Tall Timbers – a historic home and set of buildings originally part of the estate owned by J. Ogden Armour, a Chicago-based meat-packing magnate – is now on the market.

The parcel has been listed for sale by Ted Lockwood of RE/MAX for $1.2 million.

The full, six-acre estate features five buildings, including a five-bedroom lodge and three-bedroom cottage. The old ice house, a workshop/garage, and a studio all also date from the early days when the estate was much larger.

Its history dates back to the early days of the 20th century, when Ethel Platt owned The Timbers, a resort on Long Lake with several cottages, a kitchen and dining area, an entertainment hall, a barn, and several other buildings. Lola Armour vacationed there in 1919 and fell in love with the property. She and her husband J. Ogden Armour, owner of the Armour Meat Packing Company, purchased it that summer. They removed many of the original buildings and began years of building and renovation. The property eventually came to include a mansion, a lodge, a dormitory, cottages for the superintendent, chauffeur and secretary, two barns, a boat house, and more.

J. Ogden Armour died in 1927, but his widow kept the property until 1945, when her failing health meant she could no longer travel there. It was purchased by Gerald Oleson, and over the next couple decades portions of the property were sold off. The Girl Scouts purchased 238 acres in late 1962, which became Timbers Girl Scout Camp. It included frontage on Long Lake as well as all of Paige Lake and Fern Lake.

By 2004, the Fair Winds Girl Scout Council was looking to sell it. It took years of negotiation and fundraising before the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy and Long Lake Township were able to purchase it, with the aid of a Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund Grant – and by selling that portion of it to architect Scott Lankford, the current owner.

Lankford then renovated the property in 2015 while retaining its “Up North lodge” feel.

It includes some historical artifacts; Lockwood says Lankford’s extensive renovation also led to the discovery of some of the original materials. “In the 20s, they would stamp the name of the buyer on the 2X6s. ‘J. Ogden Armour, Traverse City, Michigan,’ is stamped on one. He (Lankford) put it up on the wall."

Lockwood says the property includes many unique features, both outdoors and indoors. “Outdoors there are fieldstone walkways. You didn’t know they were there until clean-up."

While it doesn’t border Long Lake, a short jaunt through the old-growth forest surrounding the property brings you to nearly 2,000 feet of beachfront.

“It’s a three-minute walk through the woods to 1,800 feet of shared frontage with the Conservancy,” Lockwood says. “You may see one or two cars in the parking lot (in summer). In winter, you have the place to yourself.”

Lockwood says indoor features include a true chef’s kitchen with a 21-foot-long island, and a master suite with a 270-degree view of the surrounding forest. And then there’s the en suite’s water closet. “It’s got the craziest toilet I’ve seen in my life," Lockwood says. "It’s got a heated seat, two bidets, it self-cleans. I’ve never seen anything like it in my 25 years in real estate.”

Lockwood tells The Ticker he is already fielding offers for the property.