The OldBarn PostA publication of Friends of Ohio Barns • February 2010 • Vol. IX, Issue 1

Friends of Ohio BarnsP.O. Box 203

Burbank, Ohio 44214

Please recycle this newsletter. Share it with a friend.Printed on recycled paper, of course. Friends of Ohio Barns • P.O. Box 203 • Burbank, Ohio • 44214 • web site: http://ohiobarns.osu.edu • e-mail: friendsohiobarns@aol.com

Ohio Barn Conference XI, April 23-24

This photo of a native burial mound in a glacial kame on a farm near Mifflin, Ohio, was found in the Ohio State Archaeological andHistorical Quarterly and submitted by Tom O’Grady. Mifflin is situated in the glaciated plateau region of Ashland County. A kame is ashort ridge or hill of stratified drift (gravel, silt, clay) deposited by glacial meltwater. The image shows a farmstead with a PennsylvaniaDutch bank barn with an overhanging forebay and elaborate cupolas. Other farm structures, a rail fence, and the farmhouse with a hippedroof are shown around the burial mound, which has been plowed for crops, as many often were in the 1800s. Another barn roof on an adja-cent farm is visible beyond the house.

Send us your historic photos! We’d love to print your historic barn photos, as well as archive them for future reference.

You’ve all heard that what goes around comes around, and thisyear we are coming back around to Wooster, OH for our annualconference and barn tour.

You read the article in your last newsletter about CharlesWhitney. I first met Chuck in 1994 when he got wind of theMalabar Farm Barn replacement. He called to see if he could meetthe fellows from the Timber Framers Guild working in our shop,and he became a regular visitor. Several years later he began pub-lishing The Barn Consultant newsletter, which led to organizing thefirst Ohio Barn Conference in Delaware, Ohio, in the spring of2000. Some of you who have been members of Friends of OhioBarns since the beginning will remember that our organization wasborn following a second barn conference that took place in Woosterin 2001. Several of your current board members were on that steer-ing committee and still serve today. It is fitting that Chuck’s daugh-ter, now known as the Lady Barn Consultant, will be one of ourspeakers this year. She will share her barn experiences

while working with her father and will have their collaborative bookavailable for purchase and signing.

In addition to Pam Gray, we have a full slate of presenters,including Steve Gordon sharing his immense background in ruralOhio farm and barn history; Paul Locher, past president of theWayne County Historical Society, who will share local history andsome very interesting stories from his book When Wooster Was aWhippersnapper; Charles Leik will bring us up to date withNational Barn Alliance activities; Ann Christy will help us under-stand resources, tax credits, and uses for old barns; the Junior BarnDetective committee will report on progress and training; theWayne County Historic Barn Study and Inventory group willparade their accomplishments and preview the new SurveyHandbook and forms; Rudy Christian will give a brief history oftimber framing; and our two standby favorites, The Barn Detectivesand our Barn Repair Panel, will provide humor and education forbarn owners with maintenance or repair questions. Exhibits willinclude Lowell Finley’s barn models, Wooster Book Store, antique

tools, Wayne County barn surveys and photos, a log hewingdemonstration, silent auction, and more!

Our day-long barn tour will focus onsome of the wonderful barns

that are being discoveredthrough the Wayne CountyBarn Survey. This has been mycounty for twenty-eight years,and as a barn enthusiast I’mamazed at some of the barnswe have missed seeing prior tothe survey. Even our barn tourluncheon will be held in abarn. Please join us for boththe tour and conference. Weare able to hold the low 2009registration price due to ourpartnership with OSU andour non-profit status, so comevisit your old friends, makenew friends, and get chargedup for Ohio Barns!

— Laura Saeger

The barn on this eighth generation farmstead still has the original threshing floor doors.The Baer barn will be one of the stop’s on Friday’s barn tour. For more information on theconference and barn tour, please see pages 3 and 4. Photo by Rudy Christian

Looking back ...

Welcome to our eleventh annual conferenceedition of the Old Barn Post!

Your board members have been busy thiswinter. We are getting ready for anotherdynamic conference with exciting presenta-

tions, speakers, andnew information tohelp you, our Ohiobarn stewards, con-tinue the preserva-tion movement.Some of ourendeavors will bepresented at the

Arden Shisler Conference Center in Wooster,like the ambitious barn survey program andthe work from our fall JBD workshop. But wehave a few other projects taking place behindthe scenes.

