Prairie School Farms new home

This building has been in my heart since we first moved to this area. I have dreamed about it and wondered if there would ever be the chance that we could have a connection beyond the casual architectural crush.

Several weeks ago, we learned that it might be for sale. After some negotiation and a lot of planning, we are happy to announce that Prairie School Farms has a new home!

Located at the corner of Fifth and Main in Westmoreland, we have this historic gem - two stories with so much potential to hold all of our dreams.

We may or may not be channeling Chip and Joanna. I have used the term "shiplap" nearly 400 times. We have already started the cleaning and demo. Today included six truckloads of trees and branches - five of them by Jeremy alone. Any person with a strong desire to put on some work gloves and help with garden clean up is welcome.

The building was constructed in 1885 and was reportedly a blacksmith and livery shop. We have a copy of one of the original photos from when the livery was operational. The building has the initials GAR on the front and from our preliminary research it stands for the Grand Army of the Republic and was built for Civil War veterans who fought for the Union. The building must have originally been built as a lodge or chapter house for the veterans.

We are working on plans to make the ground level into a retail space.

The large double doors in the right of this photo are amazing. We are trying to find a way to have these recreated or preserved. We are planning to have a pergola on the side of the building with these doors leading out to the space.

The second floor has a large space for entertaining and a second portion that we will use as a B&B.

Wish us luck on the adventure ahead! We have some plans for renovation and big dreams for this space. Our little studio has already been sold, so we will be packing and moving very soon. Watch for a grand opening in Spring 2017!