Land trust to buy much-loved MDI icon

Courtesy / Rich Knox The Stone Barn is an iconic structure in a rural neighborhood on Bar Harbor’s outskirts. Maine Coast Heritage Trust has entered into a contract to buy the property.

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By Laurie Schreiber

Maine Coast Heritage Trust has entered into a contract to buy a large Bar Harbor property locally known as the Stone Barn Farm.

The purchase for $625,000 includes the namesake stone barn, a carriage house and farmhouse on 128 acres of fields and forests in a rural neighborhood on the outskirts of the town, according to a news release.

The property, owned for years by Harry and Cindy Owen, is near the intersection of Crooked Road and Norway Drive and adjacent to Northeast Creek. Cindy Owen died in 2018.

“In a quiet way, this has been a local resource for many years,” Maine Coast Heritage Trust President Tim Glidden told Mainebiz.

Glidden said that, among the Owens’ activities at the farm, the couple harvested hay for cattle that were kept by the Rockefeller family across the road for many years. They ran a truck gardening operation at the house, growing produce for restaurants on Mount Desert Island and beyond.

They also maintained trails and mowed paths and allowed visitors to walk through the meadows and woods.

“Harry is very gregarious and he made friends with everyone,” Glidden said. “So folks would get to know him and they loved walking on the farm.”

The farmhouse and barn are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

“He had long wanted this place to be conserved,” Glidden said. “About 10 years ago, we purchased a conservation easement on the property. That was ideal for that point in his life. Now he wants to plan for the long-term future and he decided he’d like to have the property taken care of by Maine Coast Heritage Trust.”

The trust is seeking to raise at least $2.25 million to cover the purchase price and significant expenses associated with long-term maintenance of the structures and anticipated programs for the public. Every $3 donated will leverage an additional $1 in matching funds.

The arrangement with Owen allows for an inspection period to assess the structures and land, which will inform maintenance cost estimates.

“I’ve always felt I was put on earth to protect this land,” Owen said in the release. “Finding a way to do this has been on my mind for many years.”

In 2001, the owners worked with Maine Coast Heritage Trust to place a conservation easement on the property. With the decision to sell the property to the trust, it ensures continued public access.

The property includes approximately 2 miles of hiking trails and more than a mile of shore frontage on Northeast Creek and Fresh Meadow, and offers expansive views of nearby farms. The landscape includes grassy meadows, woods, blueberry bushes and a small farm pond. The property is suited for uses like walking, birding, cross country skiing and ice skating. Potential activities could include agricultural programming such as community gardens.

Maine Coast Heritage Trust will work with local partners and community members to identify best uses of the property, Misha Mytar, the land project manager, said in the release.

Glacial stones

According to the National Register of Historic Places, the farmhouse was built around 1850 in the Greek Revival style.

Courtesy / Rich Knox

A view from the meadow trail behind the Stone Barn Farm structures.

The carriage house was built around 1900 and is sheathed in clapboards. The stone barn was built in about 1907.

A family named Paine built the farmhouse, according to local tradition. Around 1907 the Paine family sold it to the Shea Brothers of Bar Harbor, a masonry contracting and building company. Shea Brothers constructed the distinctive barn.

The Owen family occupied the farm for five decades.

The barn is unique in its look and construction. The first floor is made of stone that includes granite from a quarry at Otter Creek and glacial stones from local fields. The second floor is a traditional wood-beamed construction, with a gambrel roof made of tin that’s now rusted and needing repair.

The deal is expected to close this year.

On Sept. 7, from 1-4 p.m., there will be an open house hosted by the trust. The public can explore the property and learn more about plans for its use.

The fundraising for this project folds into Maine Coast Heritage Trust's larger campaign to raise $125 million, as part of a plan to acquire more land for public access, educational use and conservation. The public phase of the campaign was launched in August 2018, after the Topsham-based nonprofit secured $90 million in gifts of land, cash and pledges through the quiet phase, as well as a $10 million matching gift.