Last fall, Lowell Finley constructed anddonated a beautiful barn model to FOB for useas a teaching aid and fancy collection box forour endowment fund donations. Lowell asbeen a big supporter of our efforts, and he hasa terrific display of detailed barn models dur-ing the Malabar Heritage Days. We can’t thankhim enough for his artwork. Don’t miss out onan opportunity to talk with Lowell and learnof his model building story.

A big thanks also goes out to Jim Taylor and DennyHendershot for agreeing to build a transport box for the barnmodel and letter it for our endowment collections. These twomen and their lovely wives do so much for the organization,and we all really appreciate it!

There is another display at Malabar that gets lots of atten-tion, that being Paul Knoebel’s mini-barn and raising. As if he

didn’t need more work, Paul and I (mostly Paul) are workingon developing a guidebook and video for his mini-barn pres-entation for two reasons. One, the National Barn Alliance isinterested in replicating the mini-barn concept and having sev-eral models around the country for other kids to experience.The other reason is that Paul would like to have others presentthe mini-barn to interested youth utilizing his teaching con-cepts, so that he might be able to enjoy his retirement!

The barn restoration project in Upper Arlington continuesto progress. Bids are going out for construction of the newfour-season timber frame building to be attached to the origi-nal restored frame that Dan Troth and I dismantled and docu-mented. The plan is to have a workshop in June on the parksite and restore the original frame, and then raise it during theJuly 4 weekend, traditionally a very big day in UpperArlington. We will keep you posted as the project moves for-ward.

Finally, Laura Saeger has finished the grantee final report tothe Columbus Foundation with funds from the GordonChandler Memorial Fund for the barn survey project. It is avery ambitious program sure to change the way we documentand record the history of our beloved Ohio Barns. Manythanks go to Laura, Rudy, Dan Houston, and the volunteers inWayne County for helping Friends develop the historical barnsurvey handbook and survey forms.

Like I said, the organization has been busy. It’s been ourway of staying warm this winter! Read through this conferenceedition for the festivities planned this spring, and we look for-ward to seeing you in Wooster!

Friends of Ohio BarnsBoard of Directors

PresidentRic Beck Delaware County (614) 738-4302

Vice PresidentVacant

SecretarySarah Woodall Trumbull County (330) 856-9053TreasurerLaura Saeger Wayne County (330) 624-7282

MembershipDan Troth Delaware County (740) 549-1774

NewsletterTom O’Grady Athens County (740) 593-7552

Board MembersRudy Christian Wayne County (330) 624-7282Gary Clower Trumbull County (330) 394-2613Paul Knoebel Stark County (330) 882-5027Larry Sulzer Summit County (330) 657-2135

RandomThoughtsRic BeckFriends of Ohio Barns president

Friends keeping busy as everEditor’s note: This article is taken fromthe Historical Collection of Ohio, byHenry Howe, 1889, and is providedhere to offer a glimpse into our ruralheritage.

THE GREAT COMPETING SLEIGH-RIDES OF THE WINTER OF 1855AND 1856 OF SUMMIT, CUYA-HOGA, AND MEDINA COUNTIES

The following completes the series ofarticles by Mr. Peirce from details largelysupplied by Hon. Thomas Palmer ofLafayette, this county. The event at thetime created interest, not only the leadingnewspapers in our country giving fullaccounts, but those of Europe. TheLondon Times, among them, it is said,chronicled it as one of the novelties in theline of amusement the Western Yankeeshad originated.

During the winter of 1855 and 1856there were about one hundred days ofalmost continuous sleighing throughoutNorthern Ohio. In February the people ofSolon Township, Cuyahoga County,organized a sleigh ride consisting of sevenfour-house teams and drove to Akron,Summit County. It seems that there hadalready been several smaller parties therefrom Medina and several othercounties, and it was understoodthat the Solon party intended toeclipse any previous party, foramong other decorations used bythem was a small cotton flag (33by 55 inches) painted with theregulation number of stars andstripes, and containing in addi-tion a profile with thumb to thenose and fingers extended.

