If a castle evokes images of long-gone kings and queens, you’d be forgiven for thinking such royalty roamed the rooms and halls of the French Renaissance-style castle outside the charming kingdom of Charlevoix.
While the fieldstone towers have loomed over the bucolic Northern Michigan countryside for more than a century, no kings or queens have held the throne here. In fact, the castle’s only true residents were of the four-legged kind.
The original structure was built to house cows -- a working dairy farm -- and to show the latest innovations from Sears, Roebuck and Co. In the succeeding decades, artists, musicians and others would reinvent the castle to reflect their passions. Would you believe Ted Nugent rocked the stage here?
Today, Castle Farms is an exclusive wedding venue, but also a museum, restored and transformed after being purchased by Linda Mueller and her late husband, Richard, early in this century.
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Castle FarmsAn outdoor miniature train garden was added by the Muellers.The grounds and buildings have been restored — some had to be replicated — and Castle Farms reopened to the public for guided tours in 2005. Since then, gardens have been replanted or added, along with other amenities, including a miniature railroad and a wine bistro (updated news on the bistro below).
To visit Castle Farms today is to walk through eras of history, from the early decades of the last century to the present. Stories from its past incarnations are as plentiful as lakes and rivers of Northern Michigan.
Innovative beginnings
The man who built the castle was Albert Loeb, acting president of Sears, Roebuck and Company, headquartered in Chicago. Loeb had an affinity for the architecture of Renaissance castles and the stone farms of Normandy, France. Built in 1918, the castle served not as a home but as a working model dairy farm, a venue to showcase the latest advances in farm equipment, all available through the Sears catalog, the Amazon of its day.
This dairy farm was big, part of an 1,800-acre tract that included a private home for the Loeb family (the home still exists and sits nearby but separate from the farm). Loeb Farms boasted the most modern milking machinery and was home to 200 head of Holstein-Friesian cows.
As you might have guessed, there was a star producer: Marion. She was milked six times a day and consistently set records in milk production. In one banner year, she produced 35,000 pounds of milk, well above the average 25,000 pounds. Marion made headlines that year -- 1922.
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Castle Farms The original farm was 1,800 acres and showcased the latest innovations in agriculture.
If you were a cow back then, Loeb Farms was the place to be. They lived a good life, housed in two wings — now known as the East and West Garden rooms, replicated by Mueller. They grazed in a courtyard between the wings and elsewhere on the farm. Instead of the normal whitewash, the barn walls were covered in tile lining and the floor was paved. The barns were hosed down regularly.
“The milking barns were so clean you could eat off the floor,” says Jessica Anderson, who is director of guest services at Castle Farms.
At its peak, Loeb Farms was the largest employer in the Charlevoix region, with more than 90 people among its daily workforces. The farm also boasted a semi-professional baseball team, the Sodbusters, who played on a field north of the barn complex.
Maybe a glimpse of the farm’s future as a romantic venue was unveiled all those years ago when the blacksmith fell in love with the farm cook. They were married and lived in a little house next to the blacksmith shop (now the 1918 Museum).
Unfortunately, the farm closed in 1927, a few years after Loeb’s death and a family scandal. One of Loeb’s sons, Richard Loeb, was convicted in 1924 of the kidnapping and murder of a 14-year-old boy in Chicago. The murder garnered national headlines. Lawyer Clarence Darrow represented the young Loeb and his crime partner in court just before the famed Scopes “Monkey” Trial.
Reimagined
John VanHaver, a Muskegon businessman, artist and sculptor, cast his artistic eye on the abandoned property decades later. He envisioned an artists’ mecca with a Renaissance theme.
VanHaver, who had a background in metallurgy and metal casting, purchased 100 acres of the original Loeb property in 1962, including the barns, office, blacksmith shop, and manager’s house, and renamed the site Castle VanHaver.
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Castle VanHaver opened to the public in 1966. Visitors could browse the art but also have a cup of coffee and snacks in the Queen’s Courtyard. On Sundays, VanHaver treated guests to his “magnificent tenor voice of Mario Lanza crooning the ‘Our Father’ and other spiritual hymns in radio broadcasts,” recalls Mueller in the book For the Love of a Castle II - The Romance Continues, which she co-authored with Kathleen Irene Paterka.
