Our Barns, Our Stories
We look forward to receiving stories about your barn.  Please share and we will post them here!

Baker Barn, New Ross
Our barn was built in the 1850s.  There have been no changes to its original exterior.  We continue to use it as it was intended, for livestock and storage.

Johnson Barn, Salem
The land upon which the barn sits was part of a 160-acre disposition from the US Government in 1799 to Ambrose Garriott for service in the Revolutionary War. It remained in the Garriott family until about 1900. From that point until 1938, the property belonged to the family of Joseph Elrod; and then until 1943, the Bennett Family owned the property. Flavel and Hazel Reynolds (the great, great, great granddaughter of Ambrose Garriott) bought the acreage on the north side of the Monon Railroad which included the buildings—the house and summer kitchen, original barn, spring house foundation and the well site. In 1998, Lisa Thompson and Tom Johnson acquired part of the land and all of the buildings when it was sold by Frederick and Barbara Baynes (daughter of Flavel and Hazel Reynolds.)
The original cabin site is on the property, but the house was built around 1860 most likely by then owner William Garriott, son of Ambrose Garriott. Bricks were made on site and laid by Master Mason Albert Shrum who also worked on the Washington County Courthouse and the Lyon Block of Salem Square. (A house brick found on site is signed by Shrum.) It is understood that the two-story summer kitchen (or wash house) predates the house. The Federal design is unusual, with seven windows on the second story facing the north. A catastrophic fire seriously damaged part of the house in the 1950s but spared the summer kitchen. In 1960, the lower portion of the main house was rebuilt by Flavel Reynolds and Frederick Baynes, and then linked to the summer kitchen.  
The barn was built about 1830 according to an Indiana Landmarks barn expert and has been a featured site on a “Barn Again” tour. The barn was part of the fantastic barn portrait project undertaken by Gwen Gutwein.  Our barn is also part of the bicentennial barn quilt, thanks to Ms. Gutwein!
The barn is constructed of hand-hewn logs, some of which are 65 feet long. It rests on a stone foundation. The timber barn is surrounded by a frame addition. Between the two exteriors, you may visit the final resting place of John Garriott. His grave is very clearly marked. There is a grave in our barn, where John, a Garriott son, is buried. A cornerstone marks this place with etched name and dates.
The spring house foundation, also still evident, may be the oldest structure on the property. The stone walls and steps built into the hillside are original. A still-evident roadway leads up to the site of an original gate and around the spring house foundation. We have added a gazebo and bridge which using repurposed steel so the engineering of the spring house foundation is easy to see. A second stairway and limestone wall extensions were installed within the last 10 years from period limestone used on the restoration of a wall in Louisville’s 
Clifton Neighborhood.

Lindstedt Barn, Chesterton
The farm has been in the Lindstedt family for 100 years, having been purchased in 1916.  We have reason to believe that the center of the barn and the one lean to are the original structure and may have been built in the late 1800’s.  The lean-to with the board and batten was added later.  The date shown on the tax record for the barn is 1920.  It is 79 feet long by 55 feet wide. This barn originally had two silos.  One was in poor condition.   I took the silos down about 15-20 years ago.   The south side (silo side) of the barn was in poor condition.  I repaired all that I could and replaced siding with wood sheet siding on part of the south and north sides and the entire east side of the barn and painted the entire barn.   The foundation was bad on the northeast corner.   I jacked up the barn and removed the crumbling foundation and poured a new foundation in that area.   The windows have been replaced.   One day we were away and when we returned home, we were quite surprised to see a party bus parked in our yard and a large wedding party having photos taken using the barn as a background.   We would have appreciated it if someone would have asked permission in advance, but did not ruin their day and allowed them to proceed with their photos.  

Beck Barn, Rockville
I had the opportunity to purchase the barn and corn crib in 2012. Both sit adjacent to 45 acres I purchased in 2005 in rural Parke County. I grew up in the city so knew nothing about farm life. Now my 4 year old daughter cannot get enough of animals, spiders and other insects lodging in the barn. After joining Indiana Landmarks and attending many Indiana Barn tours, my husband and I had just enough knowledge to know that the timber frame barn is made up of three bents and double wide framing. I fell in love with its scarf joints and eight stanchions. What a farm this must have been at one time. The hand hewn beams left some bark, and the pegs were not cut off where some of the Mortis and Tenon joints came together. When I first climbed the stairs to the hay mow, it was like no one had been there in 100 years. The wide boards of the loft floor were beautiful. The trolley was still intact and the rails led to two long boards at the end. I envisioned the forks striking the boards and the hay releasing. We knew at that moment it was time to resurrect this barn, bring it back to life, use it for its intended purpose, and make it smile again with the warmth of animal heat and excitement from our little girl. We have shoats now and this spring we’ll be adding some goats. My daughter’s dream is to have a horse and some cows too. She wants a Holstein, even though my husband who recently passed away grew up with polled Herefords. He also said we’d never have a horse, but managed to leave her his pocket change on the kitchen table every morning for her horsey fund. I think this barn will make us happy farmers for at least the rest of our lives and hopefully many more generations to come.

McIntosh Barn, Logansport
This barn has hand hewn beams and wooden pegs. The purlins are 9” x 9” and 50’ continuous. The original English barn was 35’ x 50’. It was built with a wooden shake roof later replaced in the 1930’s with corrugated steel. It was used primarily for livestock and hay storage. Recently an Amish contractor notified me that the barn had been later added onto to make it a bank barn with a basement. The barn as it is today is 35’ x 70’ with this addition. It was so well done that I never knew it without it being pointed out. I am not sure how far back in my ancestry it would be before they knew of it. I assume the barn was built in 1860 or thereabouts. The back side of the barn had not seen paint until 1985. It has original poplar siding. Once in the early 80’s a professional photographer stopped to ask if he could take pictures behind the barn of a new Jeep for a sales brochure. When he was told the back side of the barn was not painted he mentioned “That will be fine, that is what I was looking for.” We have been trying to maintain the barn by adding a new roof and painting it periodically.  

Runkle Barn, Warren
This barn has been in our family since it was built in 1885. The original siding was placed horizontally because they felt that offered more support. The mile that the barn is located on is often called "Runkle Road" because of the number of people from our family that live on it. Generations of family members have enjoyed playing and working in the big red barn.

Martin Barn, South Bend
This bank barn was built in 1881 and is all original.  We use it today for horse stable, hay, and equipment storage, althogh it once served as a dairy barn.   

Wolfe Barn, Corydon
This old barn was built in 1906.  It is still used today, housing feeder cattle.  

Hanna Barn, North Vernon
It has large beams. Thick poplar flooring. Still has hay track. It was built in 1868.

Wolfe Barn, Corydon
This barn was built by Henry Wolfe, grandfather of Jay K. Wolfe. After his death the farm remained in the family and was taken over by Toney A. Wolfe, father of Jay K. Wolfe, who farmed and used the barn all his life to raise and feed cattle and other animals. 
(Jay) remembers playing in the barn as a kid with brother and sisters, feeding and caring for the cattle and milking some of them. Also, putting in many years worth of loose hay and straw in the lofts with the hay fork and later square bales. I (Becky) remember playing in the barn lofts with my cousins. We also fed the cows by throwing the bales from the loft through the square openings in the loft floor, which are still there and in use today. Now our grandchildren have the privilege of helping to feed in this barn. They love climbing the ladder up to the hay loft and throwing down the hay too.

Sands Barn, Silver Lake
I (the owner's grandson) have helped put countless bales of hay and straw in here and my fondest memory is the rope swing that we used to play on as kids.  This barn was built in the 1880s and is still in farm use. 
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Sherman Barn, Valparaiso
My grandparents bought the farm from a land sale in 1937. It was a result of the previous owners losing the farm in the depression. Both my grandparents and parents milked cows in this barn. We stored hay and straw in the hay loft. I remember as a child taking care of the calves, helping bale hay, feeding the cows. We raised calves that we showed at the Porter County Fair. I used to stay in the barn while my dad milked in the evening. Many times, I would lie down by the calves in the straw and fall asleep. Dad would carry me into the house, This is one of my fondest memories.

Stuart Barn, Greens Fork
Mr Stuart has restored the exterior to as near original as possible. Louvers were rebuilt to original state.
Field stone foundation. Floor joists are whole trees.  The barn is in a T-shape, and the beams are hand hewn.  There is corn crib and 3 grain bins on main floor.
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Kappes Barn, Bennington
This barn was built in the summer of 1948 after a tornado in March of that year destroyed the original barn that was built on this same site. My grandfather, Will Bradford, had this barn built very similar to the original one according to my father, Paul Bradford. Dad's team of horses, Nigg and Dunn, were killed in the original barn when it blew down and the hay mow floor came down on top of them. All of the wooden structure including the wooden siding is original to the barn and the trees were grown and harvested here on this farm that has been in my family since 1843. In 2011 I had a tool shed built on the east end of the barn and had the back side of the barn covered with metal. In 2015, I had new red metal siding installed over the remainder of the wooden siding and new doors built and installed as it was getting in bad condition and I wanted to preserve the barn as it is still used daily in our farming operation. 

Smoot Barn, Eaton
Our 5400 sq. ft. two-story barn was built in the early 1900’s and is family owned and operated. Evan and Kristy have owned the barn for 3 years, and both come from local farming families. They personally got married in the barn and wanted to share their barn experience with other couples. The barn now serves as a wedding and reception venue as well as private parties. The Barn on Boundary is one of a kind with unique solid oak beams, orginal solid timbers with bark still intact, hand built bar, original horse stalls, fully renovated hayloft, and we kept its original rustic charm on the exterior. The Barn on Boundary is located in East Central Indiana near Muncie, Indiana. The Barn on Boundary provides a rustic, down-home venue for events such as weddings, receptions, reunions, graduation parties, corporate parties and much more! The barn gives you 5400 sq. ft. of floor space, along with the beautiful open countryside setting, and the elegance of chandeliers and ambiance of cozy lighting throughout the barn. This is a unique venue to make your event special and memorable. 

Jacobus Barn, Columbus
Built in the 1930s, no other information provided.

Haimbaugh Barn, Rochester
About 20 years ago the barn's roof was twisted (long term wind damage) and about to collapse. During our annual July 4'th Haimbaugh Farms, Inc.'s business meeting, the board of directors requested the shareholder's approval to use monies from harvesting mature trees from the farm's 40 acre woods to reinforce the barns internal structure, repair and replace the roof with wood shingles, replace the cupola and repaint the barn.  Over $80,000 later the barn was 'museum quality' and ready to face another century! The barn was repainted two years ago for the Barn's Centennial Celebration. Over a hundred relatives from all across the USA gathered, camping on the shores of the Tippecanoe River, to celebrate this special centennial. Games of all kinds (float trips on the river, sitting around a roaring campfire spinning story after story, worshiping our Lord at our annual Church Service, picking black raspberries along the lane, enjoying fireworks, hunting arrowheads and even square dancing in our round barn) filled our days and evenings with tons of fun, adventure, lifetime relationships were rekindled! For sure, we have a great heritage to continue on into the next century. Not many families have an annual, camping reunion that lasts days; and it is our plan to do all we can to give our grandchildren the childhood memories of a lifetime that will provide the magnetic attraction to come back together each July 4 to relive those memories, as they pass them along to their kids! The 240 acre property on which the barn sits also has history. The farm has been in our family over 100 years. A 'Treaty Tree' still grows on the grounds. We would also be willing to dress in period dress (100 years ago); and give tours of the barn. We have in the past during the Round Barn Festival when the festival fell on the same week as our July 4'th Reunion.

McFarland Barn, Indianapolis
From my 96 year old Father: When I bought the farm, the barn was in poor shape and needed some work. I've taken pride in maintaining it and I know others enjoy looking at it, too. I often see people stop and take pictures and I believe it is a landmark in our part of Franklin Township. In the early 1950's I added the cupola and weathervane. The eagle atop the weathervane was cast from an original design from an estate down south. A local metalworker cast it from aluminum. The weathervane was crafted by a local blacksmith in Acton. I have been privileged to be the steward of this barn for over 65 years and I hope it continues to stand for more generations to come as a reminder of how Indiana once was.
From me: A few memories come to mind:
The low mooing of hungry Holsteins followed by the satisfied sound of mouthfuls of grain being crushed. Frozen breath hanging in the artic Indiana air, while chopping frozen water from the trough. The impossibly heavy scent of hay, earth, grain and manure mixed together in a silent greeting as the barn door was shoved open. 4-H steers haltered and broken to lead in readiness for their only trip to the County Fair. Holstein steers de-horned as blood was spilt and useless horns rose up in gruesome stacks. Stolen first puffs from cigarettes, strictly taboo. Stolen first kisses. Collie dogs at work, disciplining their charges avoiding the errant kick. Collie dogs curled into warm nests of loose hay, happy for it, in the days before dogs were expected to live indoors. Hay bales piled high, and higher, begging to be clambered up then jumped from. Beef cattle warily loaded into trucks headed for the Boggstown locker plant, returning in neatly wrapped butcher paper. Red paint dripping into green grass. And once, a view from the top, higher than a skyscraper downtown. An eagle flew majestically overhead and an arrow swung lazily from W to S under a dizzingly blue Indiana sky, where "th' joys of Heaven" are known "here below".

Knigga Barn, Dillsboro
This barn was in danger and very distressed. I purchased this barn and moved it to it's current location 5 years ago. I was happy to give this barn a new life and home. Please visit my website at www.caseysoutdoor.com to see a slideshow of the barn during it's reconstruction. When you go to the website you will see Haypress under the "About Us" tab at the top. This barn has been painted and featured in a calendar of Indiana Barns. The history is amazing. Many great memories and things to say about this barn. Barn still has a working haypress. Every October we invite friends and family to the site to demonstrate how the haypress operates. We have a great fried chicken dinner and do demonstrations of other tools that were used in that era. We have had a few weddings in the barn and it serves as a living history museum with our collection of other locally collected items from the same era. ​

Lewman Barn, Charlestown
This farm has been in the Lewman family since 1839. They purchased it from Thomas Downs, who willed it to his son in 1813. The will references the "mansion" house, which Richard still lives in today and which looks much like it must have at the time of its construction. There's a wonderful spring house on this farm as well as other outbuildings. The spring house still functions (need to clear it out a bit!). 

Lewman Barn, Charlestown
This farm has been in the Lewman family since 1839. Richard is 94 and he remembers scooping corn into the cribs, each of which hold 1,000 bushel of corn, from the horse drawn wagon. His dad started a Corn Show here in Clark County in 1908, back when everybody raised open-pollinated corn. Farmers would bring their best 10 ears for judging and the winner would get to sell his corn to the neighbors. This show went on for 100 years until 2008. I love hearing him talk about my grandfather, great uncle, and others that he remembers, who would have participated in this show and whom I never knew. I am honored he's willing to spend time with me and share the stories.  Last fall I called him to ask if I could come photograph his barn for this contest.  He said no, they'd not been painted and he didn't like the way they looked.  A few days later he called to say the men who travel through the area offering their painting services had happened by, so he had them painted so I could come photograph them!

Carlton Barn, Morristown
My folks bought the barn in 1947 with 80 acres. We had 30 milk cows and lived in town near the barn. My two brothers and I came to the barn and milked the cows every morning before school. In 1951 we had to sell all of the cows because all three of us bothers ended up in the service. In the late 50's, the inside was reworked for hogs. In the early 60's the barn was full of laying chickens. In the early 70's we built horse stalls for 7 riding and show horses. Then in the fall of 1982 we decided to make this old barn into our home. We moved in August 1983. In 1984 we added the metal siding and the porches. This barn has become a staple in the community. Local residents, family and friends refer to it only as "The Barn". It serves as a gathering place for all in search of a cup of coffee and good conversation.

Roberts Barn, Washington
This barn belongs to WS Roberts & Sons, Inc.. They purchased the farm with the barn in 1954. It had belonged to George Dodds then passed down to his son, Fred Dodds then to Fred’s son also named George. Dodds finally sold the farm to the Spangler Family and that is who WS Roberts and Sons, Inc purchased them farm. George Dodds the Grandfather built the barn to house Mules that he bought in Tennessee to break and sell as Farm Worker Mules in the Washington, Lawrence, and Orange Co areas. The barn is 48 x 60’ with a thick Sandstone rock forming the Solid Foundation. 

Martin Barn, Columbia City
This barn is located on the original Martin family farm, which was homesteaded in 1835 in what eventually became Whitely County, a mile south of Etna. Acquired from an original land grant, the deed on this land has proudly been in the Martin name for all 180 years and is a Hoosier Homestead Farm. Originally, it sat next to a log cabin inn ran by the Martin family. The inn was destroyed by a tornado around 1900. The barn is a timber frame, using only wooden pegs to hold it together and built from hand-hewn lumber logged off of the property. There are hay mows that surround the front entrance on three sides, with access from boards nailed to the support posts forming a primitive ladder. As children, my brother, sister, and I (and any rambunctious neighbors or cousins) spent many hours building forts and playing in the hay. My father would discourage us from building trap doors, tunnels, and hidden rooms because of the inevitable loosening of the binder twine around the bales. We also used the rope and pulley systems as entertainment, acting as Tarzan, hoping to avoid being caught by Dad. In the 1950’s and 60’s I remember witnessing the butchering of many hogs as they hung from the hayfork, attached to the same rope and pulley system. As much fun as we had running around the barn, we spent a fair amount of time feeding livestock and unloading hay in the mows, the eventual building material of our playful forts. Six generations of Martins have worked, frolicked, and grown up in this barn, forming their sense of family connection and local pride. 

Miller Barn, Zionsville
Barn and associated homestead were one of the oldest in Union township. Barn has been inactive with respect to livestock since 1970s. It has horse stalls, cattle feeding managers, 8 old cow milking stations. My history is largely one of cleaning out and restoration since 2010. After removing heavy growth on one side I discovered a remnant of an old basketball backboard support attached to barn and a concrete slab below. The backboard is outside of the cow milking stations (must have been some interesting dribbling of the ball), see picture 2. Who knows what Hoosier basketball star trained here?
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Wilson Barn, Morgantown
My grandfather purchased farm in 1946. The house was built in 1853 but the original barn was destroyed by fire. This barn was built on the same spot. I estimate that it was built in the late 20's to early 30's. The original wood shake roof is still present under the metal.

Kerkhove Barn, West Lafayette
Prior to my family living here on this farm, was a another farm family. There was 3 generations of this family that had lived here, ("The Layden Family). So May 10, 1910 The first generation of Layden's purchased the 300+ acre farm that included a chicken coop, Wood peg barn, Corn Crib, and "Hired Hand" quarters, and the original Homestead that was built in 1880. The most interesting story we have been told was by the 3rd generation of the Layden family. It was the story about the "Barn" his grandpa moved. Shortly after purchasing the farm in 1910, his grandfather moved a barn. This barn set directly behind the Hired Hands quarters. it set all alone. He wanted to move it near the other barn and corn crib to make it more functional with his farming operation. Sometime in 1910-1911 the barn was moved about 150 yards to its present day location. It was moved across the field on logs, Mr. Layden was unsure if a Steam Engine or a team of Horses were uses to pull the barn, his grandfather had both at the time a steam engine and horses. After the move was completed the barn was then raised about 4 feet and a concrete wall was poured, and the barn was placed on the wall. The barn housed a small dairy cow herd, horses, and hogs. On the second level was used primarily for hay storage. From about 1940-1990's the second (Mr. Layden's Father) and third generation operated the farm. Eventually the third generation moved into the Hired Hand quarters. In the early 1990's his father passed away and parts of the farm were sold off. The third generation did not want to engage in the family farm. By 1999 his mothers health had declined, and was moved to a nursing home. On July 1, 2000 my family purchased this farm and 12 acres that remained. This barn is very special to my family, in addition to the barn housing a lot of my vintage farm equipment, it also houses Beef Cattle & Sheep, we have two daughters that are engaged in 4-H. I am a huge advocate for restoring an preserving the our Hoosier Agriculture Heritage.

Plum Creek, Carmel
What is now part of Plum Creek Golf Course once was the renowned Linwood Farms.  Built by Charles Lynn to house his Percheron horses. At one time Lynnwood Farm had over 100 head of percherons. The farm showed horses in the 30’s everywhere. It was the largest employer in the Carmel area in the 1930’s. The farm also had Berkshire hogs and Polled Shorthorn cattle. Tractors in the 40’s replaced horses. Lynnwood Farm was given to Purdue in 1942. Purdue sold it in the 1980’s. It has a live-in apartment. There are now 600 houses and a golf course on the land. The Nickel family moved to Lynnwood in 1937 when I (Wilbur Nickel) was 12 years old. My father managed it for 30 years. My brother, George Nickel worked there 50 years.

Harden Barn, Muncie
My grandparents, who live in the 130 year old farmhouse now, are the fifth generation through my grandmother's side of the family to live on the farm between Oakville and Luray. The farm was started through a land grant from US President Andrew Jackson in 1829, a signed document of history that still hangs in the farmhouse. The original barn was built as it should be on every farm, and served many purposes before being destroyed by a tornado along with the original house and the nearby town of Oakville in 1884. The 28'x32' bank barn was quickly rebuilt and served the purpose of the farm until it was restructured to its current design by my great-great-grandfather and great-grandfather from 1928 to 1931 along with the house. The unique 44" by 66" prairie style bank barn sits on a concrete foundation and overlooks the banks of Buck Creek, where many of the original timbers to build the barn were cut. It originally housed 4 horse stalls, dairy stantions, calf pens and a bull pen on the true ground level. The bank level stored hay that was raised by a horse often ridden by my grandmother and hay fork on a track that is still in the barn today. The 30' by 40' hog shed and corn crib was removed from east end of the barn in the early 1990's, but I have vivid memories of it smelling like archaic manure and the twisted angle of the old logs that supported the structure. Many generations conjure memories of the barn, but Grandpa Harden is the best at recalling the long forgotten tidbits of history that many of my generation never take the time to learn and pass on.  The bank level is home to a Hoosier iconic basketball hoop with an old bread advertising billboard as a backboard. Many stories are told around Grandma's 16 chair dining room table of my great-grandfather, father, and uncle walking the beams and eaves of the barn, much to the dismay of their mothers and resulting in the switch from their fathers. Our agriculture heritage runs deep and the barn holds stories that I will undoubtedly tell my children in the shadows of its presence. A barn has stood on the site for nearly the entire lifetime of our state and their would be no better way to celebrate that then making it one of Indiana's 200 celebrated bicentennial barns.

McCrea Barn, Logansport
I bear the name of my great grandfather, Dr. Thomas P McCrea. He served in the Civil War as a physician. Dr. McCrea bought 160 acres in 1879 for $6,000. On it was the 40x60 bank barn. He then gave all the above to his son and bride in 1880 for $1 out of love and affection. My wife and I bought the farm from a relative in 1957. We cherish this beautiful barn, that has housed horses, cattle, sheep and hogs. The barn has also been used to store hay, grain and farm machinery.

Reed Barn, Knightstown
Recently purchased this property for the barn. We intend to preserve the barn.

Niehaus Barn, Evansville
For many years this barn had a wooden floor. Our father and uncle mounted basketball goals on each end of the open center of the barn. This became the neighborhood basketball court for the kids in the area, and it could be used in rainy or snowy weather! One of those goals is still inside the barn, so it could be returned to its former glory as the basketball court for the neighborhood kids. Those two boys knew they had something special that not many others had on their farms!

Stein Barn, Greensburg
IT HAS SQUARE STEEL NAILS.
ORIGINALLY HAD WOODEN SHINGLES.
ORIGINAL FOUNDATION OF LIMESTONE ROCKS.

Stein Barn, Batesville
The original roof was slate and it lasted 60+ years. Original foundation was made of limestone rock. The cow on the west side of the barn was painted between 1972- 1975. To this day people ask why is there a cow always standing by the barn.