This was interpreted by thepeople of the townships throughwhich the party passed as a banterand invitation to take the flag ifthey could muster a larger party;indeed, an Akron paper publishedan evidently authorized challengeto that effect. The people of thetownship of Twinsburg, throughwhich the Solon party drove, con-cluded that they could easily cap-ture the flag, and upon trial mus-tered fourteen four-horse teams

and went to Solon. The flag was graceful-ly surrendered to them and was carried toTwinsburg. The people of Royalton,Cuyahoga County, concluded that the flagmust come back to their county. They ral-lied thirty-eight four-horse teams andappeared at Twinsburg, when the flag wasduly surrendered to them. The matternow became a county affair, Cuyahoga,Summit, and Medina entering into thecompetition.

The competing delegation met atRichfield, Summit County (which town-ship adjoins both Cuyahoga and Medinacounties), on the 14th day of March.Medina had 144 four-horse teams,Cuyahoga had 151, and Summit, 171; inall 466 four-horse teams and sleighs, eachcontaining an average of fourteen per-sons, total 6,524 people and 1,864 hors-es. In addition to these there were a largenumber of single sleighs with their loads,which did not enter into the count. Ineach party were a number of brass bands,for in those days nearly every township inthat part of the Reserve had a brass band.Of course, Summit captured the flag andtook it to Akron. As the competition hadbeen mostly between Cuyahoga andSummit counties, the Medina delegationupon their return trip decided that the

correct thing would be to have the flagremoved into Medina county, and fourdays later (March 18, 1856) theyappeared at Akron about noon with 182four-horse teams, and one team of fourmules. They carried a great number ofbanners and devices and were accompa-nied by numerous brass bands. They werereceived by the citizens of Akron withextravagant demonstrations, includingthe ringing of bells, firing of cannon, anduproarious cheers. Word was passed backfrom the head of the line to the last load,which commenced cheering, and thecheers came swelling back up the line,and were taken up by the rapidly congre-gating citizens until the town was in onedeafening roar of human voices. The flagwas presented to the delegation byPresident Peirce of Hudson College withappropriate remarks, which wereresponded to by Charles E. Bostwick,chief marshal of the delegation. Twosongs, composed expressly for the occa-sion, were then sung, after which refresh-ments were served, and the delegationreturned to Medina County with the flag,probably the largest and most joyousparty of the kind ever assembled. No acci-dent occurred, and, like the HinckleyHunt, no one got drunk.

An old-fashioned winterWith winters like this, no wonder they built so many barns!

Model timber frame structure built by Lowell Finley.

Friends of Ohio Barns’Junior Barn Detective (JBD)program is alive and well—and reporting on where it hasbeen, what is going on now,and where we see it headed.

The program got its firstreal shot in the arm as a resultof a very successful JBDworkshop held on Saturday,November 14 near Alliance,Ohio. Fourteen dedicatedFOB members showed up toenjoy a beautiful fall day atan equally impressive site, theMount Union College’s JohnT. Huston/Dr. John D.Brumbaugh Nature Center.The center’s manager, MikeGreiner, graciously gave uphis normal deer hunting dayto host and participate in theactivities with the group.

The indoor/outdoor ses-sions included a visit to the center’s well-maintainedold barn and the group scrutinization of the Suttonfamily’s “needy” barn that was conveniently located

just across the highway. We enjoyed a fabulous hotlunch in perfect keeping with the caliber of theenvironment, the day’s active discussions, and the

enthusiastic folks whoattended.

Our first indoor ses-sion included a thoroughreview of the statedobjectives and proposedpath of the original JBDprogram as outlined atlast year’s barn confer-ence. For now it appearsthat very little if any devi-ation from the basic planwill be needed. However,what was most welcomethroughout the day wasthe generous amount of

constructive input con-tributed by all the con-cerned participants. A fewissues that surfaced arethat the JBD participantswould like to have moretraining on how to judgea barn’s health. Also need-ed are more “hands on”and “up close” observa-tion of common barnmaladies, information onhow to qualify the prob-lems once identified, andthen an explanation ofappropriate remedies. Tous it suggests a need forsome specific workshopsoriented toward particularbarn ailments.

One of the day’s mostenthusiastic and revealingsessions was hosted by JimMehl of J.A. Mehl

Restorations, an experienced local contractor andhistoric building tradesmen. Everyone enjoyed hav-ing the opportunity to discuss openly and candidlycontractor/client association and review each other’sresponsibilities and potential challenges.