The artists’ mecca was short-lived. Financial difficulties forced VanHaven to sell the property in 1969.
“The community supported him,” Anderson says. “They bought his metal shields and displayed them downtown to support him. The town loved him.”
The sound of music
New owners Arthur and Erwina Reibel envisioned the farm as a riding academy when they purchased the property in 1969.
Those plans, however, were abandoned and the castle transformed into an outdoor concert venue. A 50-foot wide, covered concrete steel stage was constructed. Eventually, the two wings of The Castle (where the cows once lived) were removed to accommodate larger crowds and reserved seating.
Think about the music scene from the late 1970s to the early 1990s and just about any musician or band on the charts rocked the stage here. Bob Seger? Yep. And a roster that includes the Doobie Brothers, Heart, Def Leppard, KISS, Iron Maiden, REO Speedwagon, Tina Turner, Bob Dylan, and so many more.
The music has long faded, but stories linger. Aerosmith reportedly had a water fight in the artesian well in the Queen’s Courtyard. Bon Jovi carved his name in a stone in what was then the Green Room and now serves as a changing room for wedding couples. Willie Nelson’s bodyguard pulled a gun on the owner, with the singer demanding pay immediately. Ozzy Osbourne is remembered as a Dracula figurine in one of Mueller’s miniature collections.
Despite the stellar lineup, the venue faced its own challenges. With all the noise and traffic came community troubles. Castle Farms received a host of citations for health complaints, noise, litter, and other violations.
Following Reibel’s death in 1999, the music came to an end and the property was on the market — again.
A new romance
At the turn of the last century, with crumbling fieldstone walls and broken windows, Castle Farms was a shadow of its former, grander self. The farm had dwindled to 37 acres, and the barns and silos were roofless.
“When I bought the castle in 2001, my original purpose was to restore a national landmark back to usable condition. My plan was to do it in stages and take 10 years,” Linda Mueller recalls. “My husband, Richard, decided to speed things up, and the buildings were ready to use in 2005.”
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Initially, Mueller had no idea what she was going to do with the buildings.
“Eventually I figured out weddings and receptions were the most profitable. After that I continued to add indoor space for new purposes, like adding heat, air conditioning, and French doors to the East and West Wings for wedding receptions. I added a gift shop by the entrance, and a catering room in the back,” she says.
The extensive renovation was completed thanks to a team of local and state construction companies, architects, carpenters, and artisans. Mueller’s vision in maintaining the architectural integrity of the great Renaissance towers and original building techniques resulted in a world-class property of historical significance. The Loeb family even shared the original blueprints for the wings, enabling Mueller to replicate them.
Mueller also has amassed a vast collection of memorabilia and curios, many of the objects related in some way to the people and stories of the castle.
“I love the program ‘Roots.’ I am interested in where other people’s families came from too,” she says. “Often there are surprises [in the castle] that make the person take a new look at people and places and their identity.”
The 1918 Museum honors not only World War I but includes a collection of products Sears sold, complete with the original advertising. There’s a barrel-shaped washing machine for $7.95. A 1918 bicycle with wooden wheels—a luxury then—priced at $28.95. Her collection includes wedding cake toppers, not common in 1918 but something Sears eventually mass produced and helped popularize.
Today, the venue hosts about 150 weddings per year, plus other gatherings and special events. The updates and expansions have continued. More recently, a cluster of barns were revamped into Hungry Ducks Farm, a petting farm for children and families.
What’s next
Celebrating the farm’s centennial several years ago, Castle Farms unveiled its own private wine label and tasting room under the name 1918 Cellars.
That venue closed and now is being rebranded and moved to a much larger, more prominent location at the main entrance. The Castle Pub will bring “a new experience for both visitors and event guests,” Anderson says.
“With our new liquor license, we’re expanding beyond wine and cider to offer a full bar, featuring a selection of craft cocktails, beer, and spirits. Additionally, guests will be able to enjoy grab-and-go food options, making it a convenient stop for a quick bite or a relaxed drink before exploring the Castle,” she says.
The anticipated grand opening is in May. Meanwhile, The Castle Pub operates out of another space, the Queen’s Tavern, on Fridays and Saturdays, offering a preview of what’s to come.
Visit Castle Farms at 5052 M-66 in Charlevoix. Admission is $10 and includes a self-guided historical tour.