Enhancing Accessibility at Stone Barn Farm Preserve
Bar Harbor, ME
PRESERVING A LANDMARK
Stone Barn Farm
Stone Barn Farm is one of the best-known landmarks on Mount Desert Island (MDI). To protect its scenic value, wildlife habitat, and agricultural potential, Maine Coast Heritage Trust (MCHT) first conserved the property through an easement — a legal agreement to limit its development — and later purchased the property to ensure it would be officially and permanently open to the public as a preserve. Through support and donations from many, Stone Barn Farm officially became a preserve of MCHT in 2019.
Centered in the heart of the Emery District, the Farm evokes the agrarian history of Mount Desert Island and reminds visitors that community health is bound to the health of the land. Cycles of greening hay, nesting birds, fruiting apple trees — all cradled in the bow of Northeast Creek — provide MDI community members and visitors with grounding and a sense of place.
What’s Next for Stone Barn Farm Preserve
To make Stone Barn Farm a safe, welcoming environment for people to engage with the land and one another, MCHT has invested in critical upgrades to the historic buildings and infrastructure on the preserve. Today, the barn is structurally sound, but we have more funds to raise and work to do to ensure it is accessible and equipped for hosting gatherings.
From the parking area, a wide, hardened trail built in 2025 enhances the property’s accessibility and functionality as a community space. The Farmhouse, now stripped down to studs, is awaiting major renovation and repurposing.
You can help make Stone Barn Farm a truly welcoming and accessible preserve, where people can experience community, learn from one another, and deepen relationships with land and nature.
What We’re Working On
Ensure the barn is accessible and equipped for hosting gatherings,
and renovate and repurpose the Farmhouse.
Be Part of the Movement
Your gift today will help us center the Farmhouse as MCHT’s MDI base of outreach efforts and community gathering space, while preserving the welcoming, homey feel that former owners Harry and Cindy Owens created during their lifetime. Thank you for building on this collective effort to better Stone Barn Farm Preserve and ensure it serves the MDI community for decades to come.
For More Information:
Hannah Whalen
Director of Development
(207) 244-2110
Email Hannah
Project Details
Location: Bar Harbor, Maine
Fundraising Goal: $600,000 for farmhouse restoration and repurposing.
Fundraising Deadline: December 31, 2026
MCHT reserves the right to allocate additional funds raised toward this project where most needed in accordance with our mission.