Leelanau County’s iconic Bicentennial Barn gets enthusiastic new owners with local roots
Fords to rename it “North Unity Farm” in homage to community heritage
Photo courtesy of LVR Realty
By Jacob Wheeler
Sun editor
When Greg and Heather Ford remodel their 1890s farmhouse and “Bicentennial” Barn on M-22 and Bohemian Road, about 7.5 miles east of Glen Arbor, they’ll pay homage to her family roots. The Nachazels, her forefathers, immigrated in the 1850s from Bohemia to the Good Harbor Bay region of Leelanau County—by way of New York and Chicago—and together with other settlers established a village they called North Unity, to reflect goodwill between Bohemian and German immigrants.
The Fords purchased the iconic bicentennial barn on February 18. The 4-acre property includes the 4-bedroom, 1-bathroom farmhouse, the post and bean barn which was painted as the official National State Commemorative Bi-Centennial Landmark in 1976—and restored in 2006—the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail in their front yard as it runs along M-22, and Bohemian Road beach a mile away.
The barn and farmhouse are one of 90 inholding properties within the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, which means they can be privately owned but not significantly altered or used for certain commercial purposes. A farmstand would be allowed, so long as the produce for sale is grown on the property; commercial weddings or short-term rentals would not be allowed, according to National Lakeshore deputy superintendent Tom Ulrich. “The Park’s intent is not do anything to those inholdings that would diminish their ability to preserve resources and visitor enjoyment,” added Ulrich. “The intent is to keep (the property) the way it is. You can’t tear the house down and build something that’s twice the footprint.”
“We’re gonna put our love and soul into this place. We’re gonna make this place pop,” said Greg, a Kansas City native who met Heather while they were in the Air Force stationed in Japan shortly after the 2011 tsunami. They moved back stateside in 2013 and have since lived in Colorado Springs and Seattle. Greg works in the tech sector; Heather is a clinical social worker. The Fords, both in their late 30s, have two children, Jacqueline, 6, and Christian, 8 and have vacationed in northern Michigan each summer for the past 8 years.
As the family tired of urban life on the west coast—particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown—they began looking for property to buy in Leelanau County. Even better if they could settle near where Heather’s ancestors homesteaded. Heather grew up on the east side of Traverse City, graduated from TC Central High School, and went to Michigan State University before joining the Air Force. Nachazel Road, named for her family, is 2 miles away from the bicentennial barn. She has ancestors buried at St Joseph cemetery on Bohemian Road.
While scrolling through Realtor.com four months ago, they found a listing for the farm, priced at $335,000. “We thought this was perfect,” said Greg. “It’s near the family homestead, near one of the best beaches in the County, surrounded by woods, and easy access to the Heritage Trail. We didn’t even know yet about the ties to North Unity.”
They called Ranae Ihme, the listing agent with LVR Realty, but learned the farm was already under contract with another buyer. Months passed. The Fords felt disheartened, but moved onto other opportunities. Then six weeks ago, the very day they were driving to Glen Arbor to rent a home and kick their search into the next gear, the bicentennial barn reappeared on Realtor.com. The previous deal had fallen through. The property was back on the market, with an updated listing that described it as “not considered mortgageable.” Greg and Heather pounced. They made an offer, it was accepted, and they got the keys on Thursday morning.
[Tom Ulrich told the Sun that Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore has also appraised the property and made a couple offers in recent years to purchase the bicentennial barn. But in a strong real estate market, the sellers usually command a higher price than the National Park can pay.]
“The kids are excited. I don’t know if they believe it’s true. It’s surreal at this moment,” said Greg. “This is a storied property for the area, for the county, and for my wife’s family.”
The farmhouse is in decent shape, with a solid foundation and new windows. The house will take priority before any restoration work on the barn. The family doesn’t yet have a timeline for their home project, but their goal is to be settled and have the kids enrolled at school by the fall of 2021. They plan to make the property their permanent home, plant a huge garden, and rename it “North Unity Farm”. At some point local artist Greg Nachazel, Heather’s uncle, who was married at St Joseph church, will be in charge of repainting the barn, and perhaps creating a motif that celebrates the Bohemian village that once stood there.
