Mountain View Farm was established in 1883 by Elmer A. Darling, a native of East Burke who became part owner and manager of the world famous Fifth Avenue Hotel in New York City. After the hotel closed in 1908, he retired to life as a gentleman farmer and raised prize-winning Morgan horses and Jersey cattle, while the farm also produced the choice Darling brand of cheeses and butter. At its zenith, the prosperous farm included Burke Mountain and extended over 7,000 acres. Its monumental barns and distinctive colonial yellow and white-trimmed farmhouses line Darling Hill Road. Darling studied architecture at M.I.T. and, with the assistance of Jardine, Kent and Jardine, designed his magnificent neo-Georgian residence, Burklyn Hall, built in 1905-1908 on a knoll astride the Burke/Lyndon town line. He was also a public-spirited citizen whose philanthropic generosity included the Colonial Revival style Burke Mountain Club, built in East Burke in 1919.