The Family Behind the Foxglove Farm

A farming dream reimagined in Leelanau County

By Hannah Cumler | April 6, 2024

To really understand The Foxglove Farm, you have to know the folks behind it.

It all starts with the Barnes Family. (Well, it really starts in the 1800s, but we’ll get to that later.) For now, let’s begin in 2020, a year most of us would surely like to forget. But for the Barnes family, the year holds a fond memory: stumbling across a beautiful farm for sale in Suttons Bay.

Glenn and Patty Barnes, originally from downstate, relocated Up North to fulfill their lifelong goal of owning and operating a farm. Glenn comes from a farming family, and some of his earliest memories were plucking veggies in his grandfather’s garden. Although Glenn pursued an insurance career, he says he’s always had an insatiable itch to learn how to farm.

The couple, who both love to garden, were searching for a farm they could turn into a U-pick operation and install an antique greenhouse they’ve had in their family. With that in mind, Glenn and Patty’s daughter, Kelsey, was scrolling real estate listings online and stumbled across a property that caught her eye.

Just north of downtown Suttons Bay, tucked away from M-22 down a long and winding road, sat a beautiful barn nestled in the trees on over 100 acres of land. The entrance to the farm is unassuming, but don’t let it fool you—the half-mile journey to the barn is what bucolic dreams are made of. Around every turn, are sprawling fields, dense forests, cherry orchards, and flower fields, all working together to build anticipation for the barn that waits at the end.

Standing just as tall as the trees surrounding it, the 130-year-old stone and timber barn is situated halfway down a hill, a short walk away from the farm’s overlook, which reveals stunning views of West Grand Traverse Bay and the tip of Old Mission Peninsula.

It didn’t take long to realize how special the property was. “There’s no question, that same feeling overcame all of us which is why it prompted us to say, ‘Wow, okay this was more than we anticipated,’ but that feeling you can’t replace,” recalls Patty.

By 2021, the Barnes family purchased what would soon be called The Foxglove Farm, named for their favorite flower.

A Long History

Long before Glenn and Patty took over, the property had been owned by the Southwells, a farming family with deep roots in northern Michigan.

“The Southwells had maintained, from what they could tell, that this barn was built by one of their forefathers six generations prior,” says Glenn.

The farm operated as a fruit farm for generations, and the barn dates back to the late 1800s. “We think 1890-ish. We’ve tried to find some more documentation and specific records, but there really aren’t any, and that’s what’s kind of neat about this barn,” says Glenn. “Very few people really knew that it was even here because it’s just so isolated.”

After purchasing the property, the first order of business was to restore the barn. Although their original goal centered around farming, the Barneses realized they wanted to restore the barn and create a space others could enjoy. They had hopes of hosting weddings and other special events, and the barn was a pivotal piece for creating that vision.

A Barn Raising

When Glenn began his search for an expert carpenter, he knew he needed someone who had experience working on historic barns, so he used the Michigan Barn Preservation Network to look for a qualified candidate. He found the name of a local carpenter, Barry Jones, who was a member of the network.

Glenn called up a friend who had worked on his house to see if he knew Jones. “I called him and said, ‘Hey, I got this name of this guy from the barn preservation network, his name is Barry Jones. Do you happen to know him?’” Glenn was surprised when the man began to laugh. “I’m standing next to him right now!”

Jones was brought on to lead the barn restoration project. “It was pretty magical,” he says about seeing the barn for the first time. “Usually from the outside, they’re not in as good of shape as this one…it was kind of awe-inspiring, really, just to be able to get a chance to work on this.”

Jones believes the barn was built by an expert craftsman. He points to examples such as a strong foundation, meticulous stonework, and board and batten siding, with beveled battens at that. He says most barns from the same period don’t usually have the level of artistry or thoughtfulness.

Admiring the beauty from the outside was one thing, but Jones had his work cut out for him when it came to the interior. There was a lot to be done, but making sure the building was structurally sound was the top priority. “When the center of the barn settles over time, and when a barn is that old, it only has to settle maybe a 64th of an inch a year, but over 100 plus years, that’s a lot,” says Jones.

Jones needed to raise the center of the barn, but in doing so, he also had to be wary of the impact on the barn’s end walls. He says he had cables pulling the barn together, all while the center of the barn was being raised.

“That part was pretty challenging,” Jones says with a smile. “I don’t lose sleep at night usually on projects anymore…but I think there were a couple of times I’d wake up thinking, ‘Okay, tomorrow we’re going to hopefully get that straightened up, and maybe today’s the day.’”

Jones says there was a deep sigh of relief when it all came together as planned. Like any renovation, it took time—Glenn says the barn was a two-and-a-half-year project that went over budget—but now they’re all able to take a step back and enjoy the fruits of their labor.

A Modern Touch

Jones and the Barnes family now sit for this interview in a fully completed bridal suite on the barn’s lower level. The design of the barn’s new spaces can be credited to Kelsey and her friend/co-designer Elijah Nykamp (also known for his Suttons Bay boutique, nykamping).

The barn’s three levels are thoughtfully laid out, and although new elements have been introduced, the design still feels authentic to the barn itself.

“I think it came down to a lot of wanting to keep the beauty of what the barn already was and allow it to shine in its most beautiful way. So keeping all of the old textures that were there and bringing in anything new that just helped showcase those things,” explains Kelsey.

That vision is realized in design choices such as keeping the original stone foundation as outer walls and adding windows to the barn’s main level to show off the original floors with more natural light.

The lofted lounge with comfortable seating provides an overlook to the exposed beams that arch above the 40x60 main floor where receptions, dinners, and other celebrations can be hosted. Below the main floor, there are bathrooms, bridal suites, a meeting room, and a full catering kitchen.

An Event Destination

And yes, now you’ve read the word “bridal” a few times. What began as a small farming dream has officially turned into an event destination.

The Foxglove Farm opened for its first events in the summer of 2023. The Barneses were able to host (and work) a few weddings and community events before the cold weather moved in. The family is still planning to open a U-pick operation for flowers and fruit, such as blueberries and apples, in the next couple of years.

Looking ahead to this summer, the farm will be much busier, with over a dozen weddings already on the books. Despite the excitement of a full season, the family looks back at their first events as some of the most special. Glenn describes one of his favorite moments from the farm’s first weddings. From afar, he says he saw Kelsey driving a bride and father to the top of the overlook, just moments before they would walk down the aisle.

“It was a very emotional moment for me because that’s what we’ve been driving for,” he says, “My daughter is helping run this. She’s doing a beautiful job. She’s right where she should be. And here’s this father and his daughter with perhaps one of the best days of their life. And we’re a part of that. So, to me, that was the best moment I’ve had for sure. It gives me chills.”

His dream of farming started with family, and now, it’s being fulfilled with family by his side.

Learn more at thefoxglove.farm.

Photo by the Kismet Collective.