“We’re excited to be part of the community here,” said Heather. “Every time I visit the property, I notice something new that I hadn’t seen before. There’s a giant flagpole … There’s a horsebarn …”
The Fords recently picked up a copy of Good Harbor native Norbert Bufka’s independently published North Unity and Bohemian Settlement at Glen Arbor’s Cottage Bookshop to learn about the history of their property, once a bustling village for hardworking farmers and immigrants.
“There’s a lot of history with this property,” said Greg. “The Shalda family ran a general store near here. The second floor was where they held polka dances. I can imagine Heather’s forefathers dancing there together.”
“We’re gonna revive this farmhouse to its original glory. Hopefully people will stop as they walk the Heritage Trail and wave hello.”
Shalda Barn becomes the Bicentennial Barn in 1970s
As reported in the Glen Arbor Sun in June 2005
A press release sent to news media in 1975 by Noble D. Travis, Chairman of the Leelanau County Bicentennial Commission, explained the original project: “The Commissioners enthusiastically endorsed the presentation of “Shalda Barn ‘76” (which is the painting of a full-size barn with heroic murals) by Arlen and Sally Ramsay of The Leland Gallery. The Ramsays’ proposal had six specific points that contributed to its endorsement. First, it involved many people from all parts of the County. Second, it would be a lasting patriotic landmark. Third, it would be supported at little or no cost to the Commission by people who will share their resources with us. Fourth, the real benefactors would be the young people who actually make it happen. Fifth, it has the earmarks of being one of the state’s most outstanding tributes to our forefathers and the ideals of most Americans. Sixth, the condition of the barn and its location, on M-22 at County Road 669 in Cleveland Township, were perfect.”
With the approval of then-owner Mrs. Lewis Shalda, a huge community effort followed, but the project was carried out primarily by teams of art students from each of the county’s public schools under the direction of their art teachers. Mr. Ramsay’s original design featured “two wind-blown flags, a historical map of the County, a portrait of George Washington; the south end of the barn shows the pioneer spirit of sharing the historic bounty of “The Little Finger,” and the today spirit of winter’s fun and summers blessing. He has integrated the silo into the design by painting it as a clump of trees, some with maple syrup buckets, and others with burnished red leaves that camouflage the red silo roof.”
Three decades of sun and storm wore the burnish off the barn. The red-roofed silo blew down in the big wind of July 1987 and was replaced with the unpainted concrete one. But the structure of the barn itself remained excellent. In the 2000s, Jeff Reinhardt of Northport, “the barn guy,” completed an inspection and recommended improvements. The doors, stairs, and some floorboards needed work, but the foundation and all mortise and tenon joints were great. And the roof was in good shape. In 2005, then owner Susan Shields prepared the bicentennial barn for a facelift. She and local painter Dennis Gerathy hatched a plan to restore it, and they sought out volunteers to help.
The barn was why Shields bought the property. A history and literature student from the University of Michigan, Shields was married in 1976 and honeymooned in Leelanau County. Through the years she frequently camped with her children at DH Day campground during the summer, and after her father’s death in 2000 Susan returned to “The County” to heal and rest. Father Bill told her one day as she cleaned the rectory in Empire that the property was for sale. “I bought it with hardly a glance at the farmhouse or the two cottages on Bass Lake that go with it,” she recalls. Of course it all needed work, and improvements to the house continue apace.
Shields’ plan for restoration of the barn included a design contest proposed for the north wall. The names of the 1976 painters were no longer decipherable, so Shields hoped students would compete to create overlapping images about the future of Leelanau County. The east wall would remain the same, with George Washington and the flag restored. The south wall would retain its historical focus and include a combination of images, one showing the area’s settlement by Bohemians, and another picture representing the original Native Odawa/Ojibwe presence that the Tribe promised to contribute. “The west wall will be images of the present in the county, sort of a you-are-here kind of thing,” Shields explained, “dunes, water, cherries, lighthouses, bears, those kinds of motifs.”
