A Rhode Island woman bought her family’s coastal farm in 1908, spent decades painting and birdwatching there, then left the land to become a sanctuary that now protects 300 acres

Mabel Norman Cerio spent much of her life between art and nature at Paradise Farm in Middletown, Rhode Island. In 1908, she bought the coastal property from the estate of her brother after the death of her father. Decades later, the land would become the Norman Bird Sanctuary, a protected space covering 300 acres.

Get breaking news anytime, anywhere. Download the TOI app now!