WATCH: 1940s Footage Of Wayland's Mainstone Farm In Action

WAYLAND, MA — Seventy-five years ago, Wayland was a much different place.

Only about 3,500 people lived here compared to about 14,000 today. And the town's economy was still largely agricultural — Wayland (known as East Sudbury originally) actually got its start in the late 1700s as an agricultural community, according to the Wayland Historical Society.

In the 1870s, the Hamlen family began working the fields off Old Connecticut Path on what was known as the Mainstone Farm. In 2017, the family sold the land to the town and the Sudbury Valley Trustees to preserve as open space.

Today, part of the 228-acre Mainstone Farm is open to the public for hiking. The Neighborhood Farm uses 7 acres of the property to grow vegetables, herbs, and flowers, available for sale at the stand at 99 Old Connecticut Path.

The above video was posted on YouTube over the weekend showing what life on the Mainstone Farm looked like in the World War II era, around 1945.