Love Your Barn Story
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Each month this year we are featuring a simple, fun way to share stories, photos, and projects from across Indiana. This is about connection, pride, and keeping our barn heritage visible and valued. This is the second of a series of monthly membership activities intended to bring our community closer together and to celebrate the barns we all care so much about.
Your barns, your work, and your stories matter. Together, we tell the story of Indiana’s rural past and help protect it for the future. We hope you will join in often and help make this a strong and active year for the Indiana Barn Foundation.
This month we invited members share the story about why you love your barn or a barn in your past. Below are the stories we received.
Missy from White County shares:
While we have only owned our barn since 2020. We have loved sharing it's history with all the couples who choose our barn for their wedding day! The Governor's Pavilion was built by the 30th Governor of Indiana, Warren McCray in 1896 and moved to its current location in 1996.
Don from Owen County shares:
I bought the barn 2 years ago. My parents own a lake house within walking distance of the property with the 1906 dairy barn . I was always intrigued with the barn I believe it could be one of the first barndominiums. I still have a lot of work to do on the barn.
Aret from Scott County shares:
My family has been connected to this barn for generations, with the property officially entering our family in 1974. What I love most about it is that it has never stopped being used. From horses and livestock to trail rides, family gatherings, and everyday care, the barn has remained a working part of the land for more than a century. It holds my favorite memories simply because it has always been there — steady, useful, and woven into daily life.
Matt from LaPorte County shares:
We are recent owners but love that the barn represents over a century of farming legacy and memories. We are excited to resuscitate this beauty for future generations.
Dana from Huntington County shares:
We bought our property in 1998. One of the reasons we bought the property was because of the barn, it’s awesome. Our favorite memory is when we finally utilized the entire barn with a wood shop, fiber studio, hay storage, sheep pens, and greenhouse.
Tim from Howard County shares:
I love my barn because it holds the story of our family and the land. It represents the agricultural heritage passed down to me. Those before me worked this soil and cared for this place. Their effort lives on in the beams and boards that still stand today. The barn stands tall and proud in the countryside. Its features tell their own story of when it was built and how it changed over the years. Built in 1911, it carries more than a century of work and weather. It earned a top ten distinction in Indiana’s Bicentennial Barn celebration, a quiet honor for a faithful old structure. I love that it still serves a purpose each day. It shelters our alpacas and keeps hay safe in the loft above. It works as it was meant to work, strong and steady. When I step inside, I feel tied to the past and grateful for the chance to carry this legacy forward.
There is still time to submit your own barn story. Click the button below!
