Morning Glory Farm was started in 1975 by James and Deborah Athearn on family land on Meshacket road. In the first years they cleared a small vegetable plot and room for a barn and pasture for milking cows. At first the yields of the small plot were sold at the farmhouse in a small shed, and at the Farmers Market in West Tisbury. The farm name grew from the vision of the sun rising over lush, green fields, cows with udders full of milk ambling past bountiful gardens and hedgerows lively with honeybees; true wealth of nature's glory.

Eventualy they out grew the shed and seeking a greater market they moved to the end of Meshacket Road in the lot at Ed Tyra's locker plant in 1979. After several years there Jim and Debbie decided to build thier own farm stand on the site where it is now. The orginal building, built in 1981, was a 18x20 foot post and beam. There have been several additions since then, more greenhouses, an employee residence, the vegetable barn with its two farm kitchens and an equipment maitenance building, among other improvements. The fields and crops grew and flourished, and at the present point we are actively working over nintey acres and hire a staff of up to seventy.

Jim and Debbie raised three children on the farm. Prudence is now a Regestered Nutritionist working in Boulder Colorado. She is recently married to another nutritionist Josh Levy, and do plan to move back 'East' in couple of years. Prudence had previously worked on the farm for many years. She had become a specicaist in the flower field and was the farmstand manager. Simon, after high school went to culinary school in New Hampshire and then to small business school at the University of Montana. He and his wife Catherine, moved back to the Vineyard in May 2002, Catherine started teaching math at MVRHS and Simon has become Morning Glorys Assistant Farmer to Jim.  Daniel has also returned to the Vineyard after recieving a degree in aquaculture from The University of Maine. Daniel, quickly became indispensable on the farm as a skilled machine operator, and the irrigation specialist although he spends many hours in the tractor seat working the soil and tending the crops, he is maintains his presence on the water in both commercial and recreational fishing. Meegan Knapp Athearn, Daniel's wife, is the field crew manager. She oversees the planting, weeding and harvest of many crops by seasonal farmhands.

The farm family is a large one, many Athearn relatives have been part of the farm in different ways for years. And each year we meet a new crew of farmers, bakers, growers, and farmstand staff that become part of the farm family. The farm has benefited from a variety of wonderful people who have endowed Morning Glory with their own special contributuions. With the younger generation involved there is the expectation that the farm will continue to provide quality fruits and vegetables to the community and provide people with meaningful employment and a memorable island experience.