We wish the walls could talk. Since purchasing the Castlebrook property, we met family members of the couple who had owned the property from the 1950’s to 2008. The original farm was their livelihood. They were a true farm family with crops and livestock. They spent mornings working the fields and summer afternoons swimming in the creek.
The barn was pivotal to the families that owned and farmed this property for decades. The pole barn was built by hand board-by-board. It has withstood so much for as long as it has been standing and it deserved to be preserved and used for decades to come.
We were told by the daughter of the last owner that her mother always wanted the barn used for an antique shop. She would be proud of how it will serve many families in the future.
The barn is over 100 years old. We carefully renovated the barn but took pains to keep the original structure intact, even the old metal roof still visible on the inside. The tree posts remain the foundation of the structure. The old was also incorporated into the new as the original oak floors from the second story are now used as the walls in the women’s and men’s suites.
Red barns in this area are rare which is why we wanted to keep this characteristic. During a trip to Vermont we saw the perfect “red” and stopped to ask the owner the color they used on their barn. It was Sherwin Williams “Stolen Kiss” which just seemed perfect.
The renovation of the barn was done with great attention to details and with many stories. The bell on the outside of the barn is from the Chicago railroad, a piece owned by Mark’s grandfather. The wagon wheel chandeliers with crystals and mason jars were handmade by an artist in New York. We elevated the patio to enhance the picturesque view. All of the original rocks used in building the barn were reincorporated into the barn.
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