What We Carried Here: From Fort Worth to the Bluff

Not just a project - a turning point. Doug and JoDee Krotz in front of the barn at 1884 during early restoration.

Before there were weddings and a zinnia field… before the barn stood steady and the old stones felt like home again… there was another life. A life of office towers and work boots, of courtrooms and cubicles, of paintbrushes and shipping labels. There were two people who had lived a lot of life before ever buying property on the bluff—and even more before knowing we’d plant our hearts here.

Before the Bluff: A Life in Motion

We didn’t come here on a straight path. I spent ten years building a creative business from the ground up—my artwork found its way into nearly 900 boutiques across the country. It was beautiful, and it was fragile. When the economy cracked in 2008, so did everything I had built. In the midst of that unraveling, Doug and I reconnected. We had met as kids in Texas. We married in 2010, and with that came a new kind of life—one rooted in partnership, love, and the steady rhythm of raising a family.

Doug served in the U.S. Navy. He’d never make a fuss about it, but I will say this: he worked hard, showed up, did his job, and came home. Then he built a business of his own, one he still operates today. He renovated houses in Fort Worth, coached soccer, chaired school auctions, and raised two incredible kids. He’s the kind of dad people remember. The kind of person who fixes things because it’s what you do.

And eventually, after years of dreaming out loud, we took a leap.

In 2018, we found a forgotten old barn and a stone farmhouse in Montrose, Iowa, with 1884 etched above the door. It would’ve been easier to push the barn over and start again. But we aren’t “easier” people. We’re “give it your all and build something real” people. Doug tore out every rotted plank by hand. We hauled brush and bought wood and honored the soul of the place with every choice we made.

We came here carrying everything we had lived and learned—our grit, our gratitude, our heartbreak, and our hope. We brought with us a belief that old places matter. That beauty can be quiet. That love lives in details.

Doug and JoDee Krotz inside the restored barn at 1884 On The Bluff during a winter event. Photo credit: Mackenzie Kleinert - Kaptured by Kenzie Photography

And now? This bluff holds more than buildings. It holds music. Wildflowers. Laughter. Vows. People gathering to witness beginnings that matter.

We didn’t set out to build a venue. We set out to build a life worth living.

The fact that others now come here to begin their own—that’s the legacy we’re proud to be part of.

If you're dreaming of your own new beginning, we'd love to be part of it. Explore more about 1884 On The Bluff here.