T.C. Singleton Barn, Washington
We have been told that our round barn embodies the efforts to improve the efficiency & productivity of farm operations through innovative agricultural building design, during Indiana’s “Golden Age” of agriculture (1881-1920). From an architectural standpoint, it's been said that it is a highly intact example of the round barn type in Indiana. The significant qualities & features of the barn are embodied in its location, design, materials & setting. The barn is a true circular barn, sixty-four feet in diameter, with a central driveway. It stands on concrete foundation & is built of wood frame construction clad with board & batten siding. The exterior features louvered vents, several small windows & solid doors. The two main doors open to a center driveway. The barn has space for livestock at the ground level, above which is a capacious hay loft, under a three pitch gambrel roof. A corn crib lines about a quarter of the outer wall. The barn stands alone in a pasture located at the southwest corner of State Road 57 & County Road West 450 South, in Daviess County. The T. C. Singleton Round Barn was previously determined eligible under the National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation Listing, “Round and Polygonal Barns of Indiana,” submitted by Jerry McMahan, Graduate Assistant, Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana, October 19, 1991.  An important part of Daviess County’s architectural heritage can be found in this true circular barn & over one hundred years later, the T. C. Singleton Round Barn functions remain the same as when it was built. Tom Singleton’s grandchildren and great-grandchildren continue the proud tradition of maintaining the barn in exceptional condition. The T. C. Singleton Round barn remains a strong family tradition & is one of Daviess County’s most outstanding agricultural structures. There is one story in particular that many find fascinating about black boxes that were apparently found hidden in the barn, in 1927. In 1925, D. C. Stephenson, grand dragon of the Ku Klux Klan in Indiana, was tried & convicted of the kidnapping, rape & murder of Madge Oberholtzer, a state education official. While in prison in 1927, after failing to secure a pardon from Governor Edward L. Jackson, Stephenson vowed revenge by leaking documents to the Indianapolis News that identified numerous elected officials (both state & local) who were bankrolled by the KKK. Apparently, he said that the documents were hidden in two black boxes somewhere in Indiana & finally told reporters that they were secreted in Thomas Singleton's round barn. Thomas Singleton had no knowledge of the black boxes (he had absolutely no klan connections whatsoever) & was as shocked as anyone when, in July 1927, Marion County's deputy prosecuting attorney, Emsley W. Johnson, Sr., met with Stephenson's longtime friend, Evansville businessman L.G. Julian, to recover the hidden black boxes from Singleton's barn.  By an amazing coincidence, Emsley Johnson, Sr., was a nephew (by marriage) of Thomas Singleton. Johnson knew first hand that Singleton was innocent of any involvement with the boxes. Stephenson probably arranged with L.G. Julian to have the boxes secured in a remote location that could easily be found when subsequently needed. The round barn's identification (visible from the road) & it's location along a prominent state highway (57), immediately south of a county seat (Washington, Daviess County) made it an ideal hiding place. They say that the evidence discovered in Stephenson's two black boxes resulted in the prosecution & conviction of numerous KKK-affiliated elected officials & marked the collapse of the klan's political power in Indiana.  Another story of interest is that shortly after moving to Indiana, in 2003, I came across a letter to my great-grandfather, from a professor of the School of Agriculture, at the University of Illinois. In the letter the professor was inquiring about the usefulness of the round barn in it's structure. I'm not sure what my great-grandfather's response was for certain, but a few days after I found the letter, some visitors from Wisconsin stopped to admire the barn. We started talking & I shared what I had read in the letter, to which they responded they had just visited the University of Illinois & there are indeed two round barns located on their dairy campus. I couldn't help but feel proud & hopeful that the correspondence had resulted in something positive for the University of Illinois & the study of agriculture there. 

Plummer Barn, Bargersville
It belongs to husband's family--we think it was built in the 1880s along with a house which is widely in our community as "the Palace."  It has really cool arched doorways that give it a lot of character. The original doors are hung on the inside of the barn for decoration. This barn is awesome!!!!

Harness Barn, Greenfield
​My husband and I purchased this property about a month ago. We fell in love with the farmhouse as well as this barn. We know some of the barns history through the previous owners, neighbors and research online. We know this barn was built by the Wilson Family in 1901. The Wilson family also founded this town of Mohawk. They used the barn for hay and to keep their race horses. There once was a train track that ran along the property. People would come from all over to come watch the horse races in the back field. There is also paperwork for one of the race horses they had that was left in the barn. My husband and I would love to restore this barn while keeping it as original as possible.
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Townsend Barn, Hartford City
The Miller barn is located in Grant County and owned by Townsend Farms. It was constructed in the early 1850’s by John S. and Mary Miller. John Miller was born on October 24, 1788 in Virginia. He was the eldest son of his family and was orphaned and responsible for his siblings when he was about 20 years old. In 1833, he took his brothers and sisters and moved west to farm in Fairfield County, Ohio, until 1838. In that year, he and his brother Jeremiah came and homesteaded in Grant County. He continued to reside on the Miller farm with his wife Mary until his death on November 27, 1875 at the age of 87. In 1938 the farm was given to Purdue University as the “Miller-Purdue Memorial Farm.” Isaiah M. Miller issued this deed to Purdue University for livestock research purposes in honor of his parents. Isaiah M. Miller who was born on the farm in 1852, never married, and remained on the farm until his death on March 22, 1941. Isaiah's older brother, Josiah M. Miller, also was born on the farm in 1851. The farm was an original 160 acre tract that was later expanded through land purchases to 715 acres. In the late 1970’s Purdue University sold the 535 acres of farmland that contained the Miller-Purdue barn to Wayne and Helen Townsend, a local farm family. Wayne Townsend was born and grew up on his parent’s farm, which is located adjacent to Miller farm. Purdue retained 180 acres of the woodlands of the original Miller farm. The Miller barn, a mortise and tenon design, was constructed in the 1850’s. The hallmark barn was one of the largest and most impressive landscapes in the area, mirroring farm’s manicured and impressive fences and outbuildings. The barn was used for all types of livestock, equipment, and crop storage. The Miller’s were well-known for their excellent quality of Short-horn cattle, Poland-China hogs, Merino and Cotswold sheep, etc. The farm contained some of the best pastures and heralded some of the best undisturbed pasture lands in the state of Indiana. These quality pastures were the foundation for Purdue University’s interest in receiving the Miller Farm for their Animal Science genetics and pasture research. Townsend Farms stabilized the barn from the day of their initial ownership until today. Around the turn of the century and through the leadership of former Executive Director Betsy Kranz Jones, Center for Agricultural Science and Heritage, and former President Richard Moe, National Trust for Historic Landmarks, the Miller-Purdue barn was listed as one of America’s top endangered historic sites. Even though funds were not available to restore and preserve the barn, the Townsend family at their own expense secured the foundation, repaired, and preserved this historic and irreplaceable barn for future generations of Americans wanting a glimpse of America’s agricultural historic landscape. 

Seyfert Barn, Delphi
Richard Marlen Sibbitt originally obtained a land patent for 160 acres in 1830. The records date the house built in 1837. Sibbitt descendants owned the property until 1984. We are the 4th owner outside of the family. From an old sketch after Richard's death (11/25/1877), the barn was used for cattle and horses on the basement level. From the way the flooring lays, the 1st level was used for grain and the 2nd level for hay. Structurally the barn is not far off from it's original set-up. The cupola was taken off, 2 of the open basement bays/doors were enclosed in the SE corner, and a block wall was installed on the south end. We are so in love with the beautiful Vintage Oaks property, there is so much rich history surrounding both the home and the barn. Its evident that previous owners have loved and cared for both the barn and the beautiful brick colonial. It's not just the barn that is amazing, its the whole setting, complete with a stone milk house. The craftsmanship is just amazing. This property is our dream come true. My husband came from a farming family and always wanted to have animals for our 3 boys to show in 4H. After spending 4 years looking for the perfect place, we finally found this property. This barn is going to be so prevalent in our children's memories. We plan to use it as a wedding venue, but also as a place where our boys can learn hard work, and values that come from growing up on a farm. 

Maish Barn, Frankfort
The barn was built in 1908 and was used by the Maish family until 1968 when it was leased to Martin Henderson to renovate and use as a Summer Theatre. The theatre just completed its 47th Season. All wood used in redoing the interior and additions to barn came from two other Clinton County Barns that were torn down.

Presti Barn, Bloomington
The current owner of this barn has no information.  He believes it to be built in the late 19th-early 20th-century.  

Scudder Barn, Florence
It has hand hewed beams and wood peg construction.

Whittington Barn, Elizabethtown
We are the third family to use this barn. The first family, the Thompsons, built the farmhouse and moved the north end of the barn from the original homestead down the road with log rollers and mules. When we moved here in 1972 our neighbor, who would be about 120 if he were living, told us about the day he skipped school to watch them move the barn. His mother caught him! He said watching the barn go down the road was worth the trouble he was in. That north end of the barn still has the bark on some of the log beams. The Thompson family enlarged the barn by adding the south end. That end of the barn still has beams showing ax marks. Much of the interior construction is still held together by mortis and tenon. The Thompsons used the barn for general agriculture. The second family to own the barn, the Anthers, traded in mules and race horses. He added stalls in the main part of the barn. Hay was stored in the large loft to feed the stock and for sale at the race tracks. However, by the time we purchased the property, the stalls and been removed and the south end of the barn was used for cattle. The four board fence surrounding the barn defined the feedlot. We continued to use the south end of the barn and lot for feeder cattle. Our children used the north end for 4-H livestock projects. The barn was home to ponies and horses, dairy goats, rabbit hutches, project steers and hogs. The barn also was used for FFA and 4-H meetings and pick up basketball games. Many hay forts and swinging ropes appeared in the loft. During all this time the barn had an old fashioned lime and dirt floor, bats, and barn swallows. After the children left home and the project animals were sold or died of old age we chose to restore the barn. We found a local craftsman who accepted the job as a challenge. Many of the beams were hollow with rot and to our surprise the two sections of the barn had never really been hooked together. The restorer used a log chain to pull the parts together, hooking one link, tightening it, and running out of the barn. The next day he tightened one more link and did the same thing. He was able to raise the barn and install a new stable foundation. We were able to purchase rough cut beams and board from Hope Hardwood but had to wait for them to cure. We were not able to totally reproduce the original construction methods but tried to be sympathetic to the feeling of the old barn and replicate as much or the original as we safely could. We left the lightening rods, bark on the old logs, ax marks, hay loft equipment and basic layout. We added a new metal roof, concrete floor, electricity, and new doors. The windows on the east side came from an old farmhouse. We use the barn as neighborhood gathering place for parties and meetings. The old "bay" layout inside helps us to use as much or as little of the space as we need. The old feedlot is used for a gas-log fire pit and corn-hole games. The pasture is a parking lot.

McGuire Barn, Parker City
This barn was built on the homestead and later moved back to build a larger barn. The barn is located on the "Leeka" farm which was awarded the Sesquicentennial Hoosier Homestead Award. The initials of some of the Leeka family are still visible carved in the beams inside the door. 

Rouch Barn, Bremen
This round barn was built in 1910 by Phillip Laudeman, who was hired by John and Susie Rouch, grandparents of Rebecca Rouch. John and Susie had 10 children. On August 8, 1916, their 8th child, Everett was born. The other seven children were sent to the barn to sleep in the haymow. When they heard a baby cry they knew there was another child in the family! After Everett married, he and his wife Joy lived on the farm for the rest of their lives. The barn could house 20 cows, 10 horses and 20 calves if needed, and the hayloft could hold a winter's feed for the cattle.  I remember going out to the pasture in the evening when it was time for milking. The cows knew, too, and without urging, they would head to the barn, each going to her own stanchion. My father thought the cows were more content with the radio playing. He said they preferred station WLS. I remember him buying the radio and that it cost $2. I remember the cold of the water for the milk tank in the milk house (before it was changed to a more modern milking system) and the design of the manure collection system. There was a trough in the floor of the cow stable. And there was a metal receptacle that ran on a metal circular track above the cow stanchions. The cows would deposit their manure into the trough. After the milking was done, my father would shovel the manure into the metal receptacle, gliding it along the metal track as was necessary as he shoveled. The metal track curved around the cow stable to an exterior door where the manure would be tipped onto a manure spreader and taken to the fields. I remember my father's seemingly constant hard work without him ever complaining of fatigue or pain.  But the barn was also a place for play. I remember my father and brother Keith playing basketball in the haymow with other men and boys their age from neighboring farms. My father would have been in his early 40s. The hoops are still there with the same nets. I also remember how impressed I was when Keith climbed up to the cupola of the barn, shimmying along the center post. This true round barn is 56' in diameter and 48' high. In 2011, barn builder Amos Schwartz did an extensive renovation including adding supports to the walls of the haymow to protect it from twisting high winds, replacing siding, and rebuilding windows, and constructing rounded doors. Note the central ventilator cupola (which has been resided with metal), double-pitched circular roof, curved entry doors and decorative paint. The Rouch round barn is an excellent example of its type, and was constructed at the peak of round barn popularity. It has been lovingly maintained by Rebecca and her brother Keith Rouch, having been in their family since it was first built.

Mason Barn, Huntington
My Mother-in-law, Genevieve Mason, described the barn as being constructed of log beams hewed by hand put together with wooden pegs. The barn was built on a stone foundation. Siding was added over the wooden exterior a few years ago. She writes; "I have many memories of milking cows in this barn for 32 years. The blizzard of '78 stands out in my memory; we had to shovel snow for hours to get in the barn. Since we live close to the dairy they were able to get to our farm to pick up milk. I milked the cows the night before my ninth child was born. I went to the hospital and he was born the next day." Genevieve's oldest daughter, Maria, and I live next door to the family farm. She asked me to see that her barn was registered. It is important to her and her family.

Otte Barn, North Vernon
We purchased the farm from the Seeger's family. Merrell and I became owners of the barn in 1975. The barn has an end drive-thru, grainery, large hayloft and is constructed of rough sawed beams, with pegs. A lean-to was added in 1980 and a new roof and red siding was put on in 2011. 

Gernand Barn, Huntington
I have always loved my barn since 1943 when I was 7 years old and my family moved to this farm. It was always full of life: kittens in the hayloft, our draft horses, Dan and Mary, shuffling in their stalls, the sweet smell of warm milk from the cows and the soft cooing sounds of pigeons. It is a 42' by 84' work of art! The timbers are hand-hewn of native oak, all constructed with hand-carved pegs. It is listed on the National Register (2001) and I am committed to maintaining it and establishing a preservation easement to help protect it in the future.

Swogger Barn, Kendallville
This barn currently houses several restored John Deere tractors, restored John Deere wagons and other restored John Deere implements used on the farm. The interior is currently undergoing additional restoration which will include adding a stairway to the hay mows which will be used to store and display many other farm tools, artifacts, collectables, etc. My father loved old farm things and Scott and Jane have added many more. It will also house the original 1950's era milkers, original milk cans complete with our dairy's number for us which was "1001" painted on each can and other equipment from the time when this barn housed an award winning Registered Holstein Dairy herd. Many trophies won by my dad for Highest Milk Producing Cow, Highest Butterfat Producing Cow and our own sons' 4-H trophies for each winning Grand Champion Dairy Steer at the Noble County Fair will be displayed. Additionally, it now houses our grandson's first John Deere tractor; our old John Deere 214 garden tractor that has been restored for him.  A 1950's era aerial photo was found that shows the working dairy farm and this particular barn as it looked when I was a child and it was our milking barn. It was "state of the art" for that time complete with 24 milking stanchions, poured concrete manger between the two rows of cows facing one another and a feed cart utilized down the center. it include an "automatic" gutter cleaner for removing the manure. Hay mows overhead supplied the hay and a 10 X 40 silo supplied corn silage. A radio played WOWO's 50,000 watt voice of farming as we milked and I remember to this day hearing "THE LITTLE RED BARN" song playing each morning! TO US, ALL BARNS ARE RED AND ALL TRACTORS ARE GREEN!!  This farm was purchased in 1950 by Galen and Alice Swogger. We have the complete history of the farm including the original abstract which includes the original land grant. Galen Swogger was a "full-time" farmer and raised corn, oats, wheat and hay for feed on this livestock farm. The primary operation was as a dairy farm selling "Grade A" milk. Registered Holsteins were the dairy cattle of choice and for many years this herd was one of the top producing in northern Indiana. While the property is located in Noble County, this registered Holstein dairy herd belonged to the Dekalb County Dairy Herd Improvement Association (DHIA) and was for many years the top herd in that association both on a herd basis as well as many individual record producing cows. Additionally, this farm raised hogs, fat cattle and early on eggs and chickens. Three sons assisted in the operation of this farm in addition to Galen and Alice. Sons Todd, Scott and Lee spent many hours assisting in chores as well as farming the 210 acres of this farm. Today the farm continues in operation after being purchased by Scott and Jane Swogger in 1981. Scott and Jane farmed and raised hogs and fat cattle for a few years as well as later establishing a beef cow/calf herd. Scott and Jane raised two sons who assisted on the farm and participated in 4-H for 10 years each showing dairy steers, beef steers and hogs. The Pre-Civil War home and barns have all now been fully restored giving the property a new look while maintaining and preserving all the history, architecture and craftsmanship associated with the property. Few farms remain today that preserve the old hand hewn construction of the buildings. The original "Dairy Barn" (next to the silo) is in the final stages of restoration as we write this and would make Grandpa Swogger proud to see its restoration take shape and add a few of those finishing touches like dormers and a cupola atop his "favorite" barn!  Today Matt and Andy now each own a piece of the farm just a short distance down the road to the left of this picture where Galen and Alice built a new home in 1981 after Scott and Jane's purchase of the original property. Their purchases occurred this year (2011) after the passing of this family's patriarch, Galen Swogger at the age of 85. Their families are now established there and the next generation of Swogger's will continue the tradition of growing up and living on the FAMILY FARM! They are off to a good start with a next generation for Matt consisting of wife Lisa and son Mason and for Andy consisting of wife Holly, son Landon and daughters Madisyn and Lydia. This new generation is already learning every square inch of the farm through their own exploration. In order to properly restore this barn, we had to jack the entire barn up and let it hang from a series of telephone poles and other long 8 X 8 posts while we hand dug and poured a new footer and then poured new concrete walls before lowering the barn back onto its new foundation. As you can imagine, this was quite an effort but a labor of love to assure it continued existence for hundreds of years into the future. My father is surely looking down from Heaven with great pleasure and a huge smile!  While I have included this one particular barn, we have two other "Pre-Civil War" barns on this property that have likewise been restored in addition to our "Pre-Civil War" farmhouse. My mother had a book on the history of Noble County and in that book she found reference to the then current owner returning home from the Civil War to build a sheep shed. That barn also still exists and has been restored as well. We firmly believe that the history of a bygone era is rapidly disappearing from our Indiana landscape. We are honored and proud to have gone to the great lengths that we have to restore our piece of that heritage. My father had several rules and sayings that he taught us and lived by. One of those lessons was that "If you borrow something, return it in better condition than you found it". As a young child I thought of the literal understanding of that as it applied to borrowing a neighbors wagon, etc. Today I know that it has a much larger and important meaning. We are all on this earth "borrowing" a piece of land and property and we have now done our part to leave this property and this particular barn in better condition than we found it....!

Hazelwood Barn, Dana
This barn has 60 windows,is 60 feet tall and 60 feet across. The outside wood siding is of cypress.  It's never been painted.
It has ramps going to the second story.  It has seven stories.  It was built for E.O.White. The contractor for the barn was Collett Merriman.

Spence Barn, LaPorte
The 33 acre Johnson Road estate was purchased by Kevin and Rhonda Spence in Summer of 2015. The main home and four remaining barns were built in 1942 by Charley Finley, a millionaire and prior owner of the Oakland A’s. The other caretaker home on the property was built in 1850 and was recently restored. The property lies parallel to the Indiana Toll Road between Michigan City and La Porte, Indiana. It is well known across Northern Indiana due to Finley’s erratic lifestyle and success of the Oakland A’s. During his ownership the team won the World Series three years in a row, from 1972 – 1974. The massive 3900 sq ft bank barn sits on a hillside facing the Indiana Toll Road which once had a Oakland A’s sign painted on the roof for all driving by to admire. An adjacent two-story 1600 sq ft flat barn was built for milking cows. During his ownership, cattle and hogs were raised at the farm. However, monkeys were also on-site. Both barns are in immaculate condition and in use today. The Spence boys, Jacob, Lucas and Nicolas, raise their 4-H animals on the property.

Kinder Barn, Nashville
This beautiful barn was built in 1913 by local Smith farming family. It was built on the ridge where the family grew fruits and vegetables. It housed their draft horses. The barn continued its agricultural usefulness until the 1950s, when a local lawyer purchased the property and converted it to one of the early barn homes in Indiana. At the same time, the Brown County Country Club was developed down the road from part of the same Smith family farm. Moving forward, local golf enthusiast regularly identified the country club as being by the "Big Red Barn" (found quote in a Miller guide to Brown County). Over the years, multiple families and artists have occupied this barn on Country Club... it was even an artist retreat for a period of time. On my first date with my now wife, we spent a few hours at this country club club-house. By fate, we ended up purchasing this barn in 2012, which had fallen in to great disrepair. After talking to multiple contractors about repairs, most suggested tearing down the barn and building a new one, as it was in such disrepair. We felt a new barn would never have near the sole and characteristics of this old barn, and felt tearing it down was not an option. After much searching, we finally found a carpenter who shared our passion for saving and restoring old barns. During our restoration process, we have replaced all the purlins, installed a new metal roof, added new ties in to the truss rafters, installed new Indiana white oak timbers, replaced some of the poplar siding, righted the hay-hood that was drooping, and replaced/added custom barns doors. The restoration of this barn has occupied much of our family’s life (we have added 2 sons). We have completed much of the work ourselves and invested thousands of personal hours of work in to restore this agricultural fixture of Brown County history.

DeBolt Barn, Union City
This barn holds many memories for me. I can remember my mother and dad milking cows when I was about 5 years old. As the east end of the barn was a corn crib, I can remember filling the crib with an elevator and then emptying it one truck load at a time with a shovel (my job) as a teenager. Later the barn was converted to hold sheep and my 4-H beef project Then it was converted to hold 1500 egg laying hens. Aging over time, my mother and I decided to rebuild or repair the barn replacing the foundation, some parts of the framing, siding, and windows one side at a time as shown in the attached pictures. Since this is an expensive undertaking, we can only do a side or less at a time. This year we could not do any work on it. As you can see from the pictures, the back, the north end and part of the front is still left to be finished. The intent and level of repair on the barn is to match the original design of the barn, etc. as closely as possible and as financially feasible as possible. For instance, the replaced wooden timbers at the south end of the barn that defined the hay mow floor (rotten due to moisture) were fastened using the original mortise and tenon designs as much as we could afford to do so. The original hay track remains near the peak of the roof. Some of the floor is concrete and some is dirt. After the barn is finished, the plan is to paint the barn yellow trimmed in white, reinstall the lightening rods, and rewire the interior.

Campbell Barn, Tipton
The barn was built in 1903 by William Phares for his cattle and sheep operation. The main portion of the barn measures 140' by 80' and is 12,400 sq. ft not including the hayloft area. The barn features a water tank in the hayloft to supply running water to the livestock before electric water pumps were common. The water tank was filled by a windmill. It also features a wooden grain leg that was once powered by a steam engine. Overhead grain/feed bins are also present in the barn. The east lean-to features an all brick floor. Half of the barn was built with hand hued beams and the other half with sawn beams. The barn also featured a Louden Carrier to haul manure out of the barn and carry feed into the barn. This barn and the property it sits on was really something special when it was in use. As you can see in picture one, there are stone pillars with black iron in front of the barn. These were around the entire property and were absolutely beautiful.

Henricks Barn, Ossian
My grandparents bought this farm in 1956. Some of my earliest memories are of my Grandpa telling me all about how the barn had been remodeled into a dairy, years before they bought it. It had been moved a couple hundred feet, had a concrete foundation poured, and had new siding installed. Some of the old siding was used to make part of the haymow floor. A milking parlor was created on the south side. In that parlor is a manure bin on a track, and it's still functional. The bin can be lowered by a chain, then raised back up and pushed out of the barn via the track. I knew a man, Kennis Burger, who as a teenager had worked on the crew that moved the barn. He told me that the job was done in 1938. The man who operated the moving business was named Hershel Weikel. 

Teeters-Eichacker Barn, Indianapolis
The barn was built in the fall of 1889 by the Reis family. One daughter, Carrie, married George Washington Askren (whose 1830s family home is located on 16th street and was rescued by Landmarks). Their initials are in the bricks that enclosed the forebay. They lived at this location until the 1970s. The family operated Crystal Springs Dairy, milking Jersey cows and selling both to large dairies for pasteurization and raw milk to customers through WWII. In the 19teens the forebay of the bank barn was enclosed and expanded to accommodate horse stables. Many neighbors remember boarding and riding their horses at the farm. I have a photo of the family with their horses in front of the barn in the later 19th century, cream caps from the dairy, and a brass cow tag on a chain worn by one of the registered Jersey cows. The barn is one of the last still standing inside the 465 interstate loop.

Schoen Barn, Elizabethtown
Dairy, and cattle stable in basement, hay storage in upper main portion of barn.

