“I know this place.” Stones buy iconic Bicentennial Farm
Photo courtesy of LVR Realty
From staff reports
Tamara and Scott Stone
Scott Stone, a woodworker and retired metallurgist from Ferndale, Michigan, was at Cavanaugh’s grocery at The Homestead resort in August waiting for his pizza when he picked up a copy of our Aug. 22 edition of the Glen Arbor Sun, flipped to page 2, and read a story about the iconic bicentennial barn property at the corner of M-22 and Bohemian Road being for sale again.
The 1890s farmhouse and barn on a 4-acre property in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore was purchased in February 2021 by Greg and Heather (Nachazel) Ford, who over the last three and a half years “have been pouring their love into the farmhouse and have dealt with the structure, roof, and windows—all the unromantic things,” said Ranae Ihme of Leelanau Vacation Realty, which initially listed the property for $665,000.
“I know this place,” from biking by it on the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail, Scott told himself.
Fast forward to Oct. 17, when Scott and his wife Tamara bought the bicentennial farm from the Fords, who are moving out of state. The Stones have vacationed in the Glen Arbor area for 23 summers, they love the National Park, the vibe here, the sense of community, and proximity to Lake Michigan. For the past year they’ve been casually looking for a place to buy.
“We are so excited, I can’t even tell you,” said Tamara. “Everything just came into place. All roads pointed to go.”
Since 2021 the Fords had reinforced the foundation of the farmhouse as well as the septic, roof and doors and finished the floors with Lake Ann hardwood. They also added a screened-in porch. What was originally 7 bedrooms and 1 bath in a 2,000-square-foot space now features 4 bedrooms and 2.5 baths with 2,600 square feet. The property sits a short walk from Shalda Creek and Bohemian Road’s Lake Michigan beach.
The Stones plan to pick up where the Fords left off, hire an architect and general contractor, renovate the farmhouse to live in it, scrape and repaint the big barn and replace its doors, and turn the one-car garage currently used for storage into an art studio. “We’re gonna make the place so good,” he said. “I’ll have a kick-ass garden, too, with full sun for growing tomatoes.”
Scott plans to use his woodworking, metallurgist and engineering skills. Tamara, an interior designer in the metro Detroit region, will put her talents to work, too. “It will be fun to pick out materials for the farmhouse, like we do for our clients,” she said.
Eventually, they’ll sell their house in Ferndale, which itself is an historic house built in 1919.
