Glen Arbor, Leelanau County
Museum
Port Oneida Farms Heritage Center
The farms of the Port Oneida area are typical of the turn of the century farms throughout the Midwest. It is rare, however, to find such a large collection of older farms that are free from modern development. The district is historically significant because it conveys the land use practices, architecture and evolution of agricultural technology common to subsistence farms of the upper Great Lakes region. Port Oneida was farmed for over 100 years; the houses and fields passed down from generation to generation.
This is the newest farm in Port Oneida. The parcel of land was purchased from Fred Dechow in 1915. He had owned the land since 1857. The house and barn were built in 1918 by Paul Popa. The house was the most modern and the first to eventually have indoor plumbing. Water was pumped by hand into a tank in the attic to provide the pressure for the system.
Frederick and Fredericka Dechow purchased the farm and built a log cabin in 1857. Sons John and Charles built the barn around 1890. This farm has some of the best soil in Port Oneida which explains why it was one of the most productive farms. Grandson Fred built the new house about 1910 which was a showplace of modern style. A few years later, he was able to buy the neighboring farm from the Behrens just to the east of his original farm and add it to his land. The house and other buildings were removed, but the barn remains in the field to the east of the main Dechow buildings.
The Kelderhouse farm is located next to the Kelderhouse/Port Oneida Cemetery on the east side of Port Oneida Road across the road from the Port Oneida School. The parcel of land was owned by descendants of Thomas Kelderhouse from 1863 until its acquisition by the National Park Service in 1970. A log cabin, was built by his son, William, around the late 1880’s. Prior to construction, this site may have been the location of the Kelderhouse sawmill. It is near the setting of the former Evangelical Lutheran church and the Port Oneida School and Community Club. The Kelderhouse Port Oneida Cemetery is located at the corner of M-22 and Port Oneida Road. Many of the pioneers of the area are buried here.
The Port Oneida School is located on Port Oneida Road just north of M-22. It is owned and maintained by the Glen Lake Community School District. Elementary students learn about local history and education methods when they visit the school. Older students help in the preservation of the building.
The John Burfiend Farm is located at the corner of Port Oneida Road and Miller Road. The barn is owned by the Park Service, but the house is privately owned. Several Port Oneida families have owned this farm over the years. The farmhouse was once located near the Port Oneida dock and moved to the farm by John Schmidt many years ago.
The Miller barn is located at the end of Miller Road, which intersects with Port Oneida Road just north of M-22. There are no other buildings at this site, but if you walk around the area, you will see some of the trees that used to be part of the landscaping in the yard. You might even find a piece of old machinery.
The Barratt Pig Barn is located in a field east of Port Oneida Road about 1 mile north of M-22. It was built by Fred Baker and his son-in-law, Jack Barratt in the late 1940’s and is constructed of black walnut timbers from the Kelderhouse residence that was located at the original Port Oneida townsite. The former townsite and residence were located directly west of the barn, and are marked by a large clump of lilacs.
The Carsten Burfiend farm is on both sides of the Port Oneida Road about 1 mile north of M-22. The house, garage, and other out-buildings are on the west side of the road on the bluff overlooking Lake Michigan. The foundation of the barn, silo, and milkhouse as well as the corn crib, machine shed, and old machinery is on the east side of the road. Notice that the houses face the Lake Michigan bluff and have their backs toward Port Oneida Road. That is because the original Port Oneida Road ran along the bluff on the other side of the houses.
The Martin Basch Farm is located on Baker Road about 0.5 miles north of Kelderhouse Road. The shed and corncrib have recently been restored. Martin Basch, a former German soldier and political prisoner, arrived on North Manitou Island with his wife in 1868. They left several children in Germany and had two children while on the island, Anna (or Ella) and Martin. Basch’s brother, Nicholas, had already immigrated to the United States in 1859.
The Eckerdt Farm is located at the corner of Kelderhouse Road and Basch Road. Henry and Catherine Eckerdt immigrated from Bohemia to the U.S. between 1850 and 1855, arriving in Michigan in 1857. In 1862, the Eckherts purchased and settled on their farm in Port Oneida. Their original log cabin is now owned by the A.I.R. Foundation and has been moved from its original location near the farm. Mr. Eckerdt was listed as a farmer as early as 1860 on the manuscript schedules for the federal population census. Henry’s brother, George was married to Catherine’s sister Mary, and they farmed on Baker Road just northwest of this farm. There are no buildings remaining at George’s farm. Catherine served Port Oneida and the surrounding area as a midwife.