Thompson Barn, Lebanon
The Midwest 3-portal barn has a large center walkway for animals and equipment with two side aisles used to feed the animals by bringing down grain and hay from the loft. This barn was the life source for all agriculture on the farm. Three horse stalls, one long feeding stall for beef cattle, two smaller stalls for dairy cows and the remaining stalls for feeder pigs and chickens. Two areas in the loft existed for oats and barley, a hanging area for tobacco and back lean-to corn crib for animal feed. The entire two tiered loft area was for hay brought in by the large hay hooks. The structures primary wood is oak and the siding is popular. The frame work is hand hewn timber and assembled with wooden pins using mortise and tenon joints. It is assumed that the timber for the barn and the house built at the same time grew near or on the farm. This barn has its original batten and board siding. When the property was purchased in 1998 an unconfirmed story about the barn was told. Between 1909 and 1911 the local historic Boone County Courthouse was built six miles away. A worker that spent years building the court house would bring home huge slabs of the defective Bedford limestone that was used in the construction of the court house. These slabs were used throughout the foundation and sidewalks of both the farmhouse and the barn during its construction. Some of these massive 8’ x 4’ x 4” sections can still be seen around the barn today. Behind the barn sits a small blacksmith shop and scale house. The shop was assumed to be used for repairs around the 150 acre farm and the scales used to weigh animals and grain. The farm still has its old windmill and huge watering trough. Around 2003 in an effort to save the barn the Western corner was raised 22” in order to remove the old deteriorated foundation. A new foundation was put in place and the barn lowered. The next year the old cedar shake and T lock shingle roof was removed and replaced with dimensional shingles. The barn sits as it is picture, with its original board and batten siding. Effort are continually been made to maintain the history and integrity of the barn through restoration. The next step is to secure the exterior siding and prepare for paint.

​Weissert Barn, Bourbon
Was owned by the John Luty/Kenneth Luty family for 97 years, until we purchased it in 2007.

Hughes Barn, Perrysville
The original news paper article can be produced that shared the grand opening of the barn along with food served and the party that was given in 1919. The barn was shifted back onto the original foundation after the storm of 1992 almost destroyed the barn.

Mundy Barn, Mitchell
Although we don't know exactly how old this 48x52ft barn is, it was originally located on the Murray farm southwest of Mitchell in Lawrence County. My Great Great Grandfather Enos Mundy and his son Joe, my great grandfather, purchased the Murray farm in the early 1930’s.    The father and son lived on an adjoining farm to the east and decided that the barn would be better utilized if it were closer to the already established homestead.  In the mid 1930's with the help of family and neighbors, the barn was reinforced and supported so it could be lifted off of the foundation and placed on logs.   Pulled by tractors, the barn was rolled on the logs nearly a mile to its new home.  The new foundation was poured and the barn was lowered onto it's resting place of the last 80 years.  After the death of Enos, Joe continued raising cattle in the barn, many of which were purchased in St Louis and brought to the farm.  As Joe neared his retirement, he divided his farm’s between his three children, Joe Batson, Robert Eugene and Sherlia.  Around 1958 Sherlia and her husband Myrlen Hunter, who had just graduated from Purdue, were returning to Mitchell and needed a home. Since her brothers already had homes established, they returned to the original homestead. The Hunters continued to raise cattle and horses for several years. Around 25 yrs ago after the last livestock left the farm the barn was re-sided, in-part because of a bull that liked to make new doors wherever he wanted.  The board and batten siding was sawed and installed by the local Amish.  The barn loft was also repaired and continued to be used for hay and straw storage.  In 2014 Aunt Sherlia's farm was purchased by my father Barry, and myself making us the fourth and fifth generation of Mundy's to own the barn.  Today the barn is still used to store some of our farm machinery and supplies.  Although it has been several years since the last livestock left the barn, our future plans are to bring "life" back to the barn as it was for so many years.  

Dull Barn, Thorntown
As a kid growing up on the farm, my Dad used this barn for multiple purposes. I helped fill the haymow with baled straw for many years. This barn sat at the corner of the pasture and was used as shelter for the cows. When my Dad became a Pioneer seed dealer, we used it as a warehouse for the bags of seed. When my wife and I were married in 1982, we moved onto this farm and planted our first Christmas trees in 1985. The farm had outgrown the usefulness of the barn and it had become mostly a storage area. When we started selling Christmas trees in 1993, we cleaned it out and used it as the tree processing area. We use part of it to store signage, equipment, lumber and pre-cut trees. In 2010 we entered the barn in the "Help grow your soup" campaign sponsored by Campbell's Soup Company and the National FFA Alumni Assn. Our barn was one of the five national winners and thus received a complete make-over and rehabilitation in just two days. We took that opportunity to modify it to be more usable for our purposes while retaining it's integrity. We then started getting requests for weddings and other events to be held in the barn which we did for the next few years until our son and daughter-in-law came back to the farm and we began our Pumpkin Harvest festival. The barn is the centerpiece of our farmstead. It is a beautiful statement to the history of our farm and I often wish that the walls could talk. I would love to hear about the hopes of the future that this barn brought to the original owner and builder and also to hear his thoughts about how we use it today. I think he would be proud that his barn has withstood both the test of time and the progress of production agriculture and that it still has a vital role in the success of our farm.

Goss-Reitzel Barn, Clayton
Peggy Goss Reitzel inherited this barn as a part of the farm estate, from her parents Charles and Merietta in 2002. Mr. Goss had purchased the farm, including the barn, in the 1960's from a Mr. T. Malcolm Albertson, better known as Thankie Albertson. The barn was originally built to house and care only for horses, particulally draft horses. The barn, believed to have been built about 1910, is a pine wood outside and poplar inside- a very sturdy structure. It was built with a concrete floor in the main part of the barn, and a dirt floor in its breezeway. On the barn's West side it has a metal roof now, not the original of course. The barn has a large open-peak gable center front on the second floor, to provide ventilation for animals and grain. There are several windows on both floors. On the East side of the barn, outside is a wooden corral to gather and sort livestock. There is a ramp to load the sorted animals for being moved. One time as Charles was working to load several cattle to go to market, there was a cow that got frightened and made it out of the barn lot. The family was able to keep the cow on the property and eventually loaded via the ramp, but not before it managed to jump onto and over the hood of his daughter's Monte Carlo.  Inside the barn were 4 large stalls. Each had a "tall rectangular box" mounted on the wall beside the horse. The boxes could be opened or closed. When hay was "poured" into the boxes from above and the doors were open, it was suppertime for the horses. Between the main part of the barn and the breezeway, there is both a wooden corn crib and a closet or grain bin for storing other grains, particularly for the horses. As time passed and horses were replaced by tractors, the barn became all-purpose and served other animals, mostly beef and dairy cattle, or whatever else the farm needed. Inside the main door of the barn, is a sturdy workbench with tools, both old and new. Whoever sits at the workbench has a good view of the driveway and house. Nearby are the stairs to the second or mow. It held (and still does many stories about what all critters did and had lived there.)  For the grandchildren over the years, it was a place to explore, play and share secrets. And for some of them a place to have their senior pictures taken. Recently the barn has had some repair on it's Northwest corner which was near collapse. In 2013 that was completely lifted and restored. The barn is now very serviceable and attractive. It's most recent resident was a sweet invalid horse who "left us" in October. The barn is particularly lonely now.

Wolfe Barn, Lakeville
The barn was built in the 1850's as a three bay hay barn on the adjacent property. About 1900 it was moved in one piece 1/4 mile away at which time a 4th bay and lofts were added. We preserved the barn in 2006 by moving it to its current location onto a new foundation & sills. Rotten sill timbers were replaced and the rotten bottoms of posts were cut back to good wood and set on recycled hand cut sandstone blocks. Last year we hosted a reunion of the family that used the barn in the 1930's-50's and shared many memories of farm life. A volunteer made a movie from recordings of the event.

Milner Barn, Terre Haute
Word of mouth handed down over generations indicate the wooden beams and siding were obtained from timber grown on the site. There was a saw mill on the premises which was utilized to prepare the materials. More recent remodeling also utilized lumber from timber grown here and sawed by the Sankey farm next door. In 2014, Dorothy's favorite quilt block was mounted on the south end.
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Thomas Barn, North Salem
The Tippey’s
Our barn was built by Jesse and Vera Tippey in 1936. Vera Kurtz Tippey was born in 1896 and raised on a farm just one mile south of this farm. She was one of four children born to Charles Kurtz. Her two older brothers, Ralph and Henry, both served their country overseas as Marines during WW1; only Ralph returned home alive. Their younger brother Charles stayed on the farm. Jesse Tippey was born and raised on a farm in Grant County and later moved to Wabash County where he graduated Linlawn High School in Wabash, Indiana. Jesse and Verla met while attending Earham College where both were studying to be teachers. They married in 1917 and moved to Washington State where Jesse served his country as Sergeant 1st Class in the U.S. Army. After the war, Jesse and Verla moved to Florida where both became educators. Jesse was an industrial arts teacher and Verla was a home economics teacher. It was during the Great Depression that they discovered the farm just north of Verla’s parents’ farm had been foreclosed on and was sitting vacant. Jesse and Verla pulled what money they had together and made the down payment on this farm. Jesse began working for Allison’s as a member of the “Tiger Team” which helped Allison’s develop their first jet engine for the Lockheed P-80 late in WW2. Verla began teaching home economics at New Winchester High School in Hendricks County. Jesse and Verla continued in their careers while raising registered Hereford cattle, Poland China hogs, and black-faced sheep. The Tippeys retired in the early 1960’s and continued to farm until their deaths three months apart in 1982.
The Tippey Barn
The Tippeys found the farm, including the small frame barn, to be in disrepair and needing much work. Jesse knew the only thing to do was to start from scratch and build a new one. Re-using the oak peg constructed timbers from the old one was a great place to start. Mr. Tippey’s new barn was made with oak peg beams along with some of the older hand hewn pegged beams. It has a corn crib running the length of the barn with doors strategically placed in order to fill the crib. The loft has a rail, hay trolley, hooks, and sling that are still in working order. The center of the barn has an oat bin that is surrounded by box stalls and a manger area that was used to house the horses, cattle, and sheep. The lean-to on the east side of the barn was used to farrow their Poland China hogs; the lean-to has six small exterior doors in order for the sows to be let out each day. The exterior of the barn still has the original tongue and groove knotty pine siding on three sides. The siding on the north side still has the original cedar siding; cedar was used to withstand the mildew due to the lack of sun. The loft floor was also constructed with the pine tongue and groove knotty pine. After all these years, the loft floor is still level and smooth. Like many barns, it still has that basketball goal on the wall making it the perfect place for a game of basketball. The painted hardware is the original hardware as are the 12 frame windows. It was built with a concrete floor and had one faucet for running water which was, no doubt, a luxury for the day. Lastly, the barn includes a 1932 Challenge Model 27 Windmill that is still in working order to this day. The Tippey children decided to auction off the property seven years after their parents’ death. Bob and Mary Fleece, who were neighbors, purchased the farm at the auction in 1989 and two years later, sold the farm to Dave and Debbie Thomas who also lived in the area. Dave and Debbie, along with their two daughters, maintain a herd of registered Simmental cattle and Corriedale sheep. The barn that Jesse and Verla Tippey built remains the centerpiece of our farm, It has been the winter birth place for our animals for many years. From this barn, many champion and grand champion animals have been produced including the Grand Champion Fleece of Wool at the 1999, 2001, and 2003 Indiana State Fairs. It has also produced the Grand Champion Beef Carcass at the 1999 Indiana State Fair, along with many other Champion and Grand Champions at the county, state, and national Level. Our barn also serves as a gathering place for various family and social events. We have aerial photos of our farm / barn from three different decades beginning in the 1960s; each photo is taken from a different angle. We give the barn a fresh coat of paint every 5-6 years making sure it will be here for many generations to come, if only it could talk!

Crum Barn, Michigantown
The original part of the barn was built in 1904 (32'x60') with an addition in 1940 (21'x65') including a hayloft and mangers for cattle . My father purchased the farm in 1964 and in 1966 added 27'x65' which included a shed roof with a 8' wide manure pit and concrete apron (12') for hog feeders. It was divided into 4 pens. Currently it is used for equipment storage. My father is very proud of his upkeep on the barn. 

Berry Barn, Rockville
This barn was built in 1910. Four generations of the Dale and Norma Jean Gerrish family have had the privilege of enjoying this barn and homestead since the 1950's, when my parents bought it. My sister and I own the barn and homestead now. The 35'X42' barn is wood-sided with a metal roof that was added over the wood shingles. A metal sided 14'X42' lean-to was added for equipment and hay storage. The other wood-sided lean-to had sliding doors, but have been removed for repair. It was used for equipment storage and also to bring wagons through to load and unload grain such as corn, wheat, and oats into the two graineries housed in the barn. It is now used for equipment storage and livestock. Beside the graineries is a walkway with a ladder leading into the hayloft that runs the length of the barn. It was and still is used for hay and straw storage. It also houses the barn cat. At one time, we would find eggs from the chickens that roamed freely. The inside of the barn is still original with wooden beams, wooden pegs, oak boards, and a partial concrete floor. I believe at one time dairy cows were milked in the section with the concrete floor. The section beside the walkway is used for the housing of livestock along with a separate section in the back of the barn with dirt floor that also houses livestock. As I was growing up it housed pigs, cows, and sheep. Since that time, we have added goats and donkeys. Each generation has been able to enjoy the miracle of birthing, the joy of bottle-feeding, the grooming of 4-H animals, and the daily chores of feeding, watering, cleaning, and bedding of the livestock. My brother spent time at the basketball goal that was attached to the front of the barn, though it didn't bounce well in the barn lot. Hay and straw forts were made in the hay loft. Spotlighting birds and corn cob fights were also enjoyed. Adventures enjoyed are dodging barn swallows that swoop into the barn to roost and nest and watching for black snakes that Dad had a habit of catching and releasing into the barn to catch mice. Snake skins can be found to remind you that they are there. Improvements such as updating electric and replacing boards have been made, but repairs are always being done to preserve the barn. It is still being used as it was intended when built. Assessed value of this barn could never exceed the value of the memories my family and I have for this barn and I hope to have many more. I am sure the sentiments are the same as my fellow farmers and barn owners.

Leeke Barn, Roachdale
The barn has been in my family for over 100 years and I am very honored to be the caretaker now. The property was purchased in 1912 by my great grandfather Charles Dean. He raised prized Spotted Poland China hogs in the early 1900s and was involved in starting the Registry in Bainbridge in Putnam County. My memories are of playing in the barn on the straw as a little girl when my grandparents owned the property. Today as the 3rd generation and 4th family member to own the farm, I love spending time in the barn admiring the sturdy construction that has endured for over 100 years. 

Beckman Barn, Jasper
Built around 1880 this double crib bank style barn has been the focal point of the Beckman farm for many years. While we don't have the exact details of its construction, it is presumed that it took many neighbors to set the very large hewn beams squarely onto its sandstone foundation. The large ropes and pulleys still hanging in the rafters serve as a reminder of all the labor that went into storing hay for all the cattle and work horses that called this barn home. Currently the 7th generation of the family is living on the farm, and like all the generations before, they too will have memories of climbing the log walls, building hay forts and feeding cattle in the basement stables. The barn recently received its "15 minutes of fame" being shown on an episode of the DIY network's Barnwood Builders. With a fresh set of poplar siding and repaired foundations, this barn is ready to withstand the elements for more generations to come.

Schrock Barn, Silver Lake
This barn was built from the same man who built two others down on the same road from us. It was made from peg log trees which had to be brought in by horse. Our brick home was built in 1880 so the barn had to built sometime after that. We get strong winds here so it's leaning a bit. We recently just purchased the property and trying to continually improving it for generations to come.
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Calloway Barn, Macy
The barn was built in 1914 by a crew of 7 men, they lived with the family during construction. All the lumber for the barn came from a 5 mile radius of the farm. To form the curve of the boards for the round barn they were soaked in the open ditch just south of the farm. The barn still has the original horse stalls in it, and the box stall that is beside the silo. The silo boards are all one length (about 30 feet) and the silo is water tight and still used everyday. The barn has its own well for watering the livestock. My daughter, Allison hosted a 100th birthday party for the barn in 2014 for my parents. It was a great memory that we could share with family, friends, and community members. She planned everything from the food, entertainment, barn tours, and a commemrative can coozie. To top it off she made a digital scrapbook of the history of the barn and also a digital scrapbook of the barn party for my parents. We as a family feel very fortunate to have such a piece of heritage and landmark that is part of are family. 

Reed Barn, Greensburg
This round barn was built in 1911 on an 80-acre homestead in Washington Township, which is located in Greensburg, Indiana. Strauther Van Pleak built the barn in order to raise mules for use by the army. After Strauther Van Pleak retired, the land was farmed and livestock were raised by the Morgan family—specifically Preacher Morgan. After Preacher Morgan’s death, the Reed family, who are still in possession today, purchased the land and barn in 1996. The Round Barn was restored to its former glory in 1999. The horizontal siding was restored and the historic farming tools and relics found inside display now on the walls. The structure itself resembles a three-tier cake. The center of the barn is an eighteen-foot silo, made of brick and concrete, which was constructed first and supports the conical roof—featuring a double cupola. “[Today] the purpose of the Round Barn is to maintain our valuable heritage and to pass it on.” – Richard Reed, owner.  Presently, the Round Barn is used for agricultural education/ training. It is visited by school groups, youth groups, as well as many other groups/ individuals wishing to learn more about this unique structure. It has become an important historical landmark for our community. 

Tuttle Barn, Greenfield
This barn has been the heart and soul of Tuttle Orchards for over a century. It was used for dairy production, storage of apples, and many other things over the years. The original 1895 barn with hand hewn beans was damaged extensively in a 1930s wind storm. It was rebuild from the square up as a gambrel roof with locally sawed timber. Was remodeled in the 1970s to include a new addition to one side. It was at that time that the barn become a farm store that has become a tradition for thousands of families to visit each fall when they come to the orchard for apple harvest season. 

Tatoole Barn, LaPorte
Built in 1939, the La Porte Vineyard Barn, located at 450N and US Hwy 35, replaced the original after it burned down. The barn was necessary for temporary storage for the grape harvest. Grapes, at that time, were hand-picked into wooden beer boxes referred to as lugs. The lugs were loaded into the barn from wagons using skate roller conveyors, which are still in the barn. When a truck arrived to haul the grapes to market, the lugs were loaded into the truck from the barn using the same conveyors. The hayloft floor joists are at 16" centers. The first floor joists are at 12" centers for added strength to support the grape lugs/beer boxes. The La Porte Vineyard was placed under contract to National Grape Co-Op, owner of the Welchs brand, in the 1950's. In 1963, yellow plastic grape lugs replaced the wooden lugs. All but about 50 of them remaining in the hayloft, were burned for frost protection in the following years. The yellow lugs were loaded directly onto trucks, then immediately transported to the Welch plant, located in Lawton Michigan. The grapes were no longer stored in the barn. When my parents purchased the farm in March of 1963, it was purportedly the largest independently owned vineyard in Indiana with history as a vineyard reaching back to the late 1800's. Two cow skins hung in the barn when we arrived. One black and white, the other brown and white. The names Prince and Silver are stenciled on the cross beam just inside the single basement door, suggesting livestock was kept there. Also there is a hay chute from the hayloft in the northwest corner of the barn. Over its history, the La Porte Vineyard Barn has served as a well-known landmark for local directions. Many people and neighbors still relate stories of themselves or family members working the annual harvest. Some tell a story of how when no one was home at the farm and the barn locked, the light in the hayloft would come on just after dusk and be off the following morning. Presently a working barn, the La Porte Vineyard Barn overlooks the grapes and landscape of the past as well as the corn, soybeans, and hops of the future.

Reed Barn, Bloomington
Told barn was built by Moses Ryan in 1899, farmed and ran cattle on property. Old State Rd 37 North ( Old Dixie Hwy) runs right in front of barn. Big hill known as Mos Ryan Hill. Just north of barn, Hindistan, an early stagecoach station. Barn is said to be haunted! At time of Great Crash of 1929, a man hung himself in loft as he lost all his money. Stories circulated that his family buried their money by brick silo after Crash, in a coffee can. None found to date. In 1949, northeast barn lot, The Greyhound Bus Wreck occurred. Sixteen people burned alive. Barn famous locally for ghosts and buried money! Barn still has hay equipment in loft ceiling,brick silo, stonework at base & foundation and original wood siding, wooden beams. We paint the barn every 5-7 years and the Amish repair her roof when needed.

Barnett Barn, Rockville
The barn was built by Reason Bradfield in the 1860's. Livestock was housed in the bottom and on the second floor there are two grain rooms and a corn crib. Wagons were driven up the ramp and grain was threshed on the tongue and groove floor then shoveled into the grain rooms. Chutes go through the floor into the feed troughs on the bottom floor. The louvers on either end of the barn would be removed and the hay loaded into the hay loft using horses and the hay trolley which remains in the barn. When we purchased the property in 1993 the barn was in poor repair. The roof had been bad for so long that most of the floor was rotten and had fallen into the bottom floor. The posts and beams that had deteriorated were replaced with post and beams salvaged from barns of the same era, and historic landmark recommendations were followed in all stages of work that has been done. The new flooring was timbered from the woods on the property. This barn is an important part of our family, our daughters chose to hold their weddings here, and we have held graduation parties and church dinners and many other family functions in it. It is also a well-known in the community as it is along the major thoroughfare US Hwy 41 and is often a landmark when giving directions. Bradfield Corner is still on most maps (this area is called Bradfield Corner because of the amount of land homesteaded by Bradfield’s) so we have chosen to retain that name for the Barn.

Coon Barn, Kewanna
The lumber is all locally grown and harvested by family of the original owners. It is one of very few round barns with horizontal wood siding and a silo running up the center. The silo is made of wood and the boards are solid boards with no seams. There are many more interesting and fun family facts. 

DeLagrange Barn, Woodburn
Part built in 1894 farm has been in family since 1894 grandpa added lean to in 1941 main long part was added in 1950 or early 50s i remember filling to rafters with hay 20-30 years ago. 

DeLagrange Barn, Woodburn
The first part was built in 1894 then added to in 1941, and added again in 1950.  Then more added in 1970s. The memory is filling it to the top with hay and raising cattle in it.  There are hogs in there now, and it is mostly to store things. I hope to one some day and have some cattle again.

Burress Barn, Evansville
The barn was built around the turn of the century by my great-great grandfather, Joe Sansom. Over the years the barn was used as a dairy barn for Holstein and Guernsey cattle. The property was purchased in 1884 and the barn was built soon after. It is now a Hoosier Homestead Farm and has been in my family for 119 years. I’m the fifth generation to live on the property. As children my brother and I would help milk and feed the cows as well as climb in the loft and explore the barn. Currently the barn is being used to store farm equipment and house a flock of chickens. I’m dedicated in preserving the legacy of my family and maintaining the barn and out buildings.

Coolman Barn, Freemont
The granary built in about 1890 was cut lengthwise down the center and moved to its present location in 1940. The granary was made wider with a corn crib on one side and three grain bins on the other with a drive through down the center. It was also made longer to accommodate the windmill. The bins contained oats and wheat with ear corn in the crib. I remember a cow watering tank being located inside the granary by the windmill with head only access on the north side of the granary for the cows to come drink. A nice place for a cool dip on a hot summer day when we were youngsters. In 1852 sixty acres of this farm was deeded to my great great grandfather Nelson Hutchins and has been owned by following generations ever since. The original house built with hand hewn timber was over 100 years old when it was replaced by my parents in 1956 The big barn with hand hewn timbers still stands with the little barn and the granary on the homestead. In keeping with the barns, we restored the granary in 2012.

Coolman Barn, Freemont
The hand hewn beams of the original English barn are still visible in the hay mow supporting the gambrel roof. Their telltale marks are of the lofts with horse stables and cow stanchions below, a central aisle and the hay loaded into the lofts with a hay hook. In approximately 1864 the English barn was lengthened by 20 feet and the gambrel roof were constructed of sawn timber enlarging the barn to 30'x60'. The rotten lower sides of the barn were replaced by cement blocks, the feed room and milk house were added by my parents in 1949. This was in time for the registered Ayrshire dairy herd and selling grade A milk to Paige Dairy. My parents were very active in the community with 4-H, Farm Bureau and the County Health Board. Through the years of 4-H projects at the homestead we experienced the busiest highlight as hosts to the local 4-H fair of the Great Scott 4-H Club. We used the cement area between the big and small barn as a show ring. Sixty acres of this farm was deeded to my maternal great-great grandfather Nelson Hutchins in 1852. In 1976, it was declared a Heritage Farm, the oldest farm in the county with the owners still residing on the farm. My parents moved to the farm in 1935 renting land from my mother's ancestors and later purchased it and two adjoining farms. My parents sold the dairy cow heard in 1966 the year my brother graduated from college. They removed the 32 stanchions and the water dishes converting to a sheep barn. It was used as a sheep barn for the next 25 years. Upon retiring in 2010, my husband and I moved to the farm owned by us and my brother. We had the big dairy barn, small barn and granary (all built prior to 1900) restored and made as maintenance free as possible.