Other concerns discussed were centered aroundobtaining more information on possible tax credits,deductions. and financial aid sources for barn repairefforts. The group also had a general desire for amore complete explanation of types of barns andtheir component terminology. Thisneed will soon be met with the pub-lication of the FOB Barn Surveyteam’s “almost completed” bookleton that very same subject. GaryClower and Paul Knoebel’s cleverlyarticulated “gizmo” was a big help indemonstrating what can happen to atimber framed structure when the

bottom supports startslipping off their foun-dations. You can expectto see it show up at theupcoming conference.

Workshop attendeeswent home with anotebook of informa-tion relative to the aimsand objectives of theJBD program, barninspection informa-tion, resources, preser-vat ion/maintenancetactics, and other relat-ed materials. The JBDteam is working on fill-ing in the as yet needed

material. We plan to address many of the identifiedneeds at the upcoming FOB conference and barntour.

This year’s Friday tour will include another“needy” barn that will receive a more in-depthanalysis of some specific problems in lieu of the gen-eral overview that was given to last year’s structure.A breakout session will be included in the Saturdayproceedings for the benefit of the workshop atten-dees as well for any newly interested JBD enthusi-asts. It will be an ideal setting at which to pick upmore information, address concerns, evaluate JBDprogress, and enjoy a general get-together. Oh, andwe will also continue the discussion concerning the“Junior” terminology in the JBD moniker!

See you at the conference in Wooster.

— The JBD Team

Junior Barn Detectives begin training

Left: Attendees of the JuniorBarn Detectives workshopin November near Alliance,Ohio, listen as Gary Clower(above) instructs them onthe naming of the parts andparticular construction tech-niques of several differentstyles of barns.

Junior Barn Detectives investigate a barn during the November workshop.

The JBD team used this raised demonstration barn for teaching con-struction and repair techniques, practicing diagnosing structural prob-lems, and showing future areas needing maintenance, repair, or rein-forcement.

Workshop attendees tour the John T. Huston barn, built circa 1860,which recently received extensive restoration work.

Wayne County is namedfor General “Mad” AnthonyWayne, who distinguishedhimself in 1779 at the Battleof Stony Point on theHudson River in theRevolutionary War and thenlater against a confederacy ofnative tribes at the Battle ofFallen Timbers in north-western Ohio. This victoryculminated in the GreenvilleTreaty in 1795, which trans-ferred the majority of Ohiolands from native tribes tothe U.S. government andopened the territory for set-tlement.

The area making upWayne County today felljust within the southeastportion of the regionretained as Indian land. In1796 Wayne County wasthe third county formed inthe Northwest Territory, andat that time the county cov-ered a good deal of Ohio,Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin,and all of Michigan. This glaciated land-scape is mostly rolling, with numerousglades of level land. The prevailing soil is adeep clay loam, capable of the highest fer-tility. It has proven to be very productiveagricultural land for nearly two centuries.

By 1808 folks were moving in andbuilding farmsteads, homes, and business-es. By 1850 a large percentage of the pop-ulation was made up of German immi-grants, mostly from Pennsylvania andmany from the German empire. TheGerman influence will be evident in thebuildings and the names encounteredalong the tour.

The Great Trail, a key travel routebetween the forks of the Ohio at FortDuquesne (Pittsburg) and Sandusky Bayon Lake Erie and on to another Fort atDetroit, passed through what is WayneCounty today. This was one of the mainroutes Pennsylvania Germans took as theymigrated into this region of Ohio. Thisand other Indian trails that portaged thedivide between Lake Erie and the OhioRiver watershed were important trans-portation routes that evolved into pioneerroads. In 1846 Wooster, located on thestage road between Cleveland and

Columbus, was named the county seatand remains so today.

One of the farms we will visit on thetour is the Baer homestead, first purchasedin 1818. The family suffered setbacks andreturned to Pennsylvania, but by 1830 thebank barn and brick house were built bythe second generation. Still in the handsof the Baer family, the eighth generationfarmstead has grown to two houses, sixoutbuildings, and the original bank barnwith its own additions for the dairy herd.The Baer barn has the original timberframed threshing floor doors.