The Ole Olsen Farm is located at the end of Kelderhouse Road down a long driveway. Take a drive down to the Ole Olsen Farmstead and walk around the buildings and think about what life would be like living and working here. The original owner of 80 acres of this parcel was Andrew Tuffner, who sold it to Thomas Kelderhouse on 19 September 1865. Kelderhouse sold it to Ole Olsen on 24 January 1877. Mr. Olsen then sold the property to Carsten Burfiend in 1879, and bought it back two years later.
The Schmidt Farm is located on a hill on the east side of Basch Road. The buildings overlook an open field and orchard. Forty acres of this property were first settled in 1861 by a German immigrant named George Hessell, who arrived in the United States from Hanover, Germany in the late 1850s or early 1860s. By 1880, he had sold the land to George and Flora Schmidt, who were from Prussia. They built the farm, which was devoted to general agriculture, cultivating a vineyard, and raising cattle. Some traces of their apple orchards remain. The original house burned shortly after construction (1890’s). The Schmidts then lived in their barn while the present house was being built. A large barn and granary have either burned or been removed.
The Weaver Farm is located on Basch Road on top of the bluff overlooking the lowlands to the north and Lake Michigan. The house is weathered and is falling down. For your safety do not enter the building. You can see the house from the road. This parcel was first owned by Jacob Mantz, who purchased it in the early 1860’s. He later sold it to Harrison and Almeda Weaver in the 1880’s. The house dates to the early 1890’s. According to Milton Basch, Albert Prause built the house, and at one time Frank Prause farmed the land.
The Peter Burfiend Farm is located on the west side of Basch Road just north of M-22. The early history of this farm can be traced to Joseph Brunson, who settled on the site in the 1860’s. Eighty acres of the farm were then purchased by Peter and Jenette (Jenny) Burfiend from August Kemener on 31 August 1882. Three years later, the Burfiends bought the remaining land from the Kelderhouse estate on 15 July 1885.
This parcel of land was bought by Thomas Kelderhouse in 1861. After his death in 1884, his son, James, inherited the property and in 1889, deeded 40 acres to George and Louisa Burfiend Lawr. Louisa was the daughter of Port Oneida pioneer Carsten Burfiend. They purchased the adjacent 80 acres and built this farm in the 1890s. George Lawr was the son of a Scotsman and his mother was from New York. George came to the U.S. from Canada in 1871. He and his wife farmed there until 1945. Since that time, the farm has had several owners including the Curriers and Chapmans.
The North Unity School is located on the north side of M-22 just west of Narada lake. The view from the school is a panoramic view of the lake. The beavers have been busy cutting down trees (some more than a foot in diameter). There is no entrance to the school property, so you have to park on M-22 and walk in.
The Werner Farm is located on M-22 near the intersection with Thoreson Road. This farm is also close to the trailhead of the Bay View trail. This 204-acre parcel of land was claimed by Fredrick and Margaretta Werner, who arrived from Germany on 18 September 1855. The Werners, who were related to Elizabeth Burfiend, were the second family to move to the Pyramid Point area. Their farm dates to the late 1850’s or early 1860’s. In 1885, the Werner’s son and daughter-in-law, Richard and Katie (Portner) Werner, were farming at this site.
The Brunson Barn is on Thoreson Road about one mile west of M-22 where Thorson Road turns south. This structure is all that remains of the Joseph and Margaret Brunson farm. Mrs. Brunson was the daughter of Thomas Kelderhouse. The gambrel roofed barn is sited in a small field with a gentle wooded slope that rises to the north.
The Thoreson Farm is located on the west side of Thoreson Road about 2 miles from M-22. This parcel of land had two early owners, William Foster and John Hartel. Both men sold their land to Thomas Kelderhouse, who owned it until 1881. The 1891 plat map reveals three owners: Fred and John Anderson, and Lisbet Johnson. All three parcels were bought by John Thoreson in the late 1890’s.