Coolman Barn, Freemont
The little barn 20'x40' was moved in 1940 by my father from its original location, parallel to and behind the big barn, to between the big barn and granary with the east end facing the road. It has a gambrel roof and originally horizontal beaded siding. My father did the electrical wiring in the big barn, the little barn, granary and house (built in 1956) which are all located on the homestead. The little barn's rotting siding and sills were replaced with cement blocks in 1967. Over the years this little barn has been home to pigs, then dairy calves and lastly sheep. The mow stored baled wheat and oat straw which was much easier to build houses in the mow because the hay bales were so much heavier. Sixty acres of this farm have been in my mother's family since 1852. My parents moved here in 1935 renting from her family and later purchasing this farm and two adjoining farms. We moved to my family farm in 2010. We restored the little barn and installed vertical maintenance free siding like the big barn and granary.

Nugent Barn, Elnora
My husband's Uncle Paul Nugent had the barn built in 1948. He had a few dairy cows and grain farmed. It was a multi-purpose barn. Sometime in the late 50's or early 60's he turned the loft into a half basketball court for his son and friends to spend hours playing in. My husband and countless other Elnora children came to the barn during the 60's and 70's to play ball. Tom and Carol Nugent live across the road and bought the barn, house, and three acres in 1999. Their two sons then played basketball in the barn loft. We intend to keep the barn preserved for the next generations. In 2013, Carol painted her own barn quilt square(the Tree of Life) to hang on the south side of the barn. The barn is at a crossroads of Hwy.58 and 358 known as Skitter Bend just a half mile west of the new I-69 corridor between Bloomington and Evansville.

Doctor Barn, Hoagland
Louis Doctor, my great-great grandfather constructed the barn in 1888...16 years after purchasing the farm. It still in functional agricultural use now after almost 128 years. As a youngster this structure inspired me to become the architect...and farmer that I am today. You may notice by the photos that the 5th, 6th, and 7th generations of our family undertook a major stewardship renovation in 2015 to save the barn for future generations. During the repairs we found Louis' initials carved in two places and saved those boards.

McIntosh Barn, English
The barn was built by my dad, the owner of the farm, Olney Monroe McIntosh, in 1930. The barn consist of five levels. The basement level was used for milking the family cows. The ground level was the driveway. The third level was horse stalls. The fourth and fifth levels were used to store hay. Four generations of McIntosh children have enjoyed playing in the barn. Many cherished family memories include this big red barn. 

Kirth Barn, LaPorte
This barn is part of the farmstead that includes the James and Lavinia Forrester House, which was granted Indiana landmark status this year.

Enamorado Barn, Bremen
The original dairy barn burned down in the early 1940's from hay that had overheated in the haymow. The owners rebuilt on the same location, and that is the barn standing today. 

Anderson Barn, Frankfort
My grandparents purchased this farm and moved here in 1944. My grandfather had spent part of his childhood on a farm one mile away and worked throughout his adult life to get back to the twelve-mile prairie area of Clinton County. The barn was and still is the centerpiece of the farmstead. Originally, the barn had a corncrib on the west side adjacent to a drive. On the other side of the drive were three granaries that were accessible from the center drive as well. Overhead of this drive was a small grain wooden storage bin on the front and a hay mow in the back. The center drive shared the granaries on the west and serviced the cattle feeding area that was in the eastern third of the barn. In this drive, a hay fork was used to move hay to the mows on the western and eastern thirds of the barn. On the back of the barn was a small milking parlor with mangers that were accessible from the western and center drives. The center and eastern thirds were part of the L-shaped cattle feeding area. The barn was originally shingled and had blue-globed lightning rods installed for protection. I have lived and/or farmed this place since 1966 and only remember that the front half and the lower rear section had tin roofs. The upper rear roof was tin-sheathed in 2011. Upon the death of my grandfather in 1965, my parents moved to the farm in 1966. We continued using the barn for cattle, milking, grain and hay storage, and equipment storage. In the early '80s we discontinued cattle feeding, actively using the hay mow, and my father gave up milking Guernseys. In this same period, the barn was recovered in corrugated metal. The cattle feeding floor was converted into a two-room machine shop and the eastern hay mow floor was raised to the upper sills to create a shop ceiling. The small granaries are now used for tools and lubricant storage. As for memories, when we moved to the farm in the mid-'60s we installed a basketball goal in the center drive. The backboard and hoop shared the wall with the granaries that made rebounding and driving to the basket perilous. Many late nights were spent with friends and neighbors playing game after game of basketball in this lighted space with a cement floor. It made basketball a year-round activity for us and a spectator sport for the cows. My dad loved to milk Guernsey cows and he milked at least one up until 1980 in the milking parlor. My brothers and I would fill-in and hand-milk on those rare occasions when he was gone overnight from the farm. As kids, we would rearrange the hay and straw bales in the mow and build tunnels and pits for hours of play. The biggest change was moving the hay mow floor from the lower sill at 8-feet to the upper sill at 16-feet. We had to clear all the hay, remove all the floor boards, and then raise the 20' 2" x 12" floor joists to the upper level. We reconfigured the 8' door to 18' wide x 15' high to accommodate modern equipment. Eventually, I added ventilation to provide heat to either or both rooms. It continues to be a daily space for working on the farm. In addition to the main barn, we have repurposed an old three-drive scale house for modern use. We also converted a wood shed/smoke house into a farm office and later, an antique finishing area. Through the years, we added three metal pole barns and a grain system to the farmstead, but it was important to preserve the early buildings as their character connects the arts-and-crafts style home with the original farm structures.

Shilling Barn, Knox
The barn was constructed by Edgar Shilling, Jim's grandfather, who died before Jim was born. Jim had always wanted to honor the grandfather that he never knew by placing his name and a barn quilt on the historic barn. He finally accomplished that. (Jim died in October 2015.) His memories growing up included the fun while sleeping in the haymow with friends and cousins, building forts with bales of hay, and racing down the bank of the barn on his sled. One year he was sledding down the bank in the snow, among the horses in the fenced-in lot, when the sled was abruptly stopped by the hoof of a horse smashing through the sled between Jim's legs. Fortunately, Jim was not hurt! 

Heckard Barn, Logansport
The barn has hand hewn log beams held together with wooden pegs. I own this barn and farm jointly with my nephew, Robert W. Heckard III. The only exterior modification is that the original shake roof has been replaced with a steel roof. The house was built around 1890. The barn was built before my grandparents purchased the farm (in the late 1930s or early 1940s). A cousin of my father stated that grandpa was the only farmer he knew who (in the 1940s) maintained his barn and always kept the barnyard neatly mowed.  The house was built ca 1890. I do not know the exact age of the barn, but it is was there when my father's parents bought the farm (I think in the 1930's). The barn was used to store crops and equipment (when horses pulled the equipment). It housed livestock even had a small dairy to support the family. One of my father's first cousins said my grandfather kept the barn in good repair and the barnyard nicely mowed in the 40s (rare for that time). I became a part-owner when my grandmother passed away. This contest has motivated me to look at the barn and to decide that it will be better cared for in the future. 

Robertson Barn, Evansville
Grace, my wife and I bought this farm just before we were married in November 1963. The barn was built in 1890 about the same time as our house, which we live in on the farm. Over the years our barn was home to lots of little pigs and calves from Angus cows. Our three sons shared space for many 4-H projects. There is a small basketball court in one end of the hay loft that gets lots of attention from our three sons, friends, granddaughters and grandson. There is no better place to play, than a loft full of hay with tunnels and forts. The barn is 36ftW x 90ftL x 32ftH. Cross beams are a full 9in x 36 ft long all pegged together with original wooden pegs. The lean-to is 20ft xd 90 ft attached to the rear of the barn. The barn is now covered with metal to protect the wood and has a new black roof to match the house and other buildings. The original hay fork and track are still mounted in the top. Lots of good memories for a life time.

Rodkey Barn, Rossville
Believe barn was built in late 1800s; Family purchased farm in 1946. Remember baling and storing the hay and straw in the mow. 

Wendel Barn, Cedar Grove
Christopher Whitehead came to Franklin County, Indiana, from England, in the early 1820’s. Soon after, he built this 34’ by 60’ brick barn. Local history, confirmed by documentation found at Purdue University, states that Whitehead was the first to import registered Strawberry Roan cattle. While Whitehead presumably housed cattle in the barn, its primary purpose was to serve as a distillery. It was built with solid brick walls on three sides and wood on the south side. In the 1950’s, then owner, George Betscher, put a milking parlor with four stanchions in the east end of the lower level. Sometime in the 1960’s, the west end blew in during a bad storm. Before repairs were made, the east end blew out during another storm. In the 1970’s, Betscher repaired the ends by putting up a stud wall and veneering it with brick.

Wendel Barn, Cedar Grove
A neighborhood old-timer, Cliff Willey, said this barn was built around 1870. The 40’ by 90’ structure was built as a barley barn. The barley was cut with a binder and hauled into the barn and stacked. That’s the reason for the numerous doors. A hay mow was located at the north end. The horse stalls were beneath the mow, so they would start storing barley at the south end. They would fill one bay with barley, shut the doors, then fill the next bay and continue in this manner until the barn was filled. The doors on the back (east) side were just like the ones on the front. (They’re still there, but now they’re hidden from exterior view by the milking parlor.) With the doors on the front and back opened, they could drive a team in, unload the barley, and drive through without having to back the team or pitch the barley very far. It was hard to back a team and wagon. In the winter, they would thresh in there. It was the same routine in reverse. They would start at the north end. They would thresh one bay—blowing out the back doors—and move on to the next bay. The barley was then hauled to the distillery in Lawrenceburg. There had been two cupolas on top. When the current owner’s grandad, William H. Wendel, purchased this farm in 1937, he removed the cupolas because they were in bad shape, and he wanted to run a hay track beneath them. He didn’t want the additional weight up there. The cupolas had wood shutters on the sides. Just the frames remain. They’re still kicking around someplace. William H. added the aforementioned milking parlor in 1948. It is 30’ wide and runs the length of the barn. His son, William F., was building a lake on a nearby farm at about the same time. A big sycamore tree was cut down for the lake. It yielded enough lumber for the framing and rafters of the milking parlor. William F. didn’t want to put the log on his truck because he didn’t think it could handle it. Memory doesn’t provide the name of the fellow who cut and hauled the log, but William F. told the guy he might want to block the truck. The guy said no—all that truck ever did was haul logs and he had never had any trouble. At that time, they didn’t have anything to lift the log. When they rolled it onto the truck, it bent the truck’s frame. William H. bought redwood siding for the parlor, but then decided that cement block would hold up better. The cattle wouldn’t rub on it and tear it out. The redwood siding is still stored on the farm. In 1967, William H.’s grandson, Donald, turned the barn into a bank barn by raising it, digging out underneath, and pouring concrete. Basically, he put a basement underneath it. It was used as a farrowing house until 1998.

Otte Barn, North Vernon
The property was in the Seeger's family for over 100 years. The barn was built of beech wood, hand hewn timbers, with pegs, and a few larg nails . It has a drive-thru for unloading hay, a grainery, and a feed walkway. We bought the farm in 1975 and a lean to structure was added to the South side of the barn in 1980. In 2011 a new metal roof, was added along with new red siding.

DuVall Barn, Monticello
The lumber for the barn construction was cut from the woods directly behind it and remains to this day. The ceiling features an intricate geometric sunflower design using laminated curved oak beams. Elizabeth Kitchen commissioned its construction. She was referred to as "Mr. E.R. Kitchen" since women faced obstacles in conducting business at that time. It has been in the DuVall family since 1957, and we have copies of the original blueprints and lumber bills.

Fleece Barn, North Salem
This barn has 20' and 30' hand hewn beams.  It was built in 1926 and is still a working barn. 

Rouch Barn, Hartford City
This barn has two levels of hay lofts ( I don't believe top level is original). It has an attached lean-to/single corn crib, and all interior framing is original large cut timber with wooden pegs. The track and pulley has remained intact as well. What appears to be the original wood roofing is still present, though has been covered with an aluminum roof. While the barn does lean on one side, it has remained a sturdy, solid barn. We have been told at one time it was used as a dairy barn, and believe its age to be late 1800's, early 1900's. No early records of the barn/house can be found, and are only listed as "old".

Shannon Barn, Crawfordsville
I remember this barn growing up. We purchased this farm in 2004. Once doing some research we were able to continue it's label as a 100 year homestead site as I am related to the family who we purchased the farm from at the time. The barn is the first place we put money into when purchasing the farm and probably where we've placed the most. It was important to preserve it's mortice and tenon structure and maintain it in a way that is usable to our family. One of our first repairs was to a broken beam and slipping foundation at the west end of the barn where a lean-to had been added at some time. We do not have any real dates for the time it was built but we do have a lightening rod guarantee for the rods installed in April of 1908. There is also a 1909 carved into a door at the feedroom. Since purchasing the farm somewhere around 50 goat kids have been born here, several calves, and litters of kittens. We load it with a few hundred bales of hay and straw each summer and use the structure 365 days out of the year as a shelter, storage, housing facility. I am proud that we have maintained it to the best of our ability.

Baker Barn, Mulberry
This barn was in the family for over 100 years. Grandpa received the Hoosier Farmstead award in 1994 . Hereford calves, hogs, and chickens were raised and butchered here. The machine shed still has a dirt floor in it. 

Bush Barn, Fountaintown
When my wife & I bought property the west end of barn was open and falling down. We jacked up the barn, dug a new foundation, poured new concrete and installed pine car siding. We did one side a year in the following 3 years. Friends and neighbors helped. It wasn't a traditional barn raising, more of a barn saving. We are very proud of our barn and frequently receive compliments.

Anson Barn, Andrews
From approximately 1935-1945, this was the #1 Gold Medal Guernsey herd in state. It was a public dairy farm for approximately 35 years. It was then bought out by Schenkel Dairy.

Rich Barn, Kokomo
A beautifully maintained barn that has been in the family since 1903. The original structure, mid section is solid, hand-hewn logs, put together with pegs. It has individual stalls with chutes for feeding, 2 large mows and a possible threshing floor. Two sides have overhangs. This section also has an elaborate manure removal system. The owner raised prized Percheron work horses, with an famous imported stallion. In 1920 he added an addition with 3 or 4 large box stalls on each side and an aisle in the middle. It also has a large mow with feeding chutes to each stall. Tragedy struck in this barn July 1937 when a young Amish day-laborer volunteered to open a window at the north peak for a threshing crew. The top rung of a wall ladder broke and he fell 20 feet to his death. He left behind a wife and three children ages 3, 2 and 3 days old. An inscription is written on the wall commemorating this event and the owner was so distressed, the rung was never repaired. Later an implement shed was added to the structure to accommodate modern equipment. 

McFadden Barn, Claypool
We bought the farm in 1965 and used it for shedding cattle and hogs. The tenant before we bought it used one side to milk cows. The tenant before him milked cows and rent horses in one side with loose hay in the mow above the cattle and horses. I have known the farm and barn since 1951. I am a veterinarian and performed work on livestock on the farm.

Verburg Barn, Angola
This barn originally served a small farm that had an orchard, sheep and cows. The original milking stanchions are still in the barn as well as the hay lift and trolley. The construction is round logs for beams and columns and native lumber for framing. The original wood siding is still in place but was covered in 2009 with steel siding for preservation of the barn. It still has the original metal roof. 

Keilman Barn, Crown Point
When we first bought the farm I remember jumping off the hay loft into a big pile of straw that was still left there. I also remember seeing all the head holders for the cows and thinking how cool it would have been to see this place in action so many years ago. 

Allhands Barn, Lewisville
The large and stately barn is visible while traveling on Highway US 40 near Lewisville, on the west side of Big Flat Rock River. The barn has three levels and was built in 1899 but finished in 1900. The original barn is approximately 105 x 45 feet and is a pegged timber barn. Additions on the north gable end of the barn add another 88 feet to the overall length : making it approximately 194 x 45 feet. The stone foundation, visible in some areas, has utilized some massive stones in its construction. Above these huge stones are dressed and stacked stones that support the sill. There are multiple windows on all sides. The barn's siding is sculptured and painted red and white. Two cupolas are located on the gable ridge. Each cupola has eight louvered vents and a hip roof. The lowest level was used to feed cattle, the middle level; accessible through the large wagon doors, was used for grain and machinery storage. The uppermost level held hay and straw. There are trap doors on both levels that allowed for hay and grain to be dropped down to the cattle. These trap doors also provided addition ventilation option. The farm, including this barn, has been home to seven generations of the same family. The barn has had additions and improvements over the years and is still in use today.

Prechtel Barn, Jasper
This barn is in the second generation ownership, and has great memories and has been enjoyed by five generations. (The present owner's nephews, great nephews and great-great nephews). Loose hay was stored in the second story. The original hay fork is still in place. The original owner, John Prechtel (father of Edwin) lived on the farm until he was 100. (Died in 1990). He painted part of the exterior himself when he was 90.

Swafford Barn, Liberty
The barn was built by my great grandfather, Henan Parris, in 1906. My father, Parris Barnard, was born in November 1905. He always insisted that he could remember watching the barn construction from his baby buggy when he was six months old! In the 30's he milked eight cows both morning and night. The horse stable was later made into box stalls where I raised 4-H beef calves in the 40's.

Keller Barn, Seymour
The old English-style barn on our family farm was built by Alfred Beatty around 1860. Beatty (b. 1830 – d. 1916) was a prominent farmer and businessman at Cortland in Hamilton Township, about three miles west of Seymour in Jackson County. He had 180 acres of improved ground and 60 acres of unimproved ground in Hamilton Township by 1860, according to that year’s census. The barn lies approximately one-half mile south of our brick Italianate-style farmhouse, which Beatty also constructed, probably in the late 1860s or early 1870s, at the east edge of Cortland on East State Road 258. The farm – which includes the barn, house and other structures built by Beatty or subsequent farm owners Ernest Kasting and Omer H. Trimpe, Kasting’s son-in-law – was added to the National Register of Historic Places as the Beatty-Trimpe Farm in 2003. According to the written narrative that accompanied the application for National Register status, the English-style barn is constructed of large, hand-hewn beams and small tree trunks, both dressed and undressed. Most timbers are joined with mortise and tenon and wood pegs; nails were not used in the construction. A central threshing floor originally comprised the main part of the barn, with a series of smaller rooms around it. A large, two-level loft provided storage for hay; wood, hand-made ladders still provide access to the loft area. Probably about 10 years after the barn’s construction, when the threshing floor was no longer needed, a shed-type structure was added to the barn on three sides. The addition is constructed like the original, but the joints between the two are obvious. The addition forms an L-shape interior aisle on the north and west sides. The barn is covered in vertical wood siding, and it has no windows, which is typical of this style. The floor remains dirt. The barn was last painted about 20 years ago, and repairs are made to the metal roof and wood siding from time to time. The gable façade facing east has three openings, with the one near the peak providing access to the loft. The north façade has one large sliding door that opens toward the original threshing floor. The shed addition is most obvious on the west gable end, where there are no openings. The south façade has five openings supported by round and square posts resting on stone pillars; there are two primary sections separated by a central opening to the barn interior. The east section of the south façade has two openings for livestock, most likely cattle, to reach a feed trough under the shed roof of the addition; the west section of the south façade has one feed trough and a wide opening to the L-shape aisle.  A recent investigation of the barn interior shows the barn’s hayfork track, designed to run back and forth over a length of approximately 60' in the upper-most portion of the structure, appears to have been built entirely of wood, with little or no steel in its construction. The main 60’ rafter supporting the hayfork track, providing its main strength, appears to be a 4” by 4” (or possibly 4” by 6”) wood timber; while this rafter looks from the ground like one long, continuous piece of wood, it must be two or three timbers spliced together. About every fourth rafter appears to be of heavier, sturdier construction. The east end of the barn does not include a true hay loft, so it seems likely that when the upper door on the east side was pulled back, farmhands must have dumped loose hay through the opening until the area filled to the top, rather than pulling bales off the hayfork track and stacking them. Allowing loose hay to drop and form a pile in this open area probably meant more hay overall was stored, as opposed to if all the hay was baled.
THOUGHTS AND MEMORIES
Our old English-style barn is situated in a peaceful, tranquil place on our farm, an isolated spot where sounds from traffic or equipment rarely intrude. Fields with rotating crops of corn and soybeans lie to the west, south and east of the barn, and a nice woods, comprised of many black walnut trees, is a little to the northwest. An irrigation pivot is the only nearby, constant sign of modern agriculture and apart from the spring planting and fall harvesting seasons, there are few visitors to this particular part of our farm. We mow the barnyard, which is like a lawn in appearance, about once a week during times when rain is plentiful. The grass grows lush and thick around the barn, even though the area is never fertilized or treated. We’re pleased barn owls seem to find a home in our old barn from time to time, and the combination of grass, fields and woods provides a good, protected habitat for birds and other creatures. The fields to the south of the barn drop in elevation ever so slightly, as they dip into the sandy, even gravelly bayous and “bottoms” of the East Fork of the White River, which lies about 1.5 miles to the east-southeast. Indian Creek, for which the farm is named today, flows a short distance to the north of the barn, separating it from the farmhouse and other farm structures. The creek and the river spill their banks during floods, which generally occur once or twice in the late winter or early spring. The floods must further the sense of isolation at the barn, though we have no way to know first-hand, as we cannot get to it on those occasions. When Mary Elisabeth Trimpe Keller was growing up in the 1950s and 1960s, she remembers standing inside our barn, wondering who built it and how they managed to accomplish it. She continues to enjoy taking in the “smells” of the barn, sensing the “old” hay and wood odors that linger in this well-used, much-appreciated structure. Pausing in the barn for a few minutes on Christmas Eve is something she particularly enjoys, as a small tradition and gift of silence and calm.

McDevitt Barn, Columbia City
Norman and Jean McDevitt purchased this farm in 1957. The family ran a beef operation here until 2007. From the beginning, this bank barn was used for hay storage and cows, but it was also used for regular Friday night basketball games. Friends and family used the upper floor almost every week for these friendly, but competitive matchups. In Columbia City, its not uncommon when someone hears the McDevitt name, they mention "I used to play basketball in your grandma's barn."

Peterson Barn, Lowell
This barn was built by my grandparents Fred and Elizabeth Schneider in McLean County Illinois in 1890 and moved to Lake county Indiana in 1998. I played in this barn as a child and we moved it to our farm in Indiana to preserve ownership. We have a video of dismantling and reconstruction of the barn. The dismantling and reconstruction was preformed by Ivan Hostedler and his crew from Nappanee Indiana. The barn was completely disassembled and hauled via semi truck, and reassembled on the current site in Lake County Indiana.

Berger Barn, Economy
The original barn burnt down and was replaced by this barn sometime around 1940. My husband and I bought the farm in 2009 and it qualifies as a Hoosier Homestead, which we hope to do this spring. We are very proud that we were able to buy our farm and keep it in the family and will be passing it down to our four boys one day. 

Hayes Barn, Lafayette
It was built in 1944 after the older barn at this site burned from lightning strike. Thus, insurance paid for the loss, and a new barn built. The smartest thing about it was that Clyde (Sappy) M. Sheets [the owner's granddad] had a metal roof put on. The same roof is intact and has done a great job through the years. It sustained damage from time to time, but was always repaired. This barn was built by a builder from Michigantown, Indiana. There are a few barns around in nearby counties constructed in the same manner, with concrete block sides. A lightning strike burned the previous barn on the same site. This Hoosier Homestead Farm has been in our family 134 years. The present owner, was raised on the farmstead. It is located near Pyrmont & Rossville in Clay Township. Surprisingly the outhouse is intact and in great condition. It sits twenty steps from the kitchen door and summer kitchen. Clay Township was the last township electrified by Carroll County REMC. Mike's brother, Jack once won an electric lamp at the fair in Delphi, but had to own it a couple of years without using it because the power hadn't yet been extended to the farm!

