Join us for our 2026 Annual Forum and Meeting, Saturday, July 18
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The 2026 Indiana Barn Foundation Forum and Annual Meeting will be held on Saturday, July 18th from 9 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. at The Lawrence Restaurant + Events, 150 McCutcheon Dr, West Lafayette, Indiana.
The Lawrence is the latest restaurant creation of the Cunningham Restaurant Group. This unique destination brings a beautifully restored 1930s barn to life, offering guests a sense of history, community, and fresh, seasonal cuisine. The barn was donated to the Purdue Research Foundation by Sonny Beck, owner of Beck’s Hybrids, and then relocated and transformed near the Purdue campus. The interior features a permanent art installation in partnership with the Indiana Barn Foundation.
The annual meeting will include two presentations:
The Farm at Prophetstown Lee Goudy, Executive Director of The Farm at Prophetstown, speaks about the farm's history and the restoration of its Gambrel Barn.
The history of the hay trolley
We are excited to announce that Steve Weeber of Iowa City, Iowa will be a keynote speaker at the upcoming annual meeting on July 18th. Steve is a prominent agricultural historian and co-founder of the North American Hay Tool Collectors Association (NAHTCA). The NAHTCA is a dedicated group of enthusiasts who preserve antique agricultural equipment like hay carriers, trolleys, forks, and pulleys. Their website and its associated Facebook group is the go-to resource for anything to do with hay trolleys!
Steve has one of the most extensive and curated collections of hay trolleys housed at his ancestral 120-acre farm, with a special emphasis on agricultural pioneer William Louden -- who innovated and manufactured hay trolleys in nearby Fairfield. As the size of farms grew, the need for more hay -- in bigger barns -- created a fascinating period in American agriculture where inventors and innovators raced to develop and patent their labor-saving tools and equipment -- and competed extensively with each other through the new frontier of marketing and mail orders.
Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. Lunch is included in the registration fee of $35. Non-members of the Indiana Barn Foundation are welcome to attend. Email director@indianabarns.org with any questions.
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