Save the Poor Farm Barn, a project of Leelanau Co. Historic Preservaton Soc

06/07/2026

06/01/2026

"Through the ample open door of the peaceful country barn,
A sunlit pasture field with cattle and horses feeding,
And haze and vista, and the far horizon fading away."

Happy Birthday to Walt Whitman, born 5/31/1819

05/29/2026

The good people of Fortified Coatings have finished the repainting of the barn. After they patched the bird holes in the board and batten siding, they scraped away the old paint. Ladder work and boom lift work is not for the faint of heart. A fresh coat of white paint has really spruced the old place up. We look forward to offering opportunities to tour the barn in June and our first musical picnic of the summer on July 1. Please plan to join us!

05/25/2026

Electricians from 45th Power and Property have been hard at work installing electric service back to the Poor Farm Barn. The old k**b and tube is gone, and adequate lighting and outlets are ready to go. More progress!

05/04/2026

In late April two groups of 8th-graders from Glen Lake Community Schools enjoyed guided tours of the Poor Farm Barn. The event, organized by insructors Melissa Okerlund and Kira Vasquez, was part of a larger excursion for the students. Spring has finally arrived!

04/07/2026

We hope to see you at the Barn this summer. Keep an eye on our website (lchp.org) for details about our upcoming events.

03/30/2026

Leelanau County Poor Farm Manager, Fred Lewis and Helpers in the 1920’s. Loose hay was cut and collected in the fields, piled on a horse-drawn wagon and stacked in the Poor Farm Barn’s two bays as loose hay. The Poor Farm Residence is visible in the distance below. The barn is also visible at the far right of the picture. Click here to watch the documentary: https://vimeo.com/904589287/1af797215e?fl=ip&fe=ec

03/23/2026

Moving snow at the Leelanau County Poor Farm:

Manager (Keeper), Charles Coleman using the horse team to pull a home-made V-shaped Snow Plow. Circa: early 1950s.

03/15/2026

Posing on the porch of the County Poor Farm’s residence are Manager Willian A. Craker, Matron Carrie A. Craker, and their son Clifford, circa 1918. William Craker’s Diary from 1919 plays a prominent role in the documentary, Saving the Barn.
Check out our 30 minute documentary at this site:
https://vimeo.com/904589287/1af797215e?fl=ip&fe=ec

11/04/2025

Please join us Thursday, November 6 for a screening of "Saving the Barn" at the Glen Lake Community Library in Empire. This documentary explores the controversy over the planned demolition of the only remaining structure of Leelanau County’s historic Poor Farm. While the Leelanau County Commission made plans to demolish the Poor Farm Barn, a small group of local historians and community activists rallied county residents and supporters to save this unique structure – built by hand in 1911. Stabilized and restored, the Poor Farm Barn is a community treasure and an artifact from a time when the local community was the only social safety net for people who could not care for themselves.

This documentary was premiered at the Bay Theater in Suttons Bay and broadcast on the Michigan Public Television Network by CMU Public TV in 2024.

Discussion Follows: Writer and filmmaker, Joe VanderMeulen will be on hand along with Board Members of the Leelanau County Historic Preservation Society for a short follow-up discussion on the present and future of the Leelanau County Poor Farm Barn.