Lawyer's Farm

Lawyer's Farm MarylandGovPics on Flickr (Creative Commons)

The Lawyer’s Farm in Thurmont, Maryland is not unlike a number of farms across America, except for the massive, junk-made transformer robots standing sentinel at the entrance.

Driving by Lawyer’s farm, one might be forgiven for thinking that they were passing by a homegrown sculpture garden instead of a farm, and in some ways, they’d be right. The farm, which grows both corn and pumpkins, was started by Jan Lawyer, who had a knack both for fixing things and for creating things out of next to nothing. Most memorably, Jan created a handful of giant Transformer-like robots that he installed at the entrance. He built the giant robot sculptures from scratch, using old junk and car parts.

Jan has since passed away, but his creations still stand, welcoming people to the farmstead. Today, the property is owned and operated by his children and it is not just junk statues that are on offer. The farm also offers visitors the chance to see their homemade pumpkin cannons, and take a stroll through the corn maze, which is newly designed each fall. You can even go pumpkin picking if you are so inclined. In honor of Jan, some of the proceeds go to the American Brain Tumor Association.

The flamboyant farm makes sure to keep its corn maze fresh. In 2015, they carved the maze to look like Governor Larry Hogan, who was battling cancer, even carving out a hashtag, proving that maybe corn mazes aren’t so old-fashioned after all.

Update as of September 2020: There are several junk bots back up on the property again.

Update as of August 2022: The farm has been bought and there are only two robots still on the property. They are not open during the summer.

Know Before You Go

From Frederick: Take Rt 15 north toward Thurmont. Take a right onto Old Frederick Road exit, just after the Resthaven Memorial Grounds. Follow until the stop sign, about five miles. Go straight onto Rt 550N. After .5 miles, the farm is on the right. From Gettysburg: Take Rt 15 S toward Thurmont. Take the MD-77 exit. At end of the exit, bear right onto MD-77 East. Come to the stop light. Go straight. After 1.5 miles look for Thurmont Elementary on left. Once you pass it, bear right onto 550 South. Follow until stop sign. At 4-way make a left. Farm is on the left in about one mile.