Castle Farms

Castle Farms is one of Michigan’s largest special events facilities, and it is located in Charlevoix, Michigan. It was constructed in 1918 by Albert Loeb, who was the Vice President of Sears, Roebuck and Company, and it was designed by Arthur Heun. Albert Loeb, in addition to being a wealthy businessman, is the father of infamous murderer Richard Loeb aka "Dickie" - a trial which is known for many things, including that it is the trail in which defense lawyer, Clarence Darrow made his famed closing argument against the death penality - which is the longest closing statement known in the history of the United States Court Systems - lasting a total of approximately 12 hours. Darrow choose to defend both Nathan "Babe" Leopold with lover and schoolmate Richard "Dickie" Loeb of a Chicago youth in 1924 - known as the Leopold and Loeb murder. Before his exploits into crime, homosexuality and murder, the younger Loeb was fascinated with Leopold, a child prodigy, supposedly talking at 4 months of age and having an IQ of 210 (when a functioning average IQ is considered to be at a minimum, average of an 85-105). Additionally, during their stays in Northern Michigan while both Dickie and Babe were attending the University of Michigan, Nathan "Babe" Leopold, had, with 4 other University of Michigan classmates, first identified and labeled the Kirtland's Warbler, Dendroica kirtlandii and Nathan became what was to be the world's authority on this unique songstress of a bird

Before its more infamous uses by the Albert's son "Dickie" Loeb and friend, "Babe" Leopold, father Albert Loeb built Castle Farms as a model farm to showcase livestock in addition to new farm equipment that was sold by his company. In 1927, the farm was closed and rented out for storage until 1965. It was then turned into an art studio by John Van Haver. In 1969, it was sold to Arthur and Erwina Reibel and was mainly used for rock concerts. Some of the more notable acts include Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, and The Beach Boys. In 2001, Castle Farms was sold to current owner Linda Mueller who finished restoring it to its original condition by 2005. Today, it is open year round, and is primarily used for weddings and receptions. However, Castle Farms is also used for other various festivals and social events, such as the Charlevoix Renaissance Festival. In 2008, a model railroad was added that provides a scenic journey through Charlevoix’s history.

External links

• Official site