In 1853[dubious – discuss] purchased for £250 Karm al-Khalil (Arabic for "Abraham's Vineyard", lit.

"vineyard of the loved one", which in Hebrew became Kerem Avraham) a barren piece of land outside the walls of the Old City.

In 1855, he employed Jewish labourers to build a home for himself there, now located in Jerusalem's Geula neighborhood.

Finn also helped establish an experimental farm for poverty-stricken Jews from Jerusalem in the village of Artas outside Bethlehem.

His insolvency and clashes with Samuel Gobat, the Protestant Bishop of Jerusalem, also contributed to his removal.