Another barn we will visit belongs toBob Weygandt, who is also one of ourbarn survey captains. Some of us who sub-scribed to the Barn Consultant newslettercan recall the articles written by ChuckWhitney that showcased the windlass inthat barn. There are also several uniqueand puzzling framing details in theWeygandt barn for you to discover anddiscuss. These two barns are just a taste ofwhat we will see; every barn tour in thepast has been interesting, educational, andenduring. We promise that this year’s tourwill not disappoint you!

This past year has been a very busy one for me. I tooka lot more pounding than in any of my previous fiveyears of traveling Ohio. I’m not complaining though, asI did get to go to Kentucky twice and New York once.Turns out the kids there enjoy raising me just as much asthey do in Ohio.

The season began innocently enough with a raisingat the annual FOB conference in Bluffton in April. Thatone was really easy on me since there were no overlyenthusiastic children and the adult “wannabe” kids weremore sympathetic and considerably more accurate withtheir mallet aim. I think that was only the third timeadults have raised me.

Then in May it was off to the Wolf Creek Mill Festivalnear Loudonville, Ohio, for a one-day stand. I’m prettysure this was my third year traveling to that beautiful set-ting. One group of eager Cub Scouts was really organized,and they all helped each other get the job done.

The next two raising occasions nearly made me car-sick. Traveling in that closed-in bouncy trailer is badenough on short jaunts, but to Kentucky twice was anew experience. It all began when the National BarnAlliance (NBA) and the Kentucky Historical Society gotwind of my existence. The NBA wanted to see firsthandif my up and down lifestyle was something they couldpossibly adapt to their plans for teaching farm and barnappreciation to fifth graders all across the country. I was raisedtwice in one day by over 80 fifth-graders in two schools nearLexington. It was a hectic experience. Then over the Fourth of JulyI traveled back down I-71 to Frankfort as the guest of thePreservation Trades Network and the Timber Framers Guild. It wasa beautiful setting, right downtown on the banks of the KentuckyRiver. Although there were not a lot of kids there, that raising didgive me an opportunity to rub elbows with some super craftsman.

August soon rolled around, and I had hardly gotten settled whenI was beckoned to the Stream Days Festival at the site of the OldMill at Beaver Creek State Park. The rain held off, the kids did well,but I was a bit concerned as to what my floorboards would look andsmell like afterward thanks to the geese! The venue was quite dif-ferent later in the month when I was invited to do my thing rightthere in the middle of the Tallmadge Traffic Circle during a church’s200-year community celebration. Being right there on the lawnnext to that grand old church was exhilarating. I know my chaper-

one came away really happy after his private tour of the church’smagnificent timber framed steeple. I’m not sure what all those vehi-cles circling about thought, but they really didn’t bother me.

A month went by, and it was off to our old stomping grounds,the annual September Heritage Festival at Malabar State Park. Ithad to be my fourth or fifth consecutive year at that well-attendedevent. The next week it was back down to Beaver Creek for theirannual Harvest Days celebration. They want me to be there everyyear. Another short week and it was off to the biggy, the annualthree-day Algonquin Mill Festival near Carrollton. My joints werereally tired after that workout, and more bumps and bruises wereevident. Eight raisings were accomplished throughout the longweekend. I usually get my biggest crowd of kids at this heavily-attended event. It was kind of special being there in 2009, as I gotto help draw folks in to see the new realistic barn model in the FOBdisplay booth. Come to think of it, I do seem to show up wherev-er the FOB display does. You don’t suppose FOB has an ulteriormotive for my being there? I thought I was just present for the kids.

In a normal year Algonquin marks the end of my season, but2009was not a normal year. It was off to the Timber Framers Guild annu-al Eastern Conference in Saratoga Springs, New York, in November.I think I may have shaken some knots loose during that bouncy ride.It was fun, but somewhat intimidating being raised by kids right therein the hotel ballroom alongside Jack Sobon’s impressive newly hewnand cut large Dutch building. Maybe my nervousness was simply dueto my diminutive size. However, I got over it after someone com-mented that I should be more upbeat; after all this was my 88th rais-ing, and only that barn’s first! Perhaps a new record.

