The Jorns Harbor Retreat house was built and owned by Harvey and Margaret Jorns, parents of the current owner Harvey Jorns. The house was built back in the mid 1970s. The first plans for the home had it on a rotating foundation so the house would turn and track the sun. That way the living room and dining area would always have sun shining in to help light those areas. So if you wake up and the house is facing the opposite direction you now know why. Just kidding! Harvey and Margaret did not select that plan. The house does not rotate. But it was a futuristic idea back in the 1970s.

Harvey and Margaret Jorns owned and operated Harvey Jorns & Sons Well Drilling in Door County for over 30 years. People living in the country in Door County have a well that supplies their water. The wells are drilled down through over 200 feet of bedrock and then approximately 200 feet of steel casing is lowered into the hole, along with a submersible pump. You will be drinking fresh water from a well when you drink the tap water in the house. Harvey & Margaret Jorns sold the family business to their two sons Harvey and David and the name of the business is now Harvey & David Jorns Well Drilling. Harvey and Donna Jorns live in the next house to the north and David Jorns lives two houses down to the south.

Harvey and Margaret Jorns also owned 40 acres of cherry trees that had to be maintained and harvested during the summer. Back in the 1960s, most of the cherries were harvested by migrant workers from Mexico. Little cottages were built on the Jorns property to house the migrant workers. Some rooms were even built inside an old barn that has since burned down. The old farm silo was even converted into a shower facility for the cherry pickers. Men on one side and women on the other side. The cherry industry in Door County went through some highs and lows during the 1970s and 1980s and Harvey and Margaret decided that their 40 acres wasn't very profitable, so they stopped growing cherries. If you drive up the winding Bluff Court road, you will drive around the old cherry orchard that was located on top of the hill on your right side. Most of the cherry trees have been cut down.

The water property located across the street from the house is on the bay-side of Door County and is part of Lake Michigan. Since it is on the bay-side, the water is usually calmer and warmer than on the lake-side. The shore property has a small sandy area for young kids to play in, a portable dock, a fire pit for bonfires and plenty of water to swim in. The Jorns family refers to this water property as "grandpa's dock." Sometimes it's hard to change childhood memories and names for things.

There is plenty to see and do during your stay in Door County, but we also encourage you to relax and have some fun moments with your own family. That's what the "retreat" in Jorns Harbor Retreat is all about. We hope this brief history about this home makes you feel more at home. We also hope you leave with fond memories of your stay at the Jorns Harbor Retreat. You are considered part of the extended "Jorns" family after your stay with us and it's ok to call the shore area "grandpa's dock."