About Silver Penny Farm
5215 Lakeville Hwy. Petaluma, CA 94952
About Us
Our Dream
Farm History
About Silver Penny Farm
Silver Penny Farm is a contemplative place where natural habitat and working land thrive in harmony. Sustainable agriculture, workforce housing , sound art and inspirational retreats happen here.
Sue Conley, owner/operator:
Sue has been active in local food production and innovation in Northern California for all her working days. The values of teamwork and cooperation, grounded in local agriculture have guided her as co-founder of Bette’s Oceanview Diner in Berkeley and Cowgirl Creamery in Point Reyes Station.
Chris Kallmyer, artist/musician:
In his Furniture Music studio on the farm, Chris designs and fabricates sounding home goods for architect and designers. Harmonious wind chimes and mechanical doorbells are currently in production at the studio, commissioned by Los Angeles design firm, Commune.
Our Dream
Our farm provides a quiet place for people to gather to contemplate, plan and discover solutions that enable constructive conversation and collaboration.
It’s also a great place to hold a celebration or a family feast.
History of Silver Penny Farm
General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo’s
The property was part of General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo’s 66,000 acre ranchero, “acquired” from the native Alaguala Nation in 1834. There was a huge demand in San Francisco for fresh food to feed the Gold Rush population which was growing very quickly with the discovery of gold in northern California and Vallejo helped to fill that demand. The land was cultivated to supply grain for his expanding cattle operation.
The Town of Lakeville
In 1859, William Bihler purchased the 8,000 acres, and drained Tolay Lake in order to plant potatoes and corn. The town of Lakeville grew around this farm and attracted Irish immigrants to the area who worked the farms and established a close-knit community. The town of Lakeville thrived in the late 1800’s because a steamboat stop near our property was developed into a transit hub for people headed north by stagecoach. This is evidenced by the businesses that supported the travelers including a hotel, dance hall, post office, a school, a race track and more than one saloon. (If time permits, enjoy a beer at Ernie’s Tin Bar, an historic speakeasy on the corner of Stagecoach Road and Lakeville Highway).
Edith White
Katherine Rhinehart, county historian, writes about the White Family of Lakeville:
“I first learned about the farm while researching Edith White, daughter of Josiah and Annie (Daniels) White. Edith was born on the property in 1886 and lived there full-time until 1894, when the family moved to Alameda. She was a graduate of UC Berkeley. During World War I, Edith was a captain in the Pacific Coast Woman’s Motor Corps. She brought her own Cadillac to France! Sadly Edith died in a hospital in Caumont, France, from meningitis.”
Katherine has several articles about Edith and has gathered some information on her siblings – some of whom show up as residents of the Lakeville property during the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s.
Sue & Nan
Sue Conley and Nan Haynes bought Silver Penny Farm from the Cardoza family for the purpose of creating workforce housing and opening the Big House to conservation groups for meetings and retreats. The land is currently feeding pastured sheep from the Gilardi family who live across the road between Lakeville Highway and the Petaluma River . We also host honey hives of honey bees for Sola Bee. The company collects the honey and transport the bees to nearby orchards for pollination in the spring
Organizations We Support
We are committed to preserving and restoring Sonoma and Marin county farmlands, as such we support & partner with the following organizations:
Malt
Point Blue Conservation Science
Sonoma Land Trust