And Shields had another creative idea: how about the silo as a spaceship? “We have an astronaut living in Suttons Bay, and many other scientists and authors who have made contributions to our culture live here,” Susan mused. “Perhaps we could find a way on the silo to celebrate the people we have ‘sent up’ to the world.” Ultimately the plan was to juxtapose the past, present and future of Leelanau County on the barn’s facades.
North Unity at Shalda’s Corners
Excerpted from an historical narrative by Jean & Phi Ropp, circa 2002
In October of 1854, Joseph Shalda and a band of his relatives and neighbors left the political and religious oppression of Ondrejov, Bohemia for the promise of America. After entering the country through New York City, they moved across the nation and spent the winter in … Chicago. Encouraged by word of homestead opportunities in Michigan, several families contributed $5 each and, in the summer of 1855, sent Mr. Shalda to scout out the possibilities. Struck by this area’s resemblance to the land they had left in Europe, he chose Good Harbor in what would become Leelanau County.
According to the historical marker next to the Cleveland Township Hall, the Shalda, Krubner and Svoboda families established themselves on this corner on November 1, 1855. Shalda family tradition holds that the earliest part of our house was standing by 1860 and was the first permanent structure erected by Joseph Shalda in the United States. Joseph Shalda, son of the original Joseph Shalda, moved this building from the southeast corner of the intersection to its current location on the northwest corner, and built the additions that brought the house into its present configuration after his father’s death in 1893.
The earliest photograph we have of the house is from 1913, and this process had been long accomplished by then. Joseph’s son, Louis, would go on to raise his family in this, the house that he had been born in. During Louis’s time, the old wooden wrap around porch was removed and replaced with an enclosed porch on the east side and a concrete slab on the south side. A two car, attached garage was added to the west side. Louis Shalda died in 1970, and the building remains structurally unchanged since this time.
Over the years, the Shalda family came to own all of the land around the “four corners” at the junction of West Harbor Highway (M-22) and Bohemian Rd.(CR669). Shalda’s Store was a fixture here from the earliest days until it was finally removed by the NPS in 1978. The exact year of its origin is uncertain, but the most likely scenario under which the Shaldas would have begun a store would have been when the store at North Unity, two miles to the northwest, closed in the early to mid 1860’s. Joseph Shalda had been a merchant in Bohemia, a general store was a necessity to an isolated farm community, and the logical progression is obvious. Local lore claims that the original store was on the northeast corner, but this doesn’t square with the early county plats. The only location that works logistically is on Joseph Shalda’s property on the southeast corner, between his residence and the corner.
The first store on the southwest corner was built by Joseph Shalda the younger and his brother, Anthony, during the 1880’s. This was the deluxe Shalda store, complete with dance hall and ice house, and it is during this time that this location became known as “Shalda’s Corners.” In 1896, the US Postal Service finally got around to moving the post office from the long defunct village of North Unity, and Joseph Shalda became Postmaster. With the Post Office came the name “North Unity” and the confusion with Shalda’s Corners as the site of the original village.
The settlers that came here in 1855 came in two waves. The first group up from Chicago, comprised mostly of German families and a few Bohemians, probably the “advance guard” for the Shalda party, arrived in August. Carson Burfiend, a German who was making his living fishing Good Harbor Bay, warned the new arrivals of Mormon raiding parties from the James Strang cult on Beaver Island. The German leaders of the group responded by choosing the site for their village based on its strategic location. Nestled in the bottomland behind Pyramid Point, a 450 foot high sand bluff, with the only other access from the lakeshore through over a mile of swamp land, North Unity was easily defensible. By the time the Shalda party arrived in October, the Germans had organized a town council and a police department, complete with a captain, lieutenant and sergeant, and regular patrols on the lookout for Mormons …
Joseph Shalda, apparently undaunted by the tales of piracy, proceeded straight south for a mile through high ground and prepared to winter just across the trail that would one day be M- 22. This was the spot that he’d picked for his house, and the nearest land office was 70 miles away. Mr. Shalda would remain here until his death in 1893. The Shaldas, the Svobodas and the Krubners (at least) wintered here the first year. Many of the Bohemian families did spend the winter at North Unity in a 120 foot by 50 foot shed that the Germans had constructed to house families that couldn’t get their own shelter together before winter.
