The Story of the Loomis Homestead

Long before it became Stag’s Leap Farm Bed & Breakfast, the land beneath our home was part of one of the earliest settled homesteads in Brandon Township, Michigan. The story begins nearly two centuries ago with a pioneering family whose roots helped shape the local community.

In 1836, Thomas Noble Loomis purchased 420 acres of government land in what is now Brandon Township in Oakland County. Like many early settlers of the time, Loomis was both ambitious and practical. On this land he constructed a substantial log house — described in historical accounts as a “pretentious log house, chinked and fitted with a Dutch chimney.”

A Dutch chimney in the mid-1800s would have been an impressive feature. Typically made of distinctive Dutch brick, it formed a large central structure that could support multiple fireplaces throughout the home — an important source of warmth during Michigan winters.

In the spring of 1837, Thomas brought his family to the property, establishing what would become one of the early homesteads of the township. Just two years later, on October 1, 1839, his son Oscar D. Loomis was born on the farm itself.

Thomas Loomis was more than just a farmer. He became an influential figure in the township’s early development. In 1845, he introduced Spanish merino sheep to the area — an important step that stimulated Brandon Township’s sheep industry and encouraged improvements in local flocks.

He also played an active role in civic life. Loomis served as Overseer of the Poor in 1837, and from 1843 through the Civil War era, he frequently held the role of Supervisor of Brandon Township. His leadership and agricultural innovation helped shape the township during its formative years.

Thomas and his wife Julia Miller Loomis raised several children on the homestead, including Jacob, Franklin, and Oscar, who all worked the farm as they grew up.

As the family expanded, the brothers built homes on inherited land nearby. One of those homes — built by Franklin Loomis — still stands today at the southeast corner of Shipman and North Baldwin Roads, bearing a striking resemblance to the Victorian gabled style seen at Stag’s Leap Farm today.

Oscar Loomis eventually followed in his father’s footsteps and also served as Supervisor of Brandon Township, continuing the family’s tradition of civic involvement.

The Loomis family legacy didn’t just shape Brandon Township — it eventually reached the governor’s office in Lansing.

One branch of the Loomis family line connects directly to Murray Delos Van Wagoner, who served as Michigan’s 38th Governor from 1941–1943.

For visitors staying at Stag’s Leap Farm, it’s fascinating to think that the story of this quiet homestead — once a frontier farm carved out of wilderness — connects to a family lineage that eventually reached the highest office in the state.

For more than 100 years, the Loomis family maintained ownership of the land in Section 12 of Brandon Township. That era came to an end in 1942, when the final Loomis descendants sold the property to Floyd Carleton, a local farmer.

Over the decades that followed, the property passed through several owners, each leaving their mark on the home and land.