博物馆 Castle Farms

The Story of Castle Farms

The Castle Farms barn complex was originally part of a 1600-acre farm built by Albert & Anna Loeb in 1918. During WWI, Mr. Loeb was the acting President of Sears, Roebuck & Co. His dream was to build a model farm to raise prize-winning livestock using the newest farm equipment sold through the Sears and Roebuck catalog.

Architect Arthur Heun, who had built Loeb’s home in Chicago, was hired to design the buildings based on the stone barns and French chateaus of Normandy. Local fieldstone was used as the main building material and 35 masons were employed, supporting the local economy when many people were leaving to work in factories during WWI. Opened to the public and employing 90 people, visitors could buy cheese and ice cream, watch the local baseball team play, or see the livestock and latest farming inventions. After Mr. Loeb’s death in 1924, his son Ernest ran the farm, but by 1927 the country was in the midst of an agricultural depression and the farm was no longer profitable. Loeb Farms was closed, and the livestock were sold.

In the mid-1960s, the barns were sold to John VanHaver and converted into a foundry for cast aluminum art objects. Visitors were charged admission to the property, now named Castle VanHaver.

The venture was unsuccessful and the property was sold to Arthur & Erwina Reibel in 1969. The Reibels’ plan was to turn the property, now called Castle Farms, into an art center with artist studio, a theater, and a tavern with balladeers and waitresses in medieval dress. Later, a stage and twenty-foot grass covered hill were added for rock concerts.

Although this enterprise made money, it upset the community because of the noise, traffic congestion, and rowdy people who flooded Charlevoix on concert days. Performing acts who ‘rocked the Castle’ included performers from Crosby Stills Nash & Young, Bob Dylan, Duran Duran and INXS to other timeless acts such as Ratt, Blue Oyster Cult and Flock of Seagulls. In the 1990s, ‘Loeb Farms Barn Complex’ was selected for inclusion in the National Historic Register. In 1999, Mr. Reibel died, and Castle Farms was sold.

In 2001, Linda Mueller purchased the Castle. She restored the buildings and opened the property to public use for weddings, community events, corporate meetings, antique and art shows, tours and fundraisers. Castle Farms was recognized with a 2006 Governor’s Award for Historic Preservation as one of our state’s most unique architectural treasures.

By: Linda Meuller, 2014