Our story
5th Street, Orland Circa. 1910
“Come To Orland” postcard Circa. 1910
Aerial view of Orland Circa. 1922
The building that Farwood Bar & Grill occupies today was reportedly built in 1916 as a gentleman’s bar called the Richelieu. It was a very popular social venue for the town’s businessmen to quench their thirst and conduct business. The safe that is restored and displayed in Farwood was used to hold merchants’ money on weekends to be transferred to the bank on Monday. There is a commonly told story that there was a circumstance when the old Bank of America was not able to open their safe, so the money from the safe at the Richelieu was used to enable the bank to open and do business until the safe problem was solved.
The history of the beautifully carved oak bar in Farwood is well known to area residents. It was made in England, shipped around Cape Horn at the south end of South America, and functioned as a bar in San Francisco for an unknown number of years. In 1916, it was barged up the Sacramento River to be installed in the Richelieu and has remained there ever since.
The original Richleau Safe, on display inside Farwood.
In 2005, when Bob & Jan Walker purchased the building, the business, which did not remain a gentleman’s bar, was closed. Their decision to purchase the property was based primarily on the existence of the bar. At that time, it was coal black (from over a hundred years of cigarette smoke), and was in need of repair. When renovations began on the building, the bar was taken apart as much as possible and transferred to a shop on the Walkers’ farm. It spent the winter there being stripped and sanded, and then lovingly repaired by a local wood craftsman, Bob Nordbye.
He also extended the front bar portion and crafted a handicapped bar to exactly match the beautiful bowed front of the original. He made molds of the cherubs’ heads to repair the one cherub who had been decapitated, and it is sometimes a matter of discussion to see if former Richelieu patrons can remember which cherub it was that needed repair.
Many people ask how the Farwood name came about. When the Walkers’ children were younger, they raised crossbred Welsh ponies which are very popular for children riding hunters. One of the Walkers’ favorite broodmares was from a famous line of Welsh ponies from the Farnley Farm. They took the “Far” from Farnley, and the “Wood” from where they lived in the Wooden Valley in Napa County, and created their own farm name: Farwood. When it came to name the restaurant, and it was decided that it wasn’t desirous to continue the Richelieu reputation, their daughter picked their farm name, and it became Farwood Bar & Grill.
Meet The Owners
Jim & LeighAnn Byerly
In November 2008, Jim and Leigh Ann Byerly purchased Farwood Bar & Grill. Leigh Ann came to Farwood to ‘temporarily’ manage the restaurant for her friends, the Walkers, in April 2008. It soon became obvious that Leigh Ann’s love for food and hospitality was a good match for Farwood. She spent over 35 years in the restaurant and catering business before coming to Farwood. Jim spent over 15 years teaching in the north state and recently completed a Masters degree program. The couple lives in Orland and runs the restaurant together.