The name “North Unity” was chosen to signify the spirit of cooperation between the Bohemians and the Germans that was necessary to survive that first winter. In Europe, the oppression that had driven the Bohemians out of their homeland was at the hands of the German speaking Austrians. Their respective peoples had been at war for over three hundred years. Grasping the true meaning of America, they buried their differences, pooled their resources and became one people united for the good of all.
When spring came in 1855, the Bohemian families began to gravitate to the area where the Shaldas and the others were, and the Bohemian Settlement began to take shape. The German families gravitated towards what would become Port Onieda. The two communities redrew themselves according to their ethnic and religious differences. The Germans built a Lutheran Church at Port Onieda that is gone now, the Bohemians the little white Catholic Church up the road that is the pride of the community to this day. Neither community ever forgot the lessons of that first winter, and many lasting friendships were maintained for generations between German and Bohemian families.
Some of the German and a few Bohemian families stuck it out for several years at North Unity, but by the early 1860’s the “town” had dwindled to two families, one Bohemian and one German, and the store was on the verge of bankruptcy. When the store did close, North Unity essentially ceased to exist, and the antecedent of Shalda’s Corners, the first store, emerged as the social and cultural center of the Bohemian Settlement, second in importance only to the church. The name “North Unity” came to this corner with the Post Office a generation later. From the beginning, North Unity and the Bohemian Settlement were two separate entities.
Over the years, Joseph Shalda assumed Anthony Shalda’s interest in the store, and then sold his interest to his older brother, Frank, in 1910. Joseph Krubner, who was 9 years old when he arrived in 1855, wrote this description of this community in about 1909:
“In our Bohemian settlement are 32 families, we have four schools and a Catholic Church. Most of our people are subscribers to both English and Bohemian (Czech) newspapers. During the summers we have lots of visitors, as our country is really beautiful. Even our postmaster is a Czech, his name is Joseph Shalda. He is the owner of the general merchandise store where for our use is even the telephone.”
Shortly after Frank bought the store, it was destroyed by fire and was replaced with the familiar cement block building that would stand until 1978. The children of both Frank and Joe Shalda worked in the store during the busy summer months while their fathers worked their farms. By the 1930’s, Frank’s son, George, owned the store, and lived with his wife, Polly, and their children in a house on the northeast corner. Joseph’s son, Louis, now owned the family farm on the northwest corner, where he lived with his wife, Louise, and their two children, Dale and Kenneth.
During the mid 1930’s, Louis built two cottages in the woods across from Bass Lake, some 700 feet to the west of the house. The original reason for the cottages was to provide housing for family and friends when they visited in the summertime. When M-22 was being paved in 1937, the Shaldas rented one of the cottages to a Mr. and Mrs. Monimus, an African American couple from Detroit (and a novelty in 1930’s Leelanau County!). While Mr. Monimus worked on the paving project, Mrs. Monimus took a shine to five year old Dale Shalda and spent the summer stuffing him full of pudding.
Renting the cottage was a positive experience for the Shaldas, and, reasoning correctly that the new road would bring an increase in summer tourist traffic, the decision was made to open the cottages to the public as “Bass Lake Cottages.” Though their first real year of operation was 1938, the Shaldas always considered Mr. and Mrs. Monimus their first paying guests and dated the origin of Bass Lake Cottages to their stay in 1937.
For the next 30 years, George and Polly Shalda ran the store while Lou and Louise Shalda farmed and operated Bass Lake Cottages across the road. We still have guests that remember coming up from Bass Lake and standing in wet swimsuits to buy penny candies and comic books and take a good natured teasing from George. Louie and Louise were generous and easygoing innkeepers, and thought of and treated their “summer people” as friends rather than customers. Their time here is remembered as the “golden age” of Shalda’s Corners, and rightfully so.
Times change. George sold the store in 1967, and Louie became ill with terminal cancer in 1968. Dale Shalda, along with his wife, Lois, moved back home to help out, and took up residency in what is now the “Lodge” at Bass Lake Cottages. After Louie’s death, Dale assumed ownership of the Lodge, while Louise Shalda continued to own the two others. He added a pole barn to the garage and opened a body shop on the property, while Lois and Louise ran the two remaining cottages.
