Many older Hoosier barns are equiped with a lightning protection system commonly known as lightning rods. Many of these historic lightning protection systems may still be operating properly or can be repaired and upgraded. Some old systems simply are too deteriorated, incomplete, or archaic to repair and make fully functional, raising the question whether they should be saved in place or removed in whole or in part for safety. For historic structures that have none and are located in areas that are prone to lightning strikes such as in Indiana,
a modern lightning protection system may merit installation. This perservation brief from the NPS addresses the care, maintenance, and repair of historic and older lightning protection systems and discusses factors to consider in assessing the need for a lightning protection system where none exists. https://www.nps.gov/tps/how-to-preserve/briefs/50-lightning-protection.htm