In closing I would like to thank all the folks who came out tohelp me give the kids a good, fun-filled barn raising experience (andFOB booth attraction). It wouldn’t get done without you. 2010already has about six bookings lined up, and I will again need all thehelp I can get.

— Mini

Photos and article submitted by Paul KnoebelAbove: A supervisor inspects as a worker drives a wooden peg atthe Algonquin Mill Festival. Below: Youngsters help Paul Knoebelraise the mini-barn at the Algonquin Mill Festival in October.

2010 Barn Tour draws out local history

Photo by Rudy ChristianWeygandt barn: Note the wheels of the windlass in this image.

Accepting Barn of the Year nominationsDo you know of an outstanding barn in your region? If so, drop us a line and

get it nominated for the annual Friends of Ohio Barns Barn of the Year award. Thedeadline for entries is April 17, 2010.

Nominations will be judged in two categories: agricultural use and adaptive re-use(non-agricultural). Nominations should include photos, the current owner’s name,location of the barn, current use of the barn, history of the barn including the age andbuilder if known, and information on repairs and who made them, if known.

You may use the nomination form in this newsletter or copy one from theFriends website. Nominations may be mailed to Dan Troth, 7591 Perry Road,Delaware, Ohio, 43015. The awards will be presented at the conference onSaturday, April 24.

Mini-barn memoirs: My 2009 travels

During the winter of 2008/2009, a small group of WayneCounty residents gathered at the Wayne County HistoricalSociety to begin putting ideas together for how to conduct a barnsurvey. Dan Houston of Wooster stepped forward as chairman ofthis ad hoc committee and offered to keep records and coordi-nate communication between the volunteers. Meetings werescheduled on a monthly basis, and a rather ambitious schedulewas established in hopes it might be possible to start the actualsurvey work in 2009. That proved to be difficult as it becameclear just how much work it would take to prepare.

Part of the reason the workload became substantial was theparticular goals that were established for the Wayne County sur-vey. Although much could be gleaned from the hard work donein Michigan and in Ashland County, several objectives wereestablished that would require a significant amount of new mate-rial to be created. The primary reason for this was the fact that,with hopes of creating a new and re-usable model that could beused in Ohio’s other 86 counties, the Wayne County survey wasdesigned to be digital in nature. This would allow the surveys andsurvey photos to become part of an online resource.

Early on in the development Friends members Laura Saegerand Rudy Christian suggested that Wayne County should part-ner with Friends of Ohio Barns. This would allow the work to besupported by Friends and for the survey materials to becomeFriends property, allowing them to be officially made available ona statewide basis. This would also allow Friends to provide serv-er space on the Friends website for the storage of the survey dataand photos and to make it available to the general public.

The board of directors was very receptive to this arrangement

and a $5,000 grant from the Gordon Chandler Memorial Fundmade it possible for Friends to become the first major sponsor ofthe Wayne County survey. President Ric Beck wrote the grantand deserves a great deal of thanks for making this all a reality.With the grant in hand, work began in earnest on specifying andpurchasing digital cameras and storage cards, clipboards, paper,and printing supplies for the survey forms.

A new survey form had to be designed which would be suit-able for easy and clear data entry, and it was decided that a sur-vey handbook should be created so folks would have somethingto help them use the new form correctly. Rudy and Friends web-master Carson Christian took on the job of creating the form andhandbook. A database also had to be created for uploading thesurvey data, and that job went to Carson. Spreadsheets from thecounty auditor’s records were needed for each of the sixteentownships in Wayne County so the survey forms could be keyedto them. Committee member George Gingery took on that job.Finally all of this had to be printed and packets made for each ofthe township survey captains, and Laura took on that task.

As of this writing the first volunteer training meeting has beenscheduled, ten of the needed sixteen township captains have beensigned up, and plans are nearly complete for the actual surveywork to begin. A progress report and presentation of the begin-ning of the survey will be made at the upcoming Ohio BarnConference in Wooster. Plan on coming and seeing what WayneCounty is doing to document its magnificent historic barns.Maybe you will decide to be the person who makes it happen inyour county!

— Rudy Christian

Wayne County Barn Inventory under way

Photo by Rudy ChristianWayne County volunteers learn the ins and outs of using the survey form and conducting a barn inventory.

Photos by Dan Troth

Here are threeimages of a cupola

being repaired on aslate roofed bicen-tennial barn north

of Columbus inDelaware County.