Whetsel Barn, Lapel
My parents built on this property when I was four years old in 1954. It was the childhood playground for me and my friends. In the 1960's and 1970's, the stalls were rented out for horses. It serves today to store hay and equipment for the adjacent farm ground. The silo stands at the south end of the barn and is made with Brazil tile from Brazil, Indiana. It pre-dates the barn.

Whetsel Barn, Lapel
The barn was probably built shortly after 1875 when Samuel White moved here to buy 23 acres of land and start a brick and tile factory. Clay for the bricks was removed from this area. The natural gas and the clay source were ideal for the brick and tile business which flourished during the late 1800's and early 1900's. The block foundation is rounded. It is a drive-through barn with mows on both sides. Stables are located on the east end. The original hay rail and trolley still exist in the barn. All major beams are hewn. The barn stands in great shape pretty much as it was originally built. In 1874-1888 the first one-room Lapel School, the White/Studley School, stood just east of this barn. In 1954, my parents bought the property from the White family. My friends and I enjoyed exploring the barns playing cowboys, shooting b.b. guns and making tunnels in the hay. I still get asked if I remember Mr. White plowing the field with his Willy's Jeep. I do. Along with the 1875 English barn, is the 1930's quonset barn and its beautiful Brazil tile silo. These barns are landmarks in the Lapel area.

Nealis Barn, Madison
The original construction material for the barn was wood siding, limestone and fieldstone foundation and hand hewn log construction. Also their were wood shake shingles on roof. The information we have on this barn was taken from the previous owner, Alois Geyman. Alois had lived here since he was 6 years old in 1938. We purchased the farm in 2011 from him. Before his parents lived here, William and Laura Geyman, his grandparents were the owners, Martin and Pauline Geyman. Alois' father was born here in 1896. At that time there was a 22X18 foot log cabin. The original cabin is still here which has been added on to twice. It is the home we live in. The timbers in the house are the same design and notches as the timbers in the barn. The log cabin was built prior to Alois' father being born here in 1896. The original part of the barn is 48'X50' with 4 bays. The barn was added onto in 1947 which increased its size to 48'X66' with 2 more bays. The beams are hand hewn beech posts and beams with mortise and tenon joints. The foundation of the bank barn is laid up with lime stone ledge rock. The ledges on the ridge here are in layers, 3-6 " in depth. 30% of the foundation remains with the remainder consisting of poured concrete. The flooring on the floor is yellow poplar. The nails are hand forged cut nails. 75% of the floor is original. Originally there was a double door to the west that was used for a breezeway for the thrashing of small grain. In 1974 there was a tornado that hit the barn. At that time the silo built in 1949 was taken half way down. It was rebuilt at that time. Also the roof was damaged. The roof before the tornado was wood shake clad with corrugated metal. It was taken off and replace with 5V metal. The sides of the barn at that time, in 1974, were covered with 5V Metal also. The hay track and trolley which are inside unload style were also damaged at that time, leaving us with half the hay track and trolley. The roof is 21' to the ridge and the roof has a 7-12 pitch. The milk parlor also built in 1947 is a 3 station vacuum model (De Laval milker). There was a Water cooled milk cooler that had coils in it to cool the milk that was put into 10 gallon cans. The cupola was installed in 2015.

Gleitz Barn, Lanesville
In June, 1807, William Henry Harrison (Prior to his term as 9th U.S. presidency) purchased the Salt Spring Farm through a land grant, patented by the U.S. Department of Land Management. The Salt Spring Farm was an interest to Harrison due to a salt spring in the creek that flows along side where the barn is located. The farm was sold by Harrison to Dennis Pennington, then to the Edward Davis family. Prior to 1886 the original barn burnt and the Davis family sawed lumber to rebuild. In 1886 the John P. Zollman, Eugene Gleitz's grandfather and my great grandfather, purchased the farm and lumber. The current barn shown in the submitted photos was built between 1887 and 1888 by Orvil Gresham and Cortney McCoy for John P. Zollman and wife Emma. The barn is solid wood logs, and has had the roof repaired and siding covered with metal to preserve the structure. The barn has been used for milking cattle. Current uses include feeding of cattle, crop and equipment storage.

Bear Barn, Aurora
Lawrence Bear started the barn after WWII was finished. Several of the neighbors helped in the building process. There were 3 barns in the area that had burnt within a few years of each other, all due to moist hay in the lofts. All the "neighbors" worked together to help rebuild the barns as quickly as possible. The foundations is poured cement. The locust trees were all cut on the Bear farm by Lawrence himself. Lawrence also soaked the timbers daily to get the “bow” he needed for the roof. The timbers were staked in the yard and as they were soaked with water they were bent to get the correct form. It took several months to complete the barn due to this process. There are no rafters in the barn. He used a team of horses and a pulley system to get the hay up into the loft. The pulleys and hay forks are still up in the loft. It's very interesting to hear my father-in-law tell stories about putting hay up in the loft "back in the day". There is cement poured on one half of the barn where his dairy cows entered and got milked daily. The feeder from the cows are still in place with the wooden stakes where they put their heads and ate their grain. Lawrence also had a few head of sheep running in and out of the barn. I was told they didn't get along with the dairy cows very well, so they had to enter on the other end of the barn. I wish Lawrence was still around to see his great-grand daughters up there working their animals.

Smoker Barn, Wanatah
The barn has been in our family for 73 years. Four generations have raised cattle in the barn and have shown steers at local, state and national levels in 4-H & open competitions receiving multiple champions. The first of these competitions being the Chicago Stock Yards and the most recent, the Indiana State Fair. Our family has spent numerous hours working with cattle in and by the barn. It has been the focal point of many family pictures and will continue that tradition with the 5th generation that will join our family in July.

Rosario Barn, LaPorte
The barn has a molded concrete block foundation on top of field stone and an embanked entry on its front (north) side. The barn is covered with board-and-battens and its roof is covered with wood shakes. The roof has a hay hood on its west gable. The basement has two garage doors in its east wall and two small windows composed of glass block in its south wall. The main level of the barn has wide pairs of doors in its center bay that open through the building on its north and south facades. A wood door is located west of the pair of doors on the north façade. The west façade has a small wood hatch door north of center on the main level and a large hay hatch centered in the gable wall. The barn has a mortise and tenon, hewn timber frame. The basement of the barn was converted into use for a dairy operation in c. 1935 and contains cattle stanchions. The barn is situated on a five-acre homestead that includes the David and Sarah Wynkoop House, located on a rise near the east side of State Road 39 north of LaPorte. The property slopes off to the south where two other original agricultural buildings are located. A long drive extends from the highway at the south end of the property and curves past the farm buildings and continues up behind the house through mature maple trees. The drive ends at a pergola-style carport northeast of the house. The west edge of the property near the house and along the north side of the property is densely populated with landscaping and trees. A concrete sidewalk and steps lead from the front of the house to the highway. The property is mostly covered with lawn except nearer the farm buildings where some livestock pens and fencing is located. The east side of the property is former pasture area.

Barnett Barn, Rockville
The barn was built by Reason Bradfield in the 1860's. Livestock was housed in the bottom and on the second floor there are two grain rooms and a corn crib. Wagons were driven up the ramp and grain was threshed on the tongue and groove floor then shoveled into the grain rooms. Chutes go through the floor into the feed troughs on the bottom floor. The louvers on either end of the barn would be removed and the hay loaded into the hay loft using horses and the hay trolley which remains in the barn. When we purchased the property in 1993 the barn was in poor repair. The roof had been bad for so long that most of the floor was rotten and had fallen into the bottom floor. The posts and beams that had deteriorated were replaced with post and beams salvaged from barns of the same era, and historic landmark recommendations were followed in all stages of work that has been done. The new flooring was timbered from the woods on the property. This barn is an important part of our family, our daughters chose to hold their weddings here, we have held graduation parties and church dinners and many other family functions in it.

Elliott Barn, Brownstown
My grandfather milked 8-10 cows and used two horses to farm. He filled the silo in the 40's-50's and put many bales of hay in the barn. All the hay we pulled up was from the horses. He farmed until his death in 1985.

Lyons Barn, Portland
It is a pin frame barn with sawed beams. It also had an interior silo made of cypress and two wood oats bins. 

Roberts Barn, Plymouth
Once was full of small square bales, 35000 when my father purchased the farm in 1976. Barn stands 55 ft tall with original slate roof. Have purchased an 85 ft ladder fire truck to maintain slate roof. Barn was chosen Best Barn in Show for 2015 Northern Indiana barn tour visited by over 200 from 4 states. Barn basement remains in original state with livestock feeders and autowaterers.

Gaerte Barn, Macy
The barn was originally constructed of Tamarack rafters and hand-hewn timbers. It was built by John A Gaerte in 1900. The original foundation was stone, but was later upgraded to cement. The main part of the barn was used mostly for horses. There were probably 8 of them in the barn. They also had chickens in one side of the barn for some time. John E remembers piles of loose hay stacked all the way to the roof. The hay fork track still remains in the barn today. When John E Gaerte purchased the farm from his grandfather in 1959, he added a dairy to the west side of the barn, and then the south addition about a year after the dairy. He and his wife, Katy, milked cows in the three-stall dairy until they retired. Metal siding has now been added to protect the barn’s exterior. The farm on which the barn resides has been in the Gaerte family since 1848.

Nigh Barn, Shelbyville
The barn has been in our family since November of 1941 when my husband's Grand-father Robert Nigh purchased the property to establish a milking operation. He built a milk-house next to the barn in January of 1942 and it is also being used as a restroom facility today. When my husband and I moved here in 1978, the barn was being used as a swine finishing barn and most recently prior to restoration, as an equipment and grain storage facility. We added the lean to addition on to the South to expand our swine finishing operation in the early 80's. The porch was added in 2012 to accommodate the needs involved in becoming an event venue. We enjoy sharing the barn's history with all of the many visitors we have to the farm each summer! Since 2011, we estimate 25,000 or more visitors from all over the country and even internationally have come to visit and enjoy this beautiful structure.
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Kitch Barn, Bourbon
Oreal Kitch purchased the homestead including a big red barn located in Bourbon Township, Marshall County, IN in 1918; the original purchase was 80 acres. In the 1960’s new US 30 divided the family farm resulting in 72 acres on the north and south sides of new US 30. The homestead and barn reside at the Northeast corner of US 30 and Fir Road, Bourbon IN. Oreal passed the family farm down to his son, Arthur Kitch. Donald Kitch, Arthur’s son, currently resides on the family farm with his wife Christine. The big red barn remains a landmark many people use to turn onto Fir Road off of new US 30, heading to the Bremen and Mishawaka areas. The big red gable roofed barn was built in 1856 on a 2-foot fieldstone foundation 50 x 100 feet in dimensions. The barn has two levels with an earth barn bank on the east side. Over the years the barn has been used for livestock – horses, cattle, sheep, hogs, simple milk cows, and rabbits as well as storage of farming commodities and equipment. The big red barn was the heart of life on the homestead farm, but also a gathering place for church services in the community. Renovations over the years grew from necessity and well as preservation. Horses hauled Tamarack trees from the Lake of the Woods, IN to make the hand-hewn beams. One beam inside the barn is 78 feet long, with most of the others 50-60 feet long and 10” x 10” square. Visible marks made by axes in creating the barn as mortise and tenon joints and wood pegs were used in construction. The big barn was built first; a few years later the big house was built to replace the simple log cabin on the homestead. From the beginning church services were held for 30 years in the upper level center bay until the Mount Pleasant Church of the Brethren was built three miles away. The horse stalls were used for the traveling preachers and church attendees horses. Several years ago a descendant from the original builder of the barn and homestead visited. His ancestors had built the barn and house and are buried at Mount Pleasant Cemetery, in Bourbon Township IN. His great uncles who had grown up here told him about cleaning the barn and setting up benches for the church services. He had traced their family tree back to Germany in the 1400’s. The family that built the house and barn had moved here from the Goshen area. In the lower levels of the barn, stalls for horses run the full length of the west side with a door to the outside in the middle. The north half of the east side has stalls as well. The southern half of the east side has stanchions and a manger for feeding cattle. In the center of the east side is a stairway to the upper level. The south half between the horse stalls and manger is open for cattle. There are large sliding doors on the north and south ends of the barn. The east side of the barn on the upper level has a sliding door that is bordered by an earth bank. The center bay has the original plank floor, which is overlaid with native planks. The south bay was used for hay and straw storage and still is used for storage. The southwest corner has a loft used to store equipment. Currently, original horse drawn equipment is stored there. We assume the center bay was used to drive in and unload the hay and to thresh grain. Rooms on the west side of the North Bay were used to store grain, with oats being stored still in one of the rooms. The North Bay was also used to store hay and straw. The hayforks and tracks running north and south are still in the upper level. Renovations over the years include adding a cement silo to the south end of the barn bank by Oreal Kitch. It is connected to the barn with what they called a ‘feed room’ on the upper level. Below the ‘feed room’ is a manger and stanchions for feeding cattle. Renovations for structural soundness and preservation have occurred. Steel siding covers the popular siding on the east, west, and south ends. The north end is the original painted wood siding. The roof was originally wood shingles, but now is covered by steel roofing. There are lightening rods across the peak. Over the years, there has been a change to the placement of windows and doors. Plumbing and electricity were added as well. A few years ago, a strong wind/tornado lifted the roof and moved it a few inches. This was discovered when the south end was covered with steel siding. The roof was then re-fastened down to reinforce it. Support posts have been added to the manger area in the lower level behind the barn bank. The cement block wall on the northwest lower level was repaired after it was bulging out a few years ago, before steel siding was added. In 2015 steel siding was added to the ‘feed room’, reroofed, and supports added. A windmill and field stone water tank on the west side of the barn have been removed. Arthur Kitch was born and raised on the farm and inherited the homestead from his father, Oreal Kitch. Donald and Christine Kitch have lived at the homestead from 1969-1975 and again since 1984 to present. Donald inherited the homestead in 1992. Four generations of the Kitch family have lived here since 1918 – Oreal, Arthur, Donald, and Brian. Donald and Christine’s son, Brian Kitch, currently farms the 72 acres. Many family memories from filing the haymows, to playing in the hayloft, and running up and down the barn bank have filled generations of wonderful memories of the barn. Our goal is to take good care of the homestead and barn to pass to the next generation.

Thompson Barn, North Salem
Tobias and Charles Hays, father and son, built this barn with an attached crib shed one mile east of North Salem in approximately 1900.
The 20 ft. by 8 in shiplap yellow pine boards used for the siding was shipped into North Salem by train in boxcars. The Hays hand picked each board and discarded any board that was warped or too knotty. The corrugated metal roof is original. Hay was stored in the mow through the hay hood by track and carriage. Lindol Martin bought the barn from the Hays family in 1950. Dick and Clara Thompson purchased the barn in 2000, however Dick personally has cared for the barn since 1961. This barn was one of the featured barns in "Barns of Indiana", Volume II, by Donald H. Scott and Maurice L. Williamson published in 2001. (Pages 88, 114, and 115)

Lestinsky Barn, LaPorte
This barn is believed to be built by the grandson (Theodore Fail) of Phillip Fail who was the first settler in LaPorte County. 

Knust Barn, Ferdinand
The barn was built in the late 1800s. It has been in the Knust family since 1900. The 'lean to' metal siding portion was added in 1975. It is still in use today to house cattle. In 2012 - 2014 the outside boards were replaced to preserve the barn for future generations. The barn is the main building on the homestead.

Wood Barn, Flora
My wife and I purchased this house and barn on September 20th 2004, largely because of the barn. It was in need of repair to the lean-to part of the barn that was sagging due to a large hole in the roof. We made temporary repairs until 2007, when we had a new green metal roof installed by a group of young and old men alike who arrived by horse and buggy, and horse and trailer. In 2 days we had a new roof, it was an awesome experience. Unfortunately in August of 2012 our property got hit by baseball to softball size hail and the roof would need replaced again. In October 2012 a similar group arrived and this time added all new 1x4's after removing the green roof. This time grey metal was installed to match the new siding and roof that we had to replace on the house at the same time. The barn had all new windows installed and exterior painted at this time as well. We have been told by previous residents this barn was built in the very early 1900's. We have done a lot of history research on the barn and property. We have a picture of the house in the very early 1900's with this barn. During our research we located several vintage aerial photos dating 1964, 1974, and 1983. In addition to others we had taken in 2007 and 2014. Inside the barn written on the walls in a few different places are the dates of when the heifers were bred, and with which bull. The dates range from 1935 to 1942. In September of 2013 we installed an 8x8 foot barn quilt that we painted ourselves from the Martha Washington pattern. Shortly after we painted and installed our Wood 2004 nameplate on the front of the barn. In November of 2014 we choose a different barn quilt pattern, painted and installed it on the opposite side of the barn. We have had a great response to the barn quilts, especially the one that can be seen from state road 18. We have a 6- and 4-year-old boys and another boy on the way. We have had so many fun times in the barn it's hard to sum into words. It is a great place to play, work, live and learn about life and animals. We love this barn and will continue to care for it for as long as we are at this property. 

Grundy Barn, Plainfield
The Smith/Grundy Farm, listed on the National Historic Register, was initiated from an original land grant. The land grant for the property dates back to May 15, 1837 and was signed by President Martin Van Buren. The farm was built in 1927 by Romie Smith, owner of the Indianapolis Stock Yards. He owned the farm for 4 years before he sold it to Dr. Loran Hornaday a native of Brownsburg. Dr. Hornaday was a veterinarian in Bridgeport, Plainfield, Ladoga, Brownsburg and Rockville. In 1960 my parents, Robert (Bo) and Marjorie Grundy purchased the farm. They combined their names to name their new home Bo-Mar Farm. My 3 brothers and I now own the farm. The butcher shop still has the rail down the middle of the building with the meat hooks. The scalding tank that was in one corner of the building has been removed but we still have it. The first owner of the property, Romie Smith, had a meat market in Plainfield so it makes sense that he did butchering on his property.

Grundy Barn, Plainfield
The Smith/Grundy Farm, listed on the National Historic Register, was initiated from an original land grant. The land grant for the property dates back to May 15, 1837 and was signed by President Martin Van Buren. The farm was built in 1927 by Romie Smith, owner of the Indianapolis Stock Yards. He owned the farm for 4 years before he sold it to Dr. Loran Hornaday a native of Brownsburg. Dr. Hornaday was a veterinarian in Bridgeport, Plainfield, Ladoga, Brownsburg and Rockville. In 1960 my parents, Robert (Bo) and Marjorie Grundy purchased the farm. They combined their names to name their new home Bo-Mar Farm. My 3 brothers and I now own the farm. All barns on the property were fully electrified. All power ran underground from the house. The main barn has a 9 light switch panel. The barn also has a horn that when a button in the house is pushed it alerts anyone outside. The milk house was on the front north east side of the barn and held 8 milking stanchions with a concrete feeding trough. It also had an internal entry/exit to the back of the barn. The center section was for wagon storage, and had trap doors to feed the milk cows so all could be done from inside. The front south east section had 3 stalls for horses or cattle, and a "seed or feed room" which was completely lined with tin, including the door. The back of the barn was for cattle and they were fed hay through trap doors in the hay mow directly into the mangers. There was also a trap door for straw to be dropped down for bedding. At the very back of the barn there is an integral corn crib. The hay mow was standard for the day, with the main door on the south side for the hay to be loaded using the hay hook. The small door for routing the rope to raise and lower the hay hook with horses was on the north side. According to Dr. Hornaday there has always been a wild bee hive on the south side of the barn. It remains there still today. On warm summer days the barn smells of honey.

Atkins Barn, Oakland City
The original owner was the Rev. George Whitman. Whitman served in the Civil War and later settled in Pike County. In September of 1983 we became the owners of the Whitman property. The original barn had 2 lean to type structures that had been added at some point in time. We cared for the barn with paint and amateur carpentry skills to the best of our ability. On February 28, 2011 a tornado destroyed the lean to additions and took the original section of the barn off of it's foundation. Some people would have been in agreement to have the rest of the barn torn down and replaced, but we could not stand to let a part of our history be discarded. We decided to have the barn put back on it's foundation and new lean to sections to be added. We also opted to cover the entire barn with metal, and this would be less maintenance for the future. Let's just say we opted to not have to paint the barn again. Our kids used to play in the hayloft, and our youngest son, Taylor, had some of his senior pictures taken in the hayloft and the chicken coop stall. After all, the barn was a part of his childhood. In July of 2012 our nephew, Kalin, also used the barn for his senior pictures. These pictures are very dear to our family, as these are some of the last pictures of Kalin. He was killed in an auto accident in September of 2012. August of 2015 was a very special day at the barn. Our oldest son, Cory and his fiancé, Kayla, were married in front of the barn. That old barn that had been on this property for an estimated 140 years served as an example of unconditional love, and was a constant reminder of that love, while serving as the backdrop for all our photos. Some people would have chose to tear down that old damaged barn and rebuild, but we had grown to love that old barn and chose to preserve it, for it is a part of our family heritage. 

Villwock Barn, Edwardsport
This barn was used to house the ponies that were used in the underground coal mines nearby. It had feed bunks on the side and a grainery to store oats and corn for the ponies. It also has a full hay loft above. 

King Barn, Crown Point
In 1918, the Barn and surrounding farm was a dairy and apple orchard- a popular gathering place for the town in it's time. In the 50's the farm was renovated to serve as equestrian facilities. An 8 stall barn and indoor arena was added to the back. When our family acquired the property in 1994, we utilized the barn as a family homestead. It was home to a couple horses, small herds of cattle, dairy goats, chickens, and a few pigs. Our children have many great memories of playing in the barn- making intricate and majestic hay forts, having friends over to ride the horses, and various 4-H functions in the barn. Currently, the barn is the home to just a few animals now, but still continues to be a well-known local landmark- the big barn on 153rd.

Nedelkoff Barn, Floyds Knobs
THIS BEAUTIFUL BARN HAS BEEN AN AREA LANDMARK EVER SINCE IT WAS BUILT IN 1941. IT CAN CLEARLY BE SEEN PERCHED ON THE KNOBS AS ONE DRIVES ON 1-64 WEST FROM NEW ALBANY TOWARDS GREENVILLE (EXIT 119). BESIDES HAVING BEEN USED FOR COMMERCIAL CATTLE OPERATIONS FROM THE 1940'S THROUGH THE LATE 1960'S, THE BARN HAS BEEN THE HOME OF HORSES, PONIES, CHICKENS, RABBITS, BARN CATS, MANY LITTERS OF KITTENS, AND EVEN A LONG-LIVED DONKEY NAMED KATIE. EVERY YEAR FOR AS LONG AS DR. NEDELKOFF CAN RECALL, THE LARGE BARN DOORS HAVE BEEN OPENED EVERY APRIL TO WELCOME GENERATIONS OF BARN SWALLOWS THAT MIGRATE FROM THEIR WINTER HOMES IN CENTRAL AMERICA. ADDITIONALLY, THE BARN HAS BEEN THE SCENE OF ROCK CONCERTS AS WELL AS SCHOOL FIELD TRIPS. THIS BARN IS TRULY A HOOSIER TREASURE THAT MUST BE PRESERVED FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS OF MAN AND ANIMAL ALIKE. COME VISIT AND SEE FOR YOURSELF! 

Annen Barn, Valparaiso
The wooden section was built in late 1840's and has 3 levels. The brick structure (Chicago style brick) attached to wooden structure was built in 1939. The brick section was set up to be used for dairy use, with two additional general purpose stalls. The hay mow is in the second level of the brick section. When the barns were connected, the levels did not match and now has 5 levels. The roof has been replaced twice, the wood paneling has been replaced above the brick walls. Part of the original field stone foundation has been repaired and replaced as well. This property has been in our family since the mid 1940s. Paul remembers bailing hay during the 4th of July holiday and missing the fireworks as a kid.

Wood Barn, Delphi
Our family's barn near Delphi, Indiana was a great place to play barn tag. For those of you who don't have 5 brothers and a lot of cousins, here's how you play. First find an old soccer or volleyball then pick someone to be it. Everyone then hides in the barn, and the one who is it tries to find them. When he or she finds someone, they must hit that person with the ball. This is a rather tame description of a wild game. Hiders have been known to leap out of the hayloft to keep from getting tagged. Once a hider almost rolled off the barn roof! 
As a mother, I often tried to discourage the kids from playing, so if they got hurt, they'd never admit it was from barn tag. Scrapes and bruises were always explained away,except once when a big red ball imprint showed clearly on a boy's face. The boys are grown up now, but when they come back to the farm, their fondest memories are of playing barn tag. And every barn in Indiana needs to have a basketball goal, this one also has a concrete court attached in the back corner. With 6 boys the barn was used for many 4-H animals, sheep, pigs, cows, goats, horses, rabbits, ducks, and chickens. 

