The village of Koguva was first mentioned in 1532 in a document by the Master of the Livonian Order, Wolter von Plettenberg, with which he granted freedom and land to a local peasant called Hansken. In time, the land given to Hansken was divided between his descendants, who became the free folk of Koguva, and by the 19th century the number of farmsteads inhabited by free folk had increased to eight. Vanatoa is one of the oldest of these free farmsteads.

The history of Vanatoa can be traced back to the mid-17th century, when, under a different name, it was run by a man named Jürgen. By 1693, the farmstead had been taken over by Jürgen’s son Wabaniko Hanss, after whom the farm was known as Hanso-Antsu. According to official documents recording peasants’ lands, in 1713-1756 the farm was called Hanso Andrus, again after its then-master. Hanso Andrus was succeeded by Hanso-Tõnis, who in turn had two sons: Ado (ca. 1730-1781) and Andrus (ca.1741-1820). By the end of the 18th century, the farmstead had been split between these two brothers. Ado built up a new household which retained the old name of Antsu. Andrus, the younger brother, took over the old farm, which since then has been known as Vanatoa. Both of these farmsteads can be found on an 1802 map recording land units, albeit under different names: Antsu farmstead as Hanso Ado and Vanatoa as Hanso Andrus.

Vanatoa was one of the wealthiest farmsteads in Muhu. The foundations of this prosperity were laid by Jaan Schmuul (1858-1939) who was involved with the construction of Väinatamm (1894-1896), the causeway connecting Muhu to Saaremaa. It is said that around a quarter of the entire causeway was built under his initiative and direction. In 1903, when the government decided it was necessary to expand the port of Kuivastu, it was once again Jaan Schmuul who was responsible for the construction works.

Today, the oldest surviving buildings at Vanatoa are the wooden fyke shed and a barn surrounded by the Pärdi fence. The number of buildings is a testament to the former wealth of the household: in addition to the main house, the farmstead also includes the limestone-granary built in the 1930s, located directly across from the main house, and the summerhouse next to the main gate. There are four rooms in the granary: a sleeping room for female summer workers, a sleeping room for boys, a general storage room and a storage room for chests. The building next to the gate includes a winnowing room, a sauna, a drying room and a summer kitchen. At the beginning of the kolkhoz (collective farming) period under Soviet rule, the building housed the generator that provided electricity to the entire village. Unfortunately, the cart shed that once stood next to the gate has not survived.

At the beginning of the 19th century, as with other Koguva free folk, the people at Vanatoa were given the family name Schmuul (or Schmul in earlier written sources). The master of Vanatoa back then was Jüri Schmuul (1794-1848). As none of his sons reached adulthood, he had to bring help in from a neighboring farmstead. So it was that once Jüri died, the family of Andrus Schmuul (1809-1885), initially from the Koguva Andruse farmstead, took over the Vanatoa household. Andrus was succeeded by his son Mihkel (1833-1909), who left the farm to his son Jaan (1858-1939). Jaan gave Vanatoa to his son, also named Jaan (1884-1949). His three sons, however, Artur, Arnold and Rudolf, fled abroad during World War II. Jaan himself and his wife Riste (from Koguva Laasu) were deported in 1949. In 1949-1962, Vanatoa housed the main office of the “Tormipoeg” (Storm’s son) kolkhoz.

In 1970, the farmstead was sold to publishing house “Valgus” (Light) whose employees played an important role in the preservation of the buildings at Vanatoa. Once Estonia regained its independence in 1991, the farmstead was returned to its rightful owner, Rudolf Schmuul (1921-2001), who turned it into a holiday home. In 2007, the descendants of Rudolf sold Vanatoa along with its lands to a new owner.

Today, the historic value of Vanatoa is safeguarded by OÜ Vanatoa Turismitalu, who also takes care of its development as a tourism attraction.