Oscar Hammerstein II Farm

The Highland Farm where Hammerstein wrote Oklahoma!, South Pacific, and The Sound of Music

The Highland Farm sits on Old York Road just over the Doylestown line, the farmhouse where Oscar Hammerstein II lived from 1940 until his death in 1960. The Rodgers and Hammerstein partnership produced its best work here: Hammerstein wrote the lyrics in his study, then drove to New York to work with Richard Rodgers on the music.

The farmhouse is privately owned but visible from the road, and a small foundation now runs occasional tours and tribute events. The fields around the farm are largely unchanged, and Hammerstein's grave is in the Doylestown Cemetery a few miles away. A pilgrimage stop for musical theatre fans.

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Hammerstein bought the 80-acre farm in 1940 and lived here for the rest of his life. Oklahoma!, Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I, and The Sound of Music were all written here, mostly in the small study Hammerstein built behind the main house. A young Stephen Sondheim, son of family friends, was a frequent visitor and considered Hammerstein his mentor.

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