Zink Barn, New Haven
This barn has been part of the Zink family farm for 109 years. (1906-2015). It's survived three generations and has been well used and kept in good repair.  It's 90 feet long 40 feet wide and 45 feet high. My dad's grandfather, Paul Zink, had it built in 1906 for buggy horses and draft horses on the lower level and for hay, straw and grain on the upper level.  My dad has actual photographs in beautiful condition of the barn right after it was built from the 1900's.  This is so special to us. From 1930 to 1960, my dad's father, Arthur Zink, used the lower level for Guernsey dairy cattle and the upper level for hay, straw, grain and machine storage. During the 1960's, 70's and part of the 80's, my dad, Richard Zink adapted the lower level to raise pigs. This big red barn was also a place where I grew up, watched calves, goats and horses being born, and took naps. I learned life lessons here about hard work, disappointment and grit. I played basketball on the upper floor with my cousins, made friends with barn kitties and learned to ride a bike. I'm 39 now and have moved away. When I drive home to visit Mom and Dad at the farm, the barn is there to greet me even before I get there. The barn can be seen from more than a mile away. It gets bigger and bigger as I get closer. It fills me and my family with great pride. The Zink family is proud to share and cherish this history with Indiana! We hope it brings joy to others as well.

Loser Barn, Lafayette
Barn was built in 1938 with white oak downed in a tornado the previous year on the farm.

King Barn, Crown Point
In 1918, the Barn and surrounding farm was a dairy and apple orchard- a popular gathering place for the town in it's time. In the 50's the farm was renovated to serve as equestrian facilities. An 8 stall barn and indoor arena was added to the back. When our family acquired the property in 1994, we utilized the barn as a family homestead. It was home to a couple horses, small herds of cattle, dairy goats, chickens, and a few pigs. Our children have many great memories of playing in the barn- making intricate and majestic hay forts, having friends over to ride the horses, and various 4-H functions in the barn. Currently, the barn is the home to just a few animals now, but still continues to be a well-known local landmark- the big barn on 153rd.

Emigh Barn, Knox
The barn was built in 1940; the owners were Daniel and Florence Emigh. Their son Wayne and his wife Joann Emigh are the current owners. When the barn was built it took the place of a barn that was constructed earlier. The old barn was torn down; a more modern functional barn was built for the family farming operation. The updated barn has a north south center walkway with mangers, stanchions on each side of the aisle for the milk cows. Manure troughs were behind where the cows stood. The barn extends further to the east due to a lean to shed that covers additional pens and makes more haymow space. Workhorses were housed in the stalls south of the milk cow stanchions across an east west aisle way. Daniel was known for his Belgian stallions. The interior walls were painted white, a dairy requirement. There were doors that would fold down to close the south horse stalls during milking. At the east end of the east west aisle way was a cement silo with an enclosed silo shoot. When the silage was manually thrown out of the silo it was collected at the bottom for feeding to the cows. The ladder on the silo also gave access to the haymow. The hay and straw was tossed down an open hole beside the silo shoot. The haymow was filled each year with hay and straw when the barn housed cattle and horses. When electricity came to the farm in the 1940s the gas powered milking machine in the barn was replaced with an electric milking machine and electric lights. The milk house is a separate structure that is about 20 yards from the barn. There was a north shed attached to the barn where the calves and bulls were kept. There is a door into the north shed from the haymow for straw and hay to be tossed down. The north shed had a feed room where grain was stored, mixed and ground. A hammer mill stood next to the feed room for grinding grain for the livestock in the barn. The Emigh boys, Wayne and Kent worked on the farm growing up and were in 4-H. They kept their 4-H animals in the barn. While they were in 4-H there was a pair of twin calves born in the barn. They showed the twins at the 4-H fair. Over the years dogs and cats have also called the barn home. Daniel raised quality Border Collies. He sold the dogs to customers. If the customers were not close the dogs were crated and shipped by rail from the Knox Depot to their new home. In the summer the barn is a nesting ground for many pairs of barn swallows. There was also a bat house attached to the east side of the barn in the 1990s. In the late 1940s, the Emigh’s purchased tractors and eventually sold the workhorses. Wayne became a partner in the farming operation. He preferred raising beef rather than dairy. The dairy herd size slowly decreased. The size of the beef herd grew and eventually took over the east and the south sides of the barn. Wayne and Joann expanded the swine herd that Daniel and Florence had. Wayne and Joann use the south stalls in the barn also for farrowing at certain times of the year. When Wayne and Joann’s three daughters were growing up they worked on the farm. Between 1967 and 1982 they were of 4-H age. They each were 10-year members of 4-H. The girls kept their 4-H beef cattle in the barn. Dairy continued to be housed in the west side of the barn until the death of Daniel in 1970. The dairy was sold and the beef herd expanded into all parts of the barn until 1985 when Wayne and Joann’s daughter Shirley and husband Jeff Fosler decided to discontinue in the livestock business, and just to raise row crops.  After that the barn was used for a few years to house the feeder pig operation ran by daughter Dolores and husband Jim Surfus. When Jeff and Shirley Fosler’s two sons got to 4-H age, in 1992 the barn was used again for their 4-H hogs, cattle, and sheep through 2004. So over the years the barn has housed 4-H livestock for three generations. Shirley purchased a horse in the last 1990. The barn has been the winter home for her horse since she was purchased. In 2010 and 2011 two horses and a pony of a neighbor also called the barn their winter home. For safety reasons the silo was taken down in the early 2000’s. During this time Wayne with the help of Jeff and Shirley replaced all of the electrical wiring and lights in the barn.  In 2009 Wayne and Joann decided update the exterior of the barn. They resided and reroofed the entire barn with steel siding and roofing. The north shed was rebuilt also with steel siding and roofing. The barn is still used to house the barn cats, barn swallows and the winter home for the horse. It is used for storage also.

Beaman Barn, Franklin
This barn was built using hand hewn timbers held together with hardwood pegs. The 12 massive vertical timbers each come from an individual tree, reaching 5 stories high at the roof's peak. The barn was the first building built on this farm, to house the animals and workers. In the 1860 census, 4 men were registered as living in the barn. I grew up playing in this barn as my father and grandfather farmed the land. We would store hay and straw in the mows and oats and wheat in the grain rooms, all to feed the cows and pigs that ran underneath. This large barn, one of the largest in the county, serves as a visual landmark for the nearby airport. This magnificent barn stands tall and proud, just like it has for the last 158 years.

Musch Barn, DeMotte
The Emerick Lohrmann barn was rescued by Indiana Landmarks in 2009. It was dismantled and stored in Indianapolis. We purchased the barn in 2011 and with help from many friends and family we re-erected it on our farm in Jasper County.

Garner Barn, Plymouth
The barn was built by Robert Schroeder, Sr. in 1865 with carpenter-applied Italianate features such as louver hoods and scroll brackets under the eaves. Schroeder was an early explorer of the county who came in 1832 and became the first permanent white settler in 1833. Schroeder aided in building the Michigan Road through the county and built the first bridge over the Yellow River in Plymouth. His farm fronted the road in North Township. Schroeder was a township constable, county commissioner, road supervisor, trustee, minister, lawyer, and was elected the first president of the Old Settlers' Society of Marshall County when it formed in 1878. He and his wife, Catherine, died in 1894 and 1890 and are buried north of their farm. Their tombstone is inscribed with "First white settler of Marshall County". The farm received an Indiana Hoosier Farmstead award in 1978, and was listed to the Indiana Register of Historic Sites in 2015. Modifications to the barn are few. The barn was converted to a dairy barn in the 1930s and a concrete block wall was placed on the basement bank wall. A metal door replaced one of the large bay doors on the north wall, and during the 1930s, fiber-cement shingles were added over the wood siding to the east wall. Restoration is planned for late 2015-2016.

Hall Barn, Reynolds
This barn housed beef cattle, hogs, and sheep at different times. It has a large haymow that could have been used for a dance floor until someone cut holes in it to drop straw and or hay through for bedding. Our sons use to make tunnels in the straw and one of their friends fell through one of the holes. He was not hurt!

Lindley Barn, Salem
Our family homestead was begun by my great-grandparents back in 1885, and a barn was one of the first buildings they constructed. On June 13, 1919, however, this barn was struck by lightning and it burned to the ground. At that time my great-grandma was a widow with three daughters, so the neighborhood men gathered together and built her our current barn, finishing on October 10 of that same year. The girls pitched in by fixing meals for the men and helping to paint. This barn has been in use by our family since that time; my grandma grew up with it, and she remembers keeping her horse in there and having to milk cows in that barn. She then grew up and raised my father on the same property, so he has his own memories in this special place. By the time my siblings and I came along, the barn was where we went to hang out with dad and grandpa and to get the tractor out so we could mow! Over time, however, the barn had begun to sink into the ground; it was not square and the sides were bowing out. This year we hired an Amish man to fix it, and he and his 15-year old son did an amazing job! It now is back to looking great, and we hope it will continue to serve our family for many years to come.

Riggin Barn, Muncie
The original horse barn on the dairy site burned down to the ground. Our grandfather, Rea Riggin, who founded the dairy in 1911, stated that his next barn to be built was going to be fireproof. In the construction that started in late summer of 1937 and finished by Christmas of that year, he used up to four rows of brick and installed a 6 1/2 inch hayloft floor made from concrete. All the concrete was mixed and poured by hand. The 40,000 bricks are still in place today. It contains twelve horse stalls that have wooden parqueted blocks that the horses could stand and lay on. The wooden blocks are still in the barn. The windows are made of glass blocks and our barn is thought to be one of the first barns to use this technique. Our grandmother, Nellie, who documented daily in her journal about family and community events, wrote about the original barn's fire and the building of the new brick barn. It was considered a state of the art barn for that period of time. Our family is very proud that our grandparents built such a beautiful and unique barn 79 years ago and it is still standing in it's original state today. Several generations of the Riggin families have not only spent many hours working in the barn, but have enjoyed playing basketball with their cousins and friends from the community on the concrete court in the hayloft. In 2011, the dairy was raised and out of 16 structures, the brick barn is the only remaining facility, besides farm land, and it serves as a reminder to us daily of our family heritage.

Bowen Barn, Paoli
Dr. Darrin Rubino, professor in the biology department of Hanover College, was able to date this barn in 2010 using his dendroarcheology techniques. It served as a stop on a Barn Again! program tour in 2011 when a barn expert from Pennsylvania concluded it was indeed a hay press barn. Unfortunately, the working press was removed from the barn many, many years ago. The barn does contain a 10-foot long livestock trough hewed from a giant tulip poplar, which Dr. Rubino dated as born in 1522 and cut in 1850.

Clarke Barn, San Pierre
My grandfahter Leo Wolski purchased the farm in 1909. The farm was awarded the Hoosier Homestead Award in 2010. Barn was built in 1928 to expand my grandfathers dairy operation. The barn is a Gothic roofed dairy barn, this term defines the type of rafter used to shape the arched roof. The method used to construct the curved rafters, is the bent and sprung type. Several layers of 1 X boards were bent and laminated together to create the arched shape. Nails were used to fasten the boards with bolts every 3 to 4 feet to provide additional strength. Originally the west side of the barn was a horse barn which has been rebuilt. The east side has the original milk house which is attached to the structure. Inside there are 18 stanchions for milking, 2 maturity stalls, one stall for newborn calves and an equipment room. The metal roof was replaced by Amish workers in 2007. Outside lighting rods can be found on the roof and one large cupola, which are all original. A silo with standing metal roof stands in back of the barn is original. The barn is an example of a progressive 1920's dairy barn.
The barn is truly an important part of our family history and we continue its upkeep. My prayer is that, it withstands mother nature and will be here for my children and grandchildren to enjoy for along time to come.

​Mount Barn, Salem
My grandfather was confined to a wheelchair with arthritis. In October 1914, with much careful planning, many carpenters and friends came together to raise Pritchard Winslow's large barn. It took three days for them to complete the whole fit. A pleasing feature of the day was the big dinner prepared by Mrs. Winslow and her helpers. About forty surrounded the long table in the yard loaded with all the seasons bounties and fresh mutton, made ready the evening before. The barn has three rows of stables. One row opens to the outside for work horses and the other two rows open into the large area inside the barn. These doors are on metal tracks. There is a cistern in this area which has a concrete watering trough with a hand pump. The barn was used for cattle, work horses and sheep. Today it is used for storage. Inside the barn, a workshop with a wood stove was used in the winter to catch up on repairs. There is a corn crib where corn was stored and a grainery for smaller grain and ground feed storage. The grinder, which is permanently housed in the barn, was run by a belt and a tractor with a pulley. The stored grain and ground feed was used to feed the livestock. The large loft was filled each summer with loose hay. The wagons were pulled into the large open area and a hay fork, running across the very top of the barn, would be lowered to the wagon. It would then pick up the hay and take it up and across the loft in order to fill the large loft. The hay fork was pulled by a horse outside the barn. In 1956 a tornado hit the area and did a lot of damage to the barn; but it was restored to its original condition. The large beams with mortise and tenon joints surprisingly were not damaged. The barn has had some updating with metal siding and some extra concrete inside. 

McFadden Barn, New Harmony
This barn was built in 1821 by Noah and Sarah McFadden after their marriage, to serve as their homestead. The land was acquired from Noah's uncle Captain James McFadden and has been in the family since the original patent. The barn was the first building built on the homestead for livestock and grain storage and to serve for horse changes of the stage coaches. The barn has seen little change except for the building of additional horse and cattle stalls on the south side.

Sensow Barn, LaPorte
The land the barn stands on was originally owned by the Potawatomi Indians. The barn was built in 1889. The house was then built after in 1890. The foundation consists of large rocks. On the rocks are timbers. Between the timbers the ground is covered in sandstone type rock (purpose being the sandstone draws the moisture instead of going into the timbers).  The barn has the original hay fork and track still in tact. Our family has owned the property since 1964. We are the 3rd owners. Our family has used the barn for horses and equipment storage through the years. It is still in wonderful condition. 

Morgan Barn, Salem
On the tax roll in 1900.  The shed was added to the side of the barn between 1962-1968. The barn was made with pegs, not nails. It has been in the family since it was built. There is a chute from the two grain bins in the loft to below. 

Schildmeier Barn, Indianapolis
My Dad, Earl Schildmeier, and I milked Holstein dairy cows here throughout my youth. We also housed sheep, pigs & feeder calves. Grain, hay and straw for feed and bedding were stored here. We offloaded loose hay with ropes from field wagons in early years. The animal sounds can still be heard on a quiet night in my mind. Every cow had a name.

Williams Barn, Salem
The barn is listed in the Steven's Memorial Museum and the Salem Public Library as "being one of the few glazed tile barns in the country". Built by Sid Robbins between 1914 and 1920. The hay loft is equipped with the original hay hook, track, ropes, and wood pulleys. The barn is supported with the original steel stabilization rods. The only update to this barn has been concrete floors and electric power and lights.

Johnston Barn, Fremont
I am the fifth generation to live in our family farm house near Clear Lake Indiana. With a sixth generation (Command Sargent Major Tyson R. Johnston for the state of Indiana and his wife Jodie) and seventh generation (Their son Marshall) are moving into my father’s home here on another portion of the farm soon. Our Borton ancestors were the first distillers of peppermint in America (as documented in HISTORY OF THE BORTON AND MASON FAMILIES IN EUROPE AND AMERICA, published 1908) and indeed there was a peppermint press on this farm 150 years ago. I am uncertain of when it was removed. Although it was here when my mother was a child it was gone by the time I can remember. My Borton lineage can be traced back as far as 1550 in England and possibly farther. The Quaker branch of the English Borton’s came to America aboard the ship Amity in 1682 related to religious persecution. But I digress. My father passed away in June and I inherited the property that our regal old barn stands on. It is straight and true. The tin roof is intact, it does not sag and has never leaked, although the roof could use a new coat of paint. The siding needs to be replaced and it needs new windows and possibly doors. 

Lanesville Heritage Weekend Committee Barn, Lanesville
This Mail Pouch Barn was built in 1904.  It was refurbished and then repainted by Harley Warwick, one of the last living mail pouch barn painters, in August 1993. The artist Ray Day released one of several prints in October 1994 of our barn and it was also used on the cover of the local phone books. A few years ago, the Committee received a grant to refurbish the barn and restore it to it's current beautiful condition. Great pride and care is put into the maintenance and preservation of this barn by the Committee. There are several photos of Harvey and our barn on the Mail Pouch Barnstormers website.

Agan Barn, Campbellsburg
My family bought the farm in 1953. My Grandfather used the barn to raise sheep in the 1960's and 1970's. He also used it to hang tobacco, store corn and hay. My father used part of the barn to raise pigs. The barn has been standing for 160 years. It sustained some damage a few years ago with 100 mph straight line winds but much of it has been repaired. My fondest memory of this barn is when my papa raised sheep and I would go with him to feed them hay.

Garrison Barn, Tipton
In 1906 Henry Sandman built this 52 x 38 gable barn in Tipton. In 1988 Tim & Jan Garrison bought this barn. It had missing slate, all the windows were broken, the front door was off the track laying on the ground and it was full of termites and pigeons. They removed all the animal stalls and grain area for more storage. They poured cement, fixed the windows and added three new sliding doors. The barn still has the original slate roof (except the overhang), original hayfork with the track still inside and the original gingerbread trim. The barn was repainted in 2012 and in 2014 was painted by Gwen Gutwein. The 16 x 20 oil painting was on display at the Fort Wayne Art Museum.

Ubelhor Barn, Birdseye
Owned by Ubelhor family since 1871. I am 4th generation to own. From photos, had wood shingle roof until sometime in 1930's. Used to raise livestock and hay storage until mid 1970's. Front overhang was favorite place to pitch horseshoes on Sunday afternoons in 50's and 60's.

Adams Barn, Indianapolis
The barn was built as a floating timber frame building with a wood floor and mostly original and unpainted siding with hand hewn timbers sitting on granite boulders for the foundation. The only real change in the exterior is at some point the south facing doors siding was changed to steel, the original doors are still on the North side. Originally constructed in 1876, we understand there was a fire sometime around 1900 and some of the barn was damaged and reconstructed. we renamed our farm Barn Swallow farm to reflect the barn swallows which come and visit us from late spring to late summer every year and are our favorite residents of the barn.

Reams Barn, Scottsburg
This barn was built by Clayton Richey and his son.  Built originally with a corn crib over 3 concrete block stalls where pigs cleaned up loose corn from the crib. On the opposite side of the barn was a large trough for cattle, hay and grain. Open to the loft. The loft is open span and metal roof. A long metal track runs at the top to the bird's eye to be able to lift loose hay in the loft from wagons. Later square bales of hay and straw replaced the loose hay. After a small fire due to vandals, we had to remove the crib floor and the cattle trough. It is now used for horses and storage. 

Shilling Barn, Knox
My husband's grandfather, Edgar Shilling, built this barn in 1902. He died a month before my husband was born, so Edgar's name and the barn quilt were added in his honor about 5 years ago. Our children helped create and install the signs. There are happy memories of sleeping in the hay, sledding down the barn bank in fresh snow, raising 4-H pigs and steers, and riding the horse to pull up the hay from the wagon to the mow. The wooden siding was covered with metal before 1950.

Johnston Barn, Danville
This barn has been an integral part of our family's farm for three generations. It was constructed in 1834 by George Washington Turner and built with hand hewn, old growth poplar cleared from the same property. In 1880 G.W. Turner sold the farm to his great-nephew, John Underwood. In 1937 Herschel H. Holtsclaw purchased the property and at that time refurbished the aging barn, adding a concrete floor, cinder block reinforcements and a loafing shed extension on the north end. Wayne and Sarah Frances Plunkett began farming the property for Mr. Holtsclaw in the early 1940s and eventually purchased the 200 acre spread. Their grandson, Donald Johnston and his wife, Lydia are the current owners and stewards of the property and have fully restored the barn for future generations; adding a new roof, windows, and repairing and repainting the original wood siding. They have also added an 8x8 barn quilt to the east end in the pattern of “Weather Vane”. The block was erected in honor of Donald’s mother, Joy Jean Plunkett Johnston – an avid quilter who was raised on the farm. Over the years the barn has served as housing dairy cows, sheep, hogs, and draft horses. It has stored equipment, feed, corn, hay and straw. Back in the day its loft provided ample space for playing basketball and the concrete floor was perfect for indoor roller skating. Without a doubt, the old barn is the anchor and centerpiece of our 181 year old farm. We are so proud of its rich history and are truly blessed to have it in our care.

Herold Barn, Chesterton
The farm is referred to as "The Old Morthland Place" when I first bought it. The house was supposedly built with left over materials from the Word's Fair. The main floor is double sided all brick construction. 

Beechboard Barn, Sheridan
This is the second larger barn on our property. This barn is currently used for farm equipment storage. We know from the original owners of the homestead that the barn was moved to the property. No one knows the original build date for the barn.

Beechboard Barn, Sheridan
The barn was built on the property in the early 1900"s. It was used for cows and grain/equipment storage.  It's now our horse barn.  

Gamble Barn, Lafayette
We purchased the "Homestead Farm" from Glen Lindsay, whose ancestors homesteaded the farm in 1825. The barn has three floors. The basement was used to feed cattle and hogs. Mr. Lindsay told of herding the cattle along the road to Stockwell, a small town nearby, and loading them on trains- either to Chicago or Indianapolis. The middle floor has an earthen ramp that allows machinery to be driven in. There are several grain bins and room for hay. The top floor is for hay storage. Because my son lives on the farm and no longer has livestock he has worked on the inside to make more room for small tractors, trucks and other utility vehicles. Over the years several artists have painted portraits of the barn and it has been photographed by many. There is a picture in the book "Indiana Barns" by Marsha Williamson Mohr- published in 2010. We had the barn covered with red metal siding and green roof with white window frames and trim in the fall of 2014. I am glad we were able to make it beautiful and useful for the next 100 years.

Shireman Barn, Columbus
In 1913 there were three of these barns built at the same time. The other two barns are next to our farm and still in existence today. Our barn is still owned by a building family. What we found interesting is in 1913 a huge well known statistic was that 70,000 miniature horses pulling wagons underground so our farm has tried to bring the past to the present and still uses the barn and has also built a 150 foot long mine on the barn,. The miniature horses and all of our barn yard friends are housed in the barn.

Lloyd Barn, Union Mills
Gwendolyn Gutwein selected this barn as one of the two barns to be painted representing LaPorte County for her Barns of Indiana project.
The Lloyd Family farmstead, including this barn, was awarded the Historic Landmarks' 1999 John Arnold Rural Preservation Award. The farm house and an older barn on the property was built in c. 1856. The Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana identifies this farm as the Federickson Farm.  The barn is a Pennsylvania Dutch bank barn put up in a barn raising with post and beam framing with big oak timbers. To hold the timbers in place bevel mortises and tenons were used which were held together with wooden pegs. The floor joists were mortised to the sills, which are over a foot thick. Three fourths of the barn has pine flooring (Michigan timber) fitted tongue and groove. The other fourth of the barn floor was built with oak flooring. It has a gable roof and square cupola with pyramidal roof, five lightning rods, and original white horizontal clap board siding. It has the original field stone foundation with elaborate (original) retaining walls on the east and the north. The stone was brought in by railroad from Michigan.  Originally the barn was used to house horses, cows, pig, chickens, and a hay mow. Starting in the 1950's, and up until 1973, the barn was used to house 3000 laying hens. There are four floors. A ingenious elevator my dad constructed, powered by a chain lift, located below the cupola, was used to move people, feed, and the gathered eggs between the floors.
The turn of the century barn has been in the Lloyd Family since it was built when my grandfather was just a small child. In 1985 the Lloyd Family Farm, of which this barn is one of the main focal points, received the Hoosier Homestead Award given to owners of farms owned by the same family for 100 years or more. However, the farmstead, including this barn, will pass to other hands by the end of 2015, marking an end to a era.

Burcham Barn, Chesterton
This barn was built circa 1900 and was used as a dairy barn.  It was purchased by the current owner in 1976, and was repainted and windows were replaced. All of the owner's grandchildren have played in this barn and worked on tractors with their grandpa in it.  This 100 yr old barn has been lovingly restored and maintained by the owner. It is all original, with the exception of windows and a new roof.