Notice the platformconstructed to pro-tect the slate roof

during operations.(A small indication

of why barn repairisn’t cheap.)

UpcomingeventsMichigan Barn Preservation NetworkAnnual Conference and Barn TourMarch 12-13, 2010www.mibarn.net

BARN AGAIN! Workshop Southern IndianaMarch 5-6County Museum2704 Newton StreetJasper, IndianaIncludes Barns to Homes tour inDubois County March 5

(Registration deadline is February 28. To reg-ister or for more information, contact theSouthern Regional Office of HistoricLandmarks Foundation at (812) 284-4534, e-mail jmartin@historiclandmarks.org, or visithttp://www.historiclandmarks.org.)

Friends of Ohio Barns will once againbe seeking candidates to fill board posi-tions of members whose terms are expir-ing. There are currently three open posi-tions.

Responsibilities include participatingin the annual barn conference, attendingboard meetings and conference calls, andrepresenting Friends at festivals andevents with the satisfaction of knowingthat you are doing something to help save

a part of Ohio’s rich agricultural heritage.If you are interested in a board posi-

tion, please send a short biography withyour goals and ideas to:

Friends of Ohio BarnsP.O. Box 203Burbank, Ohio 44214

or e-mail friendsofohiobarns@aol.com.Remember, new blood brings fresh ideasand keeps the organization alive withpromise!

Saturday Conference Schedule(Tentative)

8 a.m. Registration and continental breakfast

8:30-8:45 Welcome message

8:45-9:45 Keynote presentation: Steve Gordon

9:45-10:30 Pam Whitney Gray – “Americanization of the Family Barn”

10:30-11 Morning break, exhibits, bookstore

11-11:30 Paul Locher, Wayne County Historian

11:30-12 The Barn Detectives: Larry Sulzer and Rudy Christian

12-1:30 Lunch, Barn of the Year awards, member meeting

1:30-2 Breakout sessions:

Resources and Uses of Old Barns, Dr. Ann Christy

Junior Barn Detectives, Paul Knoebel, Gary Clower, Larry Sulzer

Hewing demonstration

2:15-2:45 Breakout sessions:

Wayne County Barn Survey Program

National Barn Alliance, Charles Leik

Hewing demonstration

2:45-3:30 Afternoon break, hewing demonstration, exhibits,

bookstore, silent auction

3:30-4:15 Wayne County Barns, Rudy Christian

4:15-4:30 Close silent auction

4:30-5:30 Barn Repair Panel

5:30 p.m. Conference ends

Photos submitted by Rudy Christian

At first glance from the frontthis Indiana barn looks to belate 19th or early 20th centu-ry, but then looking at theend you realize it’s a muchearlier gable-roofed barnthat was “pushed up” to thegambrel to allow for a haytrack and greater storagearea for the hay. A fellow inIndiana is looking to have itdeconstructed before thebypass around Kokomotakes it out, but unfortunate-ly much of the barn hasalready been cut up andremoved. Six feet were cutoff the top of the posts, a tim-ber wall was cut off, four tiebeams were removed, and atop plate is gone, as well asthe center posts and historicrafter. Hopefully, before itbecomes fodder for a bull-dozer, someone will salvagethe remaining old timber forrepairs on other structures.

Donate tothe silentauction!

Part of the fun we have each year dur-ing the Ohio Barn Conference is thesilent auction. FOB encourages everyoneto bring silent auction items for theSaturday event. The proceeds help us off-set the costs of the conference and stillprovide you, the members, with a qualityprogram. Our silent auction has provento be a great fund raiser for our organiza-tion and a fun way to obtain interestingitems through friendly bidding competi-tion.

We hope you can contribute an itemor two—something handmade, col-lectible, store bought, or something inter-esting you’ve found in your travels. Themore you bring, and the better the items,the more exciting the auction gets!

If you can’t find anything to bring, atleast come prepared to make someoneelse bid a little higher before walking offwith a treasure!

Board member elections

The foundations of America were laid with the building of its first barns.

— Eric Sloane, 1905-1985

Changing faces

Send in your photos of old, refurbished, relocated, or unusual barns, or any interesting or unique barn features, along with any information you can gather. Every barn has a story, and we’d like to know yours!