

He said he is glad to finally sell land that the family really hasn’t used in decades; less so about seeing open land with such happy memories bulldozed.

About it becoming a casino — “It really doesn’t matter what my thoughts were. The deal was done,” Mr. Cory said as he declined to say whether he had voted for or against the casino last fall.

Although he didn’t work as a farmer, Mr. Cory’s father farmed the property as far back as he can remember. They kept some livestock, a few milk cows, horses, chickens and grew vegetables, berries and hay.

“The land was much different then,” Mr. Cory said. “There were wide open fields,” and they had a dairy farm for a next door neighbor.

Left alone, trees and brush have taken over. “Where there used to be fields there are trees a foot, foot-and-a-half around … Some of it is so thick you can barely walk through.”

Gradually his father added bits and pieces to the property well in from the road. Les’ older brother Harold grew rose bushes there to augment his Adamsville nursery business; their father hayed other parts of the added land.

From the outset it was a place of great adventure for youngsters.

There was a stream (Sucker Brook) near the far border, and relics of early times to explore and collect.

“This is where my playmates and I — cowboys all — rode our broomstick horses and where we built our fort from which we fought off the wild Indians about 1947.”

Later there was a small irrigation pond where they could catch a few fish. Mr. Cory recalls swimming in it once — “I came alongside a snake — that was the last time I swam there.”

Their father left the property to his three sons — Les, Harold (who died years ago), and Bill who retired from Cape Cod where he owned several drug stores, to New Hampshire.

Sales setbacks

When it became clear they no longer needed the land, they decided to sell. Mr. Cory said about 25 acres of the total is good usable land, another 15 may be too wet for building (the front section where the house he grew up in stands was sold years ago).

Selling the property has proven a revealing adventure about dealing with Tiverton, he said.

Years ago, they thought they had a buyer. A “very reputable builder and individual” proposed building one and two-bedroom ‘garden apartments.’

“He was encouraged (by the town) every step of the way,” paid for plans, site surveys, “was told how wonderful it would be … “

“At the last minute, the rug was pulled out from under him.” The supposed reason — concerns about the costs to town schools of children who might live there.

Next came a buyer who proposed an over-55 community.

“Once again he was encouraged at every step to proceed and to spend a lot of money … And once again the town, in its wisdom, chose not to give him the approvals he needed.”

Walking the property

Recently he walked the land again with his daughter and her husband.

“We picked up shards of crockery bearing the insignia of the old Fall River Line and the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad probably dating to 1900. My grandson later found enough pieces to put together an entire platter. He surprised me with it at Christmas.”

Asked if he’ll return to the land once a casino is built, Mr. Cory said he probably will.

“I may go over to see if I can see anything familiar” — he guesses the chances are slim

He added, “I’m not likely to be a profitable customer of the casino … but if they have a nice restaurant, I might give it a try.”

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