Briggs Barn, Sheridan
I am the second owner of this farm. The original owners obtained the farm when the area was in the Northwest Territory before Indiana became a state.  My barn is a thrashers barn and there are stalls and an area for milking. There are two different level haymows. It is most likely the wood came from the farm and the beams are hewn with wood pegs for support and attachment. The house has logs in the basement and is part log cabin.

Chapman Barn, Westfield
My parents purchased the farm in 1952. It was their first big purchase after the end of the war. My dad's slogan was, "every day is a good day to be a farmer." The 50's through the 70's was a great time to be part of a farm family in Hamilton County. I grew up on this farm, moved away in 1971 and returned in 2009. Early childhood memories include: kittens in the haymow, listening to the rain on the tin roof, and checking on baby pigs. The barn sports the colors of green and white--the colors of the local high school, The Westfield Shamrocks. We had the barn quilt made in 2010. The focal point of the quilt is a cardinal--my mother's favorite bird.

Jackson Barn, Lafayette
Original structure to the 1920's farm, built by Louis John Beeler. The timbers used to build the barn were harvested from a woods behind the structure and were milled by an on sight sawmill. The barn was used for it's original purpose up until the mid 1980's. The barn is now part of Exploration Acres compound: a corn maze, u-pick pumpkin patch and activity area that has been in operation for the past 8 years. The current interior of the barn displays some of the tools used in the original construction of the barn.

Spurgeon Barn, Trafalgar
This barn is the cornerstone of our farm. The neighbor (93 yrs/old) told me the barn was originally located at Camp Atterberry and in the early 1930's it was relocated to the this farm. The farm that the barn is located is the first homestead in Hensley township and is known for the number of natural springs located here. The barn has a spring fed milking cooler.

James Barn, Spiceland
Built in the early 1940's, this 60'Lx40'Wx32'H gambrel roof dairy barn was built during WW II. Heavy timber was in short supply and was expensive due to the war. So to save on cost ceramic red glazed tiles filled with cement were used for the lower portion, and plank pine boards bolted together six at a time were used for the beams, hayloft and roof. This allowed for more storage in the hayloft, with no crossbeams or heavy supporting timbers to interfere with the unloading of hay. A hay carrier was an important labor saving device. It operated on a metal track with ropes and pulleys and a huge claw that would swing out from the roof peak reach down to the wagon & pick up the loose hay and deposit it right into the haymow. Allowing for the storage of large quantities of hay. This barn was built with a sliding door in the loft which was lowered with steel cables & pulleys to bring in the hay. This was a new type of barn, not the mortise & tenon of old, but still not lacking in craftsmanship. This barn was built to be modern & efficient. The milking parlor included 10 stantions for milking the cows, with a cement trough so the cows could feed while being milked. The barn also had a waste catch aisle for easy clean up, and a milk room, with a ventilation system. Another innovation of this barn was with the flick of a switch there was light! Gone are the days of hanging lanterns in the early morning and late evening hours. This barn was part of the next farming generation and first of its kind to have electricity! In the early 1970's the barn was converted to raising hogs. The 80 acre farm is located in Henry County, near Spiceland, In and has been farmed by The James Family for almost five generations, with the Big Red Tile Barn standing for nearly 75 years.This beautiful barn is now used as a farm workshop and for family gatherings and events, entertaining and parties.

​Mink Barn, Hebron
The house with this barn is said to have been built around 1860. This barn we know has been standing since at least 1900 because of an inscription on the interior wall that reads "H. Wells 1900-1" Although it was not the largest building on the property, it is the only one of four left standing. Even though people look at us like we are crazy for trying to salvage the barn we have become very attached to it and intend to start restoration in the spring of 2016!

Benson Barn, Angola
Built in 1854 by my Great Great Grandfather, Adam Oler. Lifted and raised onto cement foundation in 1922 by my Great Grandfather, W. E. Oler. Used on a cattle and hog operation by my grandfather Paul L. Oler. Original decorative slate roof was damaged by wind in the 70's and my father Richard B. Oler reluctantly had to replace it with standing seam. This spring we were hit with two separate windstorms and the roof was completely destroyed. Interior hewn beams were still strong as ever and I made the decision to refurbish the entire barn. Although not in original condition, this is exactly what my ancestors would have done to keep the barn viable and useful to the next generations.
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Richardson Barn, Economy
Built in 1854 by my Great Great Grandfather, Adam Oler. Lifted and raised onto cement foundation in 1922 by my Great Grandfather, W. E. Oler. Used on a cattle and hog operation by my grandfather Paul L. Oler. Original decorative slate roof was damaged by wind in the 70's and my father Richard B. Oler reluctantly had to replace it with standing seam. This spring we were hit with two separate windstorms and the roof was completely destroyed. Interior hewn beams were still strong as ever and I made the decision to refurbish the entire barn. Although not in original condition, this is exactly what my ancestors would have done to keep the barn viable and useful to the next generations.

Bechdol Barn, Auburn
This barn was moved 1 mile from our 1864 Family Farm (Brechbill Farms) in 2005 when our family returned home from Washington, D.C. Placed on a goose neck trailer and driven through standing corn (photo available) with just enough silage cut for a path, it was the anchor for a new home project. After nearly 90 years of use, the front and rear sliding doors were replaced, as were the windows. The bottom 3 feet of siding, rotting and badly damaged, were cut off and replaced with a stone facade to match the new home being built some 50 feet away. 
The interior granary components were salvaged, and tongue and grove boards converted to a new floor, the structure was foam insulated and new office walls were built to host a small modern office with surround sound, TV's, multiple workstations, and high speed internet tied into the local infrastructure. Other that the boards that needed to be cut away, the granary has been preserved as best possible, and re-imagined for a modern agricultural use. From livestock to big-data and spatial analysis, the barn will continue to serve a valuable purpose.

Bowers Barn, Seymour
My paternal grandfather (now deceased) remembered barn dances and parties in the upstairs of the granary in the early 1900s through the 1930s. Some of the granary's framework indicates that it was perhaps used in another structure before this one. As a child, my cousins and I used the upstairs as a seasonal secret clubhouse when Dad was done storing small grains. We used the unloading slots and trap-door in the floor to surprise people walking through the center driveway. We used a knothole in the stairway wall to give the club's secret password, "The Fat Man walks at night." My oldest child, with my nieces and nephews, loves to play in the granary. Climbing through the corncribs and running up and down the turned stairs is great fun.

Ruch Barn, Mulburry
Part of our farm has been designated Hoosier Heritage but the tract where the barn in located has been in family since 1932. It is nearly identical to barn on adjoining property that belonged to my grandparents so I believe it to have been built around 1905. I grew up there in the 1950's and have fond memories of hunting litters of kittens among the straw bales and as I got older-loading straw in the haymow and throwing corn from fodder shocks out of the back doors of the barn to pigs. It is totally built of hand hewn logs and wooden pegs.
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Kofodimos Barn, Mooresville
The property was owned by the Newlin family for many years. We have only lived here for 3 years.
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Bowers Barn, Seymour
My paternal grandfather (now deceased) remembered when the barn was built. As a child, my father and his brothers built straw and hay forts in the loft. They would incorporate false floor traps in the forts and "capture" their dad in the traps! They also liked to swing on the hay fork rope in the loft. Other members of my family remember the 1973 tornado that whipped the barn 15-18 degrees off-center. A northern Indiana crew repaired and righted the barn with three I-beams on its east side. My earliest memories are in the barn, feeding the cattle with Dad and taming the barn cats and kittens. It is a blessing to share this barn with my children. The barn is not only a great teacher of the benefits of hard work, it is a place for a great adventure!

Rosehill Farms, Inc., Mitchell
This is the largest of three historic barns that we would like to share. This barn was built prior to 1898. The current owners of the barn are grandchildren of the smallest child in that picture, Hollace C. Sherwood. Family oral tradition is that the Sherwood family spent a year living in the barn after the main farm house was destroyed by fire in about 1879. It has the classic features of a bank barn with a slope up to the main doors, a main floor area where wagons could be unloaded (mainly hay) and a slope down from the double doors similar in size to the front doors. As can be seen in the photos, the main additions to the barn are a milking parlor and a pole barn on the rear. This barn was chosen to appear in the 2011 Barns of Indiana calendar with a painting by Gwen Gutwein.http://www.heritagebarnart.com/Indiana%20Barns.htm.
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Rosehill Farms, Inc., Mitchell
This is the second of three historic barns found on Rosehill Farms, Inc property. The interior has hand-hewed beams and logs. The family oral tradition is that this barn is the oldest one on the farm, having been taken apart at another location on the farm and moved to the main area. 
Additions include the front pole barn extension and a smaller extension on one side. The large extension was made so that semi-trailers could be backed into the barn to load the corn for the Bryantsville Hunger Relief Project.

Rosehill Farms, Inc., Mitchell
This is the third of three historic barns that are on the Rosehill Farms, Inc. property (http://www.rosehillfarmsinc.com/). The smallest, this barn served as a garner or granary in its earlier days. The open shed that was on the left side of the structure was taken down after a storm but the wagon sized scale bottom is still there. The scale itself is stored in the barn. Wagons would first be weighed, driven to the rear of the building (pict unloaded into the cribs that were on either side, driven out the front and re-weighed. While not large, it served the important function of grain storage.

Lestinsky Barn, LaPorte
The barn was built by Theodore Fail in the early 20s. His grandfather, Phillip Fail, was one of the original settlers of the county.

Bartmess Barn, LaPorte
Owner's great, great grandfather Jacob Herrold bought this property in 1860. My Dad Richard has a copy of the deed and a copy of part of a book published in 1904 by Rev. E.D. Daniels called A Twentieth Century History And Biographical Record of La Porte County Indiana that has a biography of Jacob that supports this date as when the barn was built. In 1943 the barn was renovated to it's current size while owners father was serving in the Pacific in the Navy. We have pictures of this renovation with my father in front of the barn at age 2 or 3. It has been reroofed twice. The large doors were damaged and replaced with metal doors in 1970. Back then my parents kept saddle horses, Holstein steers, hay, straw, ear corn, soy beans and my favorite, barn cats. My sister and I spent many hours over the years taming those cats. My father and his brother used to jump out of the hay mow to the ground for fun. My father has lived on the property for over 60 years total. He and my mother received a Hoosier Homestead Award in 1993. Since the barn is visible from the highway they live on, they have had surprise pets dropped off from time to time. Usually cats, sometimes dogs. They always took them in. Two years ago a family of red foxes took up residence in the crib section for the winter. This barn was a great place to play in anytime of year. I am glad my sister and I and all our family and friends had the great fortune of playing in it.

Grott Barn, Union Mills
Although the barn was built in 1928 for agricultural purposes, the original farm owner and his family had to live in the front section of the barn during the winter of 1928-29 while the family home was being renovated. The family happily coexisted with the dairy and beef cattle that were housed in the barn. 

Finkbiner Barn, Veedersburg
We did our absolute best to preserve everything that was original including repurposing old floor boards for various paneling and flooring. Any new wood is oak provided by local saw mills. It is a treasure in the community as so many of our customers remember a story about working in the barn.
 
Dunlap Barn, Terre Haute
The barn was part of the farm that was purchased by my grandfather in 1946. It has always been called The Big Red Barn and has been a land mark for all these years. It was known in the neighborhood for it's basketball court up in the main loft. It has housed horses, cattle and various farm equipment over the years. When newer pole barns were built on the property this barn became obsolete. For the past 25 years it has just deteriorated to the point it was becoming unsafe. My husband decided to save it rather than see it be torn down. He has little by little brought it back to life. It's no longer The Big Red Barn ( which is hard to break that habit of calling it that now) but it is still The Barn.

Greer Barn, Logansport
The barn has huge hand-hewed beams as the major support structure. One beam is a continuous 60 feet long! The floor of the top floor (which is the ceiling for the bottom or bank part) is made of poplar boards and some of those are 17 inches wide. The barn has been in continuous use for farming purposes since it was built in 1905. The top part of the barn holds hundreds of bales of straw and hay and still has an oat bin. We park up to five tractors and implements in the two huge bays. The bottom part has a field stone wall on the bank side and still stays several degrees warmer in the winter or several degrees cooler in the summer than the outside temperature. It is truly a perfect place to keep livestock and we have always used the lower part for calving stalls and as shelter for our yearling heifers and feeder steers. The hay loft door on the east side has a huge heart carved in it and we don't really know why. Since the story passed down to us is that a young man fell to his death while working on building the barn, I always romanticized that his heart broken friends and family put it there as a memorial to him. At any rate the story makes a good ghost story when we have our annual Halloween Party in the upper floor, complete with a straw maze and a treasure hunt!

Barnett Barn, Scottsburg
This barn was built with wooden pegs, the pegs take place of the nails. This barn has been in our family for almost 40 years. It has held hay, pigs, horses and currently, plenty of family memories. Locally, "go past the big red barn" is a landmark when giving directions!

Biehle Barn, North Vernon
The original barn is a Gothic style building which is characterized by the pointed arched shape of the roof. The barn is built with oak framing on a concrete foundation with wood siding and a metal roof. The curved rafters are made of 5 layers of ¾ inch thick by 4 inch wide boards laminated together. The unique roof construction created a barn with a large unobstructed loft area. Restoration work included lots of repairs to the structure including new metal siding and roofing. Remodeling work included adding lean-to additions on both sides of the barn and a porch across the front of the barn. New concrete floors, electrical system and plumbing were part of the remodeling. The barn was constructed in 1925. The Biehles purchased it in 1991 and completed the restoration and remodeling work in 2005. It was used for many years as a livestock barn housing dairy cows and horses with loose hay storage in the mow. In the 1960’s and 1970’s it was used for baled hay storage and ear corn storage and in the 1990’s was home for 4-H beef, pigs and rabbits. The barn is currently used as a storage building, a workshop, and an entertainment facility for their family.  Don was raised about 3 miles away from this barn. During his grade school and high school years his dad rented the barn for baled hay storage. Don remembers filling the barn to the very top many times with baled hay. Little did he know that some day he would own the barn and be able to preserve not only the barn but also preserve some of those memories from his hay baling days. Other good memories of the barn are the many 4-H livestock project their kids raised in the barn. Family reunions and other gatherings are the current memories they are making with the barn. The opportunity to preserve the history and to continue to make history in this barn is something the Biehles are very proud to be able to do.

Turpen Barn, Bedford
The barn was purchased in 1940 by my grandparents. Up to that point, the prior owner had used the barn for beef cattle. My grandparents raised dairy cattle for several years after they purchased it and then switched to beef cattle. My father now owns what is known as the "big red barn". A few years ago he covered the wooden exterior with metal, but maintained the red color. The barn has an enormous hay loft which was filled until round bales were utilized. 

Miller Barn, Logansport
This barn was built by Elias Moss in 1864 and has been in the same family since. It has housed many livestock and equipment over the years. This was built by my great great great Grandfather. He came up from Carroll Co and picked this homestead because he wanted a farm that had good natural drainage so he could farm and raise a family. Originally Elias came from Pennsylvania and then to Dayton, OH and on to Carroll Co, IN before his home in Cass Co where he lived and raised his family. Our current home and where this barn is located.

Hileman Barn, Silver Lake
In 1914 Ralph Floor needed to have a barn built to meet the needs of his farming operation. With round barns being th emost affordable in that day, he contacted Kindig Brothers in Rochester to construct one for him. Mr. Floor got all the wood for his barn from a 20 acre section of woodland he owned just across the road. At that time, Rev. H.F. Richards and his father who operation a sawmill on the Floor farm, sawed the wood for the barn while the Kindig Brothers built the barn. When finished, the barn was 60 feet in diameter and 50 feet high. On the ground floor there was one side for cattle, one side for horses, and in the center was an area for storage and farm implements and equipment There was a large hayloft upstairs.  Over the years the barn suffered from neglect and decay. Then Mike & Georgianna Hileman decided they needed to take action to save a landmark that meant something to them in their childhood. Growing up, Mike's grandparents lived next door to the barn, Mike lived just down the road, and Georgianna lived only 3 miles away. They both had fond memories of the band and felt they needed to do something to save it. The Hilemans tried for a few years to buy the barn, however, their bids weren't high enough. Finally, in January of 2007 their bid was accepted and the purchase was made. It then became a challenge for the Hilemans to find a construction firm that would tackle the preservation of the old barn. They found the Mike Reiff Construction from Warsaw who accepted the project. They brought in Ernie Swartz and his Amish crew from Berne to do the job. Swartz and his crew drove 95 miles one way from Berne everyday to do the site, which began on April 16th and finished in mid September (with the exception of a five week break in between). The project ended up costing more than tearing the barn down and putting up a pole building, but the restoration of the old round barn preserved history and special memories for the Hilemans. The eye-catching barn now sits proudly on a hilltop in rolling landscape and can be enjoyed for generations to come. It can also be rented for special occasions. In 2018, the barn will celebrate it's 100th birthday. 

Ammerman Barn, Cambridge City
My grandparents moved to the farm about 1922. There was an old - c. prior 1850 - 2-story log barn on this site. After dismantling that old barn, my grandfather had this large barn built in 1936. It had stalls for his work horses; a "modern' concrete area for milking stanchions; two upper story rooms for storage of oats and wheat; two large hay mows - the track and hay forks are still up at the roof; and an extra stall for cattle.
My father eventually took over the running and management of the farm and inherited it at my grandparents' deaths. When the original shake shingle roof (which is still under the present roof) needed replaced, my father had the family name "Ammerman" placed in the shingles. Years after his death when the roof needed replaced again, my mother thought it was too ostentatious and expensive and had just a plain roof installed. We all were saddened to see the name gone.  Ten years ago after my mother's death, my brother and I inherited the farm. I have been slowly trying to restore many of the buildings on the farmstead. With no maintainence, age had taken its toll on the barn. I had an Amish builder repair or replace all the windows; he rebuilt the dutch doors on the horse stalls, and repaired other damage. Last year we had the barn repainted and had the original green trim repainted as well as the name lettering: Ammerman Cold Water Stock Farm, a name my grandfather had registered at the County Court House.  This summer the roof was needing attention and we sought a bid from a roofer. As fate turned out, it was the same company who placed the "Ammerman" name originally. They even still had the patterns for the lettering on file. So, of course, we had the name re-installed. The barn looks great once again and should be in good repair for another generation.  The lady who painted the lettering put the wrong date - 1937 instead of 1936. We are waiting for her to correct that date.  As a youngster and teen I spent many weeks each summer helping put hay up in that barn. Although my Dad had hired hands, I always was assigned to working up in the haymow stacking hay. If it were 90+ outside, it always felt like about 125 degrees up in the barn. Growing up, I never imagined I would have the opportunity to actually be the owner of this farm and barn. It is my goal to be a good steward of the property, to continue restoring more buildings, and to one day pass it on to the next generation.  My grandmother milked the cows and would haul the milk by cart to the nearby milk house - where the milk was cooled and stored until the local dairy would come to collect it and leave fresh empty milk cans. That little milk house still stands and looks like it did years ago.  My grandmother gave me the love of the flower iris. Even though my father had the old house demolished, I have developed an iris bed in the front yard of the old home site, right next to the little milk house. Some of my photos are on more of an angle - but should show each side of the barn. Many folks have commented what a lovely old barn it is.

Sheets Barn, Flora
The main barn at Heritage Farm was built in 1904 by a local barn builder named Otho Rodkey. The 40’ x 60’ barn is primarily constructed of 12 x 12 hand-hewn oak timbers that were recycled from an even older dismantled barn. Although I’ve often studied the timbers and joinery on the old barn, I only discovered a couple years ago that one of the massive timbers that support the rafters spans the entire 60’ length of the barn without a splice! 
The barn serves as the center of our alpaca business. The relative open interior allows us to use temporary panels to divide off areas for alpacas that are grouped by age, gestational status and sex. We house up to 50 alpacas in the barn. One of the features that our alpacas really appreciate are the large wagon doors on the east and west sides of the barn which are opened in the summer allowing a cooling breeze to flow through the nave. The nave is the open center area of the barn between the wagon doors. We discovered that the area derives its name from the Latin word “navis”, meaning “ship” as in the English word “navy”. The reason for this is that when you stand in the nave and look upward to the underside of the barn roof, it looks like the interior of a wooden boat with its frames (roof rafters) and planks (roof purlin boards). The 16’ wide nave once was where wagon loads of harvested hay were pulled into the barn to be unloaded by the hay forks on the overhead trolley system. It now serves as a shearing “room” where we harvest the fleece from the alpacas each spring.  In 2003, we invested in a new roof. Again, we stayed away from many recommendations to cover it with steel and instead opted for an interlocking diamond-shaped, asphalt shingle. The shape of this shingle allows designs to be incorporated into the installation. We chose an Indiana roofer that has done many of the Art Roof barns around the Midwest. Tim designed the roof on diamond shaped graph paper and created a stylized suri alpaca using the diamond shaped shingles to give the impression of twisted suri locks. The other side of the roof is an "H" superimposed on top of an "F" for Heritage Farm. It was a lot of fun seeing how it turned out and needless to say, we have a one-of-a-kind roof!

Wethington Barn, Brownsburg
The Barn is still used for Livestock. It was built by Elijah Benjamin Combs. The Framework was sawn from Native Timber that was felled on the Hogan Farm. The Beams and Framework were sawn on a portable “pony” sawmill that was set-up in the Hogan Woods. The Building was completed at an unknown date in 1910.  The purpose of the Barn was to house the milking operations and Sheep berthing. One side of the Barn has a car sided (divided) Granary that takes up one quarter of the original floor space in the structure. Access to the Granary is through the Main pull thru driveway. Cattle Stanchions and a Box Stall complete the opposite side of the Barn. There are Hay Mows on both sides of the Main driveway and Sheep berthing stalls next to the Granary. The original Hay Track is still intact.  Changes to the Barn include addition of a Sheep Shed on one end in the 1930’s. The Tall, Sliding Doors have been replaced with Steel sided doors and the Sliding Doors on the Back side have been sided over with Steel Siding. A Steel Roof was added in the 1990’s.  The P. C. Hogan Farm was established in 1891 when Patrick C. (Cass) Hogan, and Martin Dugan purchased 160 acres in the South West quarter of Section 13; Brown Township, in Hendricks County, IN. The Land was divided into individual Family Parcels in approximately 1903. The Farm today is still owned and maintained by a fourth generation descendant that lives on the Land. The Farm was awarded a Hoosier Homestead in 2011.

Wethington Barn, Brownsburg
The Barn was built by Elijah Benjamin Combs. The Framework was sawn from Native Timber that was felled on the Hogan Farm. The Beams and Framework were sawn on a portable “pony” sawmill that was set-up in the Hogan Woods. The Framework was completed and fully erected on July 3, 1907.   The purpose of the Barn was to house the Horses that were used in clearing and farming. One end of the Barn has a Corn Crib that extends across the entire width of the Barn. Access to the Corn Crib is by a pull thru driveway. Above the driveway is a hay mow. The Main driveway is a pull thru driveway with Box Stalls for the Horses on both sides and Hay Mows above. The original Hay Track is still intact.  Changes to the Barn include removal of the Cupola that adorned the Main Driveway, and addition of a Tool Shed in the 1930’s. The Tall, Sliding Doors have been replaced with Steel sided doors and the Sliding Doors on the Back side have been sided over with Steel Siding. A Steel Roof was added in the 1990’s.  The P. C. Hogan Farm was established in 1891 when Patrick C. (Cass) Hogan, and Martin Dugan purchased 160 acres in the South West quarter of Section 13; Brown Township, in Hendricks County, IN. The Land was divided into individual Family Parcels in approximately 1903. The Farm today is still owned and maintained by a fourth generation descendant that lives on the Land. The Farm was awarded a Hoosier Homestead in 2011.

Wethington Barn, Brownsburg
The Barn was built on the P.C. Hogan Farm in 1916. The Builder and origin of the framework material are unknown. The original purpose of the Barn was to house Hogs and Hog berthing. It has one pull thru driveway, a Feed Room, and berthing Stalls on both sides of the Driveway. Above, on both sides are mows that were used to store Ear Corn.  Changes to the Barn include addition of a Tool Shed to one end of the Barn.
The P. C. Hogan Farm was established in 1891 when Patrick C. (Cass) Hogan, and Martin Dugan purchased 160 acres in the South West quarter of Section 13; Brown Township, in Hendricks County, IN. The Land was divided into individual Family Parcels in approximately 1903. The Farm today is still owned and maintained by a fourth generation descendant that lives on the Land. The Farm was awarded a Hoosier Homestead in 2011.

Simon Barn, Huntertown
The 'Big Barn,' built in 1841, served for over 150 years as the Simon homestead's economic center. Its native timber beams were harvested by my ancestors while clearing the surrounding forest for cultivation, six generations ago. At one point it was the largest structure in Perry Township. Family lore has it that early Lutheran church services were held there before the Lutheran church was built on north at LaOtto--a town that used to be called Simon Corners. The lower level, with dirt floor, provided winter shelter for the farm's powerful work horses. The ten foot high sliding doors (originally hinged) and approached over the earth bank ramp, access the upper level and open onto a large 'threshing' floor that was used to separate and clean grain during harvest. The threshing floor is flanked left and right by two adjacent, roomy hay mows which occupy opposite ends of the structure. Grain bins, located directly off the threshing floor, provided, what was in the 1800', substantial storage capacity. The upper level's eight foot barnyard overhang gave animals protection from rains and blazing summer suns. A suspended overhead track and 'car' was used to transfer hay from wagons parked on the threshing floor to the two mows. The original track still hangs under the barn's peak and spans the entire length of the barn. Small lofts are tucked under the roof and were used to store small farm implements. A 'pull pole' was erected in the middle of the threshing floor, when needed, and used to hoist and lower various items.  In 1920 my grandfather was paralyzed below the waist while putting up hay in the Big Barn. He fell to the threshing floor and broke his back. The hat that he wore that tragic day was found on the barn floor by my father. My father hung that hat on a nearby nail. It still hangs there today, 95 years later.  The Big Barn transcends six generations. As a child I marveled at the ax cuts in the barn's huge beams, deeply moved by the knowledge that my ancestors' hands had made the ax marks and had driven in the wooden connecting pegs. The Big Barn offered my sisters, me, and the neighborhood friends a perfect place for playing 'hide and seek' and 'follow the leader'. It was a magnificent place to build hay forts and to wage glorious corn cob battles. As a father myself I've enjoyed watching my children experience the Big Barn's mysteries and majesty.  In 1964, when the Big Barn was 123 years old, my father replaced the sinking stone foundations (timber beams set on large 'floating' field stone) with poured concrete. And the barn's brittle, never before painted poplar siding, was replaced with tongue and groove pine board. I've brushed painted the 'new' siding near a dozen times over the last 51 years. And each painting was an act of appreciation and respect for my ancestors who arrived from Ohio over 175 years ago. They were the ones who carved to a new life on a special spot of Indiana woodland and who built and cared for the Big Barn.

Simon Barn, Huntertown
The 'South Barn' was built around 1915 to produce hogs for the expanding pork processing plants in Chicago. Its timer frame is constructed of both hewed and sawed timber beams. The hewed beams are suspected to have been recycled from dismantling a lean-to structure attached to an older barn.  The lower level consists of a slanted concrete floor which drained away hog waste. The upper level was used to store hay and possibly ear corn. The floor of the upper level was constructed of tied bundles of corn stalks laid side by side over the floor joists. My father replaced them with plywood in 1964. The small doors in the side foundations allowed sows with piglets to exit the barn to take in sun and fresh air within individual outside pens. Around WWII my father briefly used the barn to support a dairy operation. He gave it up when he determined the profits were too small and the milking schedule too rigid to harmonize with his full time high school teaching obligations.  Throughout my childhood the barn was used to keep sheep. After school my chores included feeding and watering the flock. During lambing season I moved any newborn lambs and their mothers to individual pens. In the summer I helped my father remove the winter's accumulation of manure, one pitch fork throw at a time. I often pitched the manure through the barn's windows into a waiting manure spreader.   

Wintczak Barn, Wadesville
In 1985, we purchased 14 acres and the outbuildings from Ruth's Great Aunt and Uncle, who used the barn for cows, a team of horses, and hay and grain storage.  The barn was beginning to lean, due to the fact groundhogs and foxes had made tunnels and burrows around the sandstones supporting the main cross support beams. The barn was leaning badly and we wanted to save it, because it is so much part of the fabric of the property. We found some Amish men who knew how to work with timbers; they straightened the timber frame structure, raised the barn and built a foundation to keep the grounhogs out; then set the barn back down. We replaced about 70% of the poplar siding, which was the wood originally used, and all of the battens. The north side (image 3) is all original siding. One can see small slots where rafters were attached to the barn, which supported the roof to a lean-to, which is now gone. We didn't want to hide this fact so we made little windows which shed light into the granary portion of the barn. We also had them shorten the door opening a bit to make them,the doors, easier to handle, and they built new doors from poplar. We also put a new roof on to hopefully keep this barn around for another hundred years. We felt strongly in saving this barn because so many of the barns in our area have been taken down or damaged in storms. In fact, we had the poplar wood we were going to use for the siding in another barn that Ruth's father owned. A week before we were to take it out, that barn was hit by lightning in the middle of the night and the barn burned to the ground, along with our wood and many more board feet of good lumber Ruth's father had sawed. The Amish men knew a sawyer in their community who was able to get us the poplar we needy in a timely fashion. We are very fortunate to be the stewards of such a great structure. If you notice on the south side, (image 1) there are stars cut into the top area. The hay door used to be there with the slot for the rail coming out. When we explained to the Amish foreman we wanted a space for brown bats and screech owls to get in and out, he suggested we do this, which he had done on several barns and we wholeheartedly agreed. On the inside, the stars shine in with sunlight and are incredible. We use the barn daily! It is a woodworking area which is very handy. I also am a potter and an Indiana Artisan. The 'l' shed attached to the barn is my gas kiln; so the old horse stalls became my glazing area, which is very handy...I glaze, then walk out the door to load the kiln. You can also see on the east side picture, (image 4) we keep a table set up where we eat and gather with friends. Next to the kiln shed, and right out to the left of the door, is a wood fired clay bread and pizza oven. The clay is the subsoil we gathered when the Amish men dug the footings. The oven is based on one from the 1600's, used in French Canada. We make bread about every two weeks and have woodfired pizzas, thus the area for eating. We love the barn and are so glad we saved it and we share it with others and tell the story whenever we can.

Stetter Barn, Birdseye
This barn is estimated to be 150 years old and has went through a lot of different generations of farming in the Stetter family through the years. It was around during the horse & buggy days when loose hay was picked up in the field by fork, to the small equipment of the 60's and 70's in an era when small square bales were popular, to the newer generation of modern day equipment with large round bales of hay. This barn has withstood a lot of severe weather through the years, and if it withstands mother nature and any types of fires, it will stand for a long time for our grand children and great grandchildren to enjoy.

Reiff Barn, Monticello
My family purchased the farm in 1918 and the barn was an existing structure at that time, so we estimate a pre-1918 build date. In 2010, the barn was partially sided and roofed with steel so that it can continue to function and be used efficiently for many years to come. It is an important part of our family history and we continue its upkeep. The barn has also served as the backdrop for several photos, including family, class, wedding, and employee photos for a local company. It is easily recognized by many locals, but it almost didn't make it to the present day. In 1976, chopped hay that was being stored in the loft caught fire. The fire was confined to a small area and all that remains today is a blackened beam if you know where to look. It has also housed several 4-H projects over the years, everything from beef cattle to lambs and hogs. Its original use was for my great-grandpa's dairy cattle operation and draft horses. Personally, my favorite memory of the barn are the hours that I spent with my siblings in the upper levels of the hayloft jumping from bale to bale. Also quite special to me are the memories it holds of my grandpa, who passed away a few years ago. His pet project were the many barn cats and he lavished attention on them, to the point of carrying milk out to them daily. I hope that one day my future children will get to make memories here as well, but also learn about the function the barn serves and what it means to be a farmer and to our family.

Canary Barn, Franklin
Farm/barn held the 1938 state corn husking contest. Various Jersey cattle field days. Barn/farm was one of the Mullendore Farms of Johnson County. A twin barn was located approx 1 mile east and has been demolished in the last few years. Barn is still in working order and used daily by the barn owners grandson(myself) to continue the the family tradition. 

Jordan Barn, Yorktown
This barn still has its original siding. It is on the original Hofherr estate in Delaware county and is 75 feet from the remnants of it's sister, the Hofherr round barn, which unfortunately fell around 2003-5. We purchased the property in 2011, and this english barn had a failing roof, and was leaning north-west. We had a crew straighten it up, and pour new footers, and replace the roof. I then painted the barn, trimmed it, and made windows. We plan to continue to use the barn for many years to come.

Tumbleson Barn, Columbia City
This barn is located on property that originally belonged to Jesse Strong Perrin, one of the original founders of Huntsville, renamed Larwill, Indiana. He purchased approximately 400 acres of land through the Bureau of Land Management in 1846. A portion of Jesse's land was purchased/allocated to his son Clinton Strong Perrin who was married to Harriet Steele and they made their home in an original cabin before the current home and barn were built. Unfortunately, Clinton broke his leg on this very property while log-rolling, was sent to Cincinnati, Ohio and passed away July 30, 1860. Harriet Steele Perrin then married farm hand Elon Maynard June 9, 1861. A large portion of their farm was dedicated to growing potatoes, they had dairy cattle and dabbled in the maple syrup business that had been originated by Jesse Strong Perrin, father to Clinton Strong Perrin - Harriet Steele's first husband. This barn has had a vast amount of owners but remains structurally sound as interior is constructed of native timber/hand-sawn beam-work. The exterior was/is of wood construction and at current a bit rough though we are looking into preservation routes to restore this English Barn to it's former glory. 

Trueblood Barn, Salem
We will have owned this barn 40 years in the year 2016. Rita's family previously owned it when we bought the farm in 1976. In the blizzard years of 1977 & 78 the Trueblood family played basketball in the barn loft for entertainment of being snowed in.

Osborne Barn, Brazil
My grandfather purchased the property in 1918. There are 3 levels to the upper hay lofts. The ground floor level has many sectioned off "cribs" or areas and on the main level there are other sectioned off areas as well. My memory of these growing up were used for milking cows, hay and straw storage in the hay loft. Horses were kept in the south end of the barn with the cows in the winter. The southeast corner was gated off for birthing of horses, hogs and cattle. The middle section of the north end was used for grain storage. The west side was used to store the farm equipment. The center section of the floor is ramped for easy loading and unloading of feed and equipment. One of my earliest memories of my Dad and Grandfather putting up hay stacks with a team of horses attached to a rope and pulley on the south side of the barn.

Frew Barn, Bloomington
This barn originally was built in 1850.  It has an added lean-to on the north side, the rear lean-to houses the farm office, all the timbers are exposed in the office. It was moved twice, once around the 1930s when a highway in Delaware county was widened and a 2nd time to our property.

Carlson Barn, Chesterton
My grandfather, Alfred Carlson, had the barn (size 30' X 50') built in 1916. The basement was dug out with a slip scraper and horses. Crushed stone was hauled from the New York Central Railroad, which was near. Sand was hauled daily by local farmers with horses and wagons from a sand pit about five miles away. This work was done by donated hand labor. The material was used to make cement for the foundation and the basement.
The carpenters lived in the granary while they built the barn. Timbers and posts were 8" X 8". Braces were 4" X 4". Everything was pegged together and the entire barn was made of yellow pine lumber. When all the sections of the timbers were put together, the barn raising took place. They used poles with an iron point at the end to raise the framework in place. All the neighbors came to help. The ladies came and brought pot-luck dinner, and both the farmers and their wives ate together at the noon hour. The roof is gambrel style, constructed with 2" X 6" rafters spaced 2' apart. 1" X 6" boards were then nailed to the rafters and spaced 2" apart. Cedar wood shingles were nailed to the boards starting at the bottom. The outside walls were 1' X 1" thick, and 12 ' long with a batten strip over each crack. A track runs the entire length of the barn in the peak of the hayloft. This track was used for the hay carrier, which was pulled by a horse. Because it is a bank barn, the wagon of hay could be driven in to the second story on one side, unloaded with the hay fork, and driven out the other side.  Two silos were built on the north end of the barn, one wooden and the other cement.  Before my grandparents bought the Indiana farm in 1911, my grandmother worked as a cook for people in Chicago who had a summer home called "Ledgemere". Therefore, you will see the name of the farm painted on the west side of the barn, "Ledgemere Farm".

Kelley Barn, Sharpsville
The barn was built in 1914 by William and Robert Spurgeon in Tipton County. In 1997 the barn was moved to its current residence, the Kelley Agricultural Historical Museum, in hopes to save the history and memory of the barn. This barn is the only round barn still standing in Tipton County, as it once housed cattle, horses and small equipment. The barn measures 50 feet across and has an east/west drive way through its center. It has horizontal wood siding and a self supporting two pitch gambrel roof. 

Barr Barn, Windfall
This barn was in bad shape and I had Amos Schwartz from Berne Indiana restore it. Timber frame, mortise and tenon, beechwood timbers with axe marks. When we contracted the restoration I asked Amos to level the barn but upon inspection with a transit the barn was only off of level 3/4 of an inch after over 120 years. I have several pictures of the restoration from beginning to end. Windows are amish style and lift out of frames for cleaning. Only wood added during restoration was where original was unsound. Windows were added. Got the windows from another barn being torn down. Beechwood is as hard as Oak according to the Amish. Roof was replaced. Hay mow accessed by ladder. Original floor in hay mow. Hay mow floor boards are all different widths. I believe this is an English style bent barn. There are 4 bents, pinned with pegs.

Curran Barn, Marengo
I purchased this property in 2007 in large part because of the barn which was amazingly intact. This spring, the plans to restore it were finally realized!  The story behind this barn, is that the property was purchased by a '49er who had struck gold in CA. Being of means, he had the house and barn constructed to above average standards. Carved into a block of the sandstone foundation, is the date, MAY 23, '85, and the name of the stonemason, KINSEY VEATCH. The whole foundation is constructed of chiseled sandstone laid in homemade mortar. Supporting the center, are four 
columns 9' tall, also constructed of sandstone blocks. The sills are hand hewn Oak beams while the upper beams consist of a combination of hewn and sawn Oak and Poplar. The main floor is covered with 1 1/4" tongue and groove Poplar boards. Exterior walls were sheathed with Poplar. Originally there were large doors on either side of the center bay. One side was subsequently eliminated and covered over. At some later point a third floor hay loft was added in two to the bays. The roof was originally covered with wood shingles. I have found one corner post which was replaced. During the recent restoration work, a section of one sill was also replaced. I had a new metal roof put on last year, to replace the existing roof which was rusting. This spring, new Poplar sheathing was applied to three sides. I also constructed all new doors, and replaced the windows. I left one side in it's weathered state, as the wood was still serviceable, and to showcase the original construction. The hay track is still intact along the ridge and the forks are present. 

Sharma Barn, Williamsport
The barn and the original extreme southern part of the house where my parents live were we believe built at the same time.  The size of the barn is 40'x80' rectangle. The ground north the barn was woods. A portable sawmill was brought in and lumber sawn for both the house and barn. The barn is all pegged oak. There was also a wooden school house about 400 feet south of the barn. It was there when I was growing up, but is no longer standing. We have not modified the barn. It was roofed by my great-grandfather Carl Mehaffey.  We also did some foundation work to stabilize the barn in the late 1990s. Original use of the barn was horses. We used it for 20 years for cattle during calving. There was a local man named Howard who hanged himself in the barn long ago. 

Bang Barn, Westfield
We purchased this property in 2013, largely because of the unrestored barn. The roof was leaking, doors were missing, windows broken, lofts in disrepair, etc., so in 2014, we had it fully restored and tried to keep the exterior as faithful to the original as possible. The timber frame was reinforced, jacked up and squared, a new foundation was poured in the back, new roof installed, all new batten board poplar siding and windows, and replica hay loft doors added in back (hay track was kept). The stairs and lofts inside were rebuilt and I used much of the old siding, roofing, and extra doors for walls and to build a bar for occasional entertaining. The prior owners did significant research on the property and believe the barn was built around 1850 by the Baldwin family. They were original Quaker settlers in Westfield that fled Westfield, NC due to their objection to slavery. Westfield is known for its support of the underground railroad, and it is likely that the barn and the farmhouse were used to hide slaves. We believe the barn was used for farming until the 1960s or so, when US31 was developed and cut through the prior owners' acreage. After that, the surrounding land was parceled out and sold for residential homes, but our four acres with the barn and original farmhouse was preserved.  We love our barn and have worked hard to ensure that it will last for the next 200 years!

Coy Barn, Scottsburg
An addition was added on one side, I don't know what year this was added. The other side had metal siding put over the wood siding. Front & Rear of barn have original wood siding exposed. Curved beams inside are made of multiple thinner layers of board that were bent to the curved shape. 

Feightner Barn, Kendallville
This barn was built by my great grand father. The original barn was torn down as it was to small. The current barn was built was the large mortise and tenon beams in the bottom part and large dimensional lumber was used in the top part. The barn is open floor to ceiling in the main part as it was used to store loose hay. The blocks and tackle and ropes still hang in the barn and I have the hay hook. This farm was awarded the Hoosier Homestead award in 2003. The barn was awarded a certificate commendation in 2008 by Successful Farming magazine for preservation of the barn. In 2014 the farm was awarded the prestigious John Arnold award for rural preservation by the Indiana Landmarks and Indiana Farm Bureau.

Rekeweg Barn, Woodburn
I have always liked the old large farm barns. When I bought my own farm I wanted a farm with that style of barn. The previous owners of the barn had put a new roof on it, however when I purchased it, it was in need of more repair to keep it from falling into disrepair. I put on new siding, windows, and doors to restore and preserve the barn. I tried to make it look like an old barn but ensure it would last for many years to come. The windows I used look just like the old barn tilt-in sash windows, however they are made from recycled milk cartons so they should last for many years. 

Fenoglio Barn, Clinton
It was built by the Foltz family (legislator Don Foltz's family) for the owners at that time. In the mid 19th-century the nearby house and land were owned by Indiana governors Whitcomb and Matthews.

Higbie Barn, Nabb
Built in the 1930's (maybe even before) by (Edgar Ringwald) the great uncle of my dad (Michael Vaughn Higbie), has been in the immediate family since 1978 when it was inherited. Structures were built from the lumber that resides on the farm itself. The barn has a concrete floor throughout and also has a wooden silo built within it's walls that cannot be see from the exterior. 

Coy Farm, Scottsburg
An addition was added on one side, I don't know what year this was added.  The other side had metal siding put over the wood siding.  Front & Rear of barn have original wood siding exposed.  Curved beams inside are made of multiple thinner layers of board that were bent to the curved shape.  Would be happy to give inside pictures of the lower level & the huge loft!

Cripe Barn, Delphi
The property is owned by James L. and Nancy S. Cripe.  According to published plat maps, Roy Martin owned the property at least by 1907, originally along with William D. Martin.  IN 1897 it was owned by George Martin.  In 1882 and 1874, it was it was owned by J.R. Rohrabaugh.  In 1863 it was owned by Alexander Murphy.

Amish Acres, Nappanee
Historically preserved as part of Amish Acres Historic Farm, it is used for historical interpretation and remains a working barn. The round barn is now a 400-seat theatre with a proscenium stage created from the original attached straw shed. The circular hay track and sling system is rigged and visible to theatre patrons. The barn's cupola was moved in one piece and mounted on the barn at its completion.
The following remembrance was written by Marie Redman, daughter of Frank and Anna Aker, July 1992:
Mother, Mrs. Peter (Margaret) Aker and six sons, along with a neighbor, Phillip Laudeman, who was a carpenter, built the barn from native lumber The farm consisted of 80 acres, then 80 acres more was purchased later.  Frank Aker, next to the youngest was 14 years old when the barn was built.  Walter Aker was the oldest, followed by Adam, Edward, Fred, Frank, and Jesse.  Edward had a twin sister Rosa, a total of seven children.  Peter Aker, father was killed in 1906; five years before the barn was built. When Frank married Anna Murphy in 1918, he took over farming and purchased the farm from his mother.  A new house was built for Margaret on the second 80 acres and there she lived until 1931 when she died at age 69. Margaret was born in Berne, Switzerland in 1862-came to America in 1880; age 18.  Peter Aker came from Germany; they came across on the same boat as teenagers.  Frank Aker died in 1966 at age 68.  The homestead was then cared for by Frank Aker Jr.; oldest son of Frank and Anna.  Frank Jr. became ill for several years, so the farm was sold in 1987 or 88.  The barn was purchased by Amish Acres in August 1991. Frank and Anna Aker had four children.  Frank Jr., Marie (Redman), Arlene (Birkey), and Rolland; all worked on the farm.  Another 40 acres was purchased around 1940, so that made a total of 200 acres in the Aker Estate.

Meade Barn, Flora
Has 3 full floors. 40 x 60. Grainery has been removed. It had a lean-to corn crib on each side. Moved to farm in 1966. Raise cattle, hogs, and sheep in the barn. Then converted into plumbing/electrical/hvac offices and retail. Barn is still in very good shape. We have tried to keep it original as we can.

Comer Barn, Scottsburg
This barn was originally used for livestock. My father used it for pigs, cows, and horses. A new roof was put on after Hurricane Ike came through. The timber beams in this barn are beautiful. We used to climb in the loft and play often growing up.

Johnson Barn, Eaton
This barn is still standing from what used to be a giant dairy farm.  Modifications have been made to maintain the structure such as a new roof (shingles, the original beam structure remains in tact) and lightning rods as well as and rotting wood replaced on different sections of the barn.    We continue to do our part to maintain this structure and keep as much of the original condition as possible so that it can be around for future generations.  Two window panes have recently fallen out due to rotting window frames.  We are lucky to have a master carpenter in the family who is going to help us replace them to keep the windows true to original.  It is possibly Amish built but we don't know for sure.  It still has the standing milkhouse next to it :)  There is a corn crib/grain crib in the hay loft.  There is also a basketball goal on the wall in the hay loft.  It is an original goal with a peach basket rim and all.  A big reason my husband and I bought this farm was because of the barn.  My husband loves farming and I love history and old things!  When the Realtor was showing us the property, we climbed up into the hay loft and fell in love :)  I thought the hay loft looked like Noah's Ark turned upside down!  It was beautiful.  We spend as much time in and around the barn as possible.  We even had our baby shower in the barn!!  We opened all the doors and let the air in and had a beautiful view of the scenery.  It was a huge hit and, of course, everyone loved the barn!!

Mitchell Farms, Muncie
Our barn was built in 1911 by my great-grandfather Hiram Main.  The hand-hewn beams for the frame were  taken from another barn on the farm and used for the current structure.  All wood was cut and milled from our Hoosier Homestead farm dating back to 1853.  This barn has been photographed by the Indiana Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology.  It was featured in the Historic Indiana Barns June 2006-December 2007 calender.  The barn was also photographed for the January 2015 issue of the Growing Indiana magazine which displayed the intricate craftsmanship of the interior of the barn.  The Mitchell family was awarded the John Arnold Rural Preservation Award in 2000 for the continued preservation of their family farm. 

McFadin Jr., Mount Vernon
My Aunt, Uncles & Mother (9 siblings) all carved their initials throughout the barn during their childhood years. Although all are now deceased, they often talked of the hours of work & play involved in caring for the dairy, horses & mules on this working farm. My Grandfather, Herman Uhde, hired a crew in the Spring of 1918 to build the barn from wood harvested from the farm. The barn was completed in July 1920. All of the interior is the original with the exterior wood being covered with metal siding in 2011 due to the wood weathering. I have more details & original photos of the barn during construction. Our children are the 5th generation to live on the Uhde Farm, with my Son currently farming with me.

Buckley Homestead, Lake County Parks Department
Buckley Homestead Granary has two corn cribs running the length of the sides with five solid wall grain bins over the central drive through. Two lean-tos on either side were added at different times. The west lean-to housed a gas engine used to run the belt driven elevator. In 1940's the gas engine was replaced with an electric motor. The legs, buckets on chains, covered channel in floor and overhead movable shutes are still being used. The same man that helped update the elevator system in 1940's also supervised the 1982 restoration of the 1910's farm.  Buckley Homestead barn is a "Cadillac of barns", with progressive features and plank-truss construction. Local residents recall the Buckleys being progressive and wanting the newest and best technology in building this 1916 barn after the original barn burned. Neighbors said the new plank-truss construction would never stand - however, during restoration and one foundation corner found to be badly damaged, the building was still perfectly square. Progressive features in this gambrel-roofed barn include poured concrete walls and floor, manure removal tracks and carts, and moveable metal framed windows. The upper level includes the threshing floor and hay loading track. Outside lightening rods can be found on the roof and cupolas; and a glazed tile silo with standing seam metal roof stands in front of this great example of progressive early 1900's dairy barn. (New shake roof and some repairs done since photos taken.)