This section of The Barn Journal is a listing of contractors, web sites, organizations, publications, videos, and other resources related to rural architecture. If you know of other specific resources that you would like to see listed here, send the relevant information to the site editor at editor@thebarnjournal.org.

 

Web Sites

Check out the Organizations section below for more Web sites.

  • Barns Along the River, a survey of barns in the Thousand Islands Region of the St. Lawrence River at freepages.history.rootsweb.com/~jonkh.

  • The Barns of Underhill, Vermont: A Pictorial Survey at www.uvm.edu/~hag/underhill/index.html.

  • The Clark Barn, a chronicle of the 2001 removal and re-erection of a circa 1850 40' x 65' barn frame at Searsmont, ME. Visit the site at martin.tfcinfo.com.

  • The Cotswold HyperGuide - Tithe Barns, information about English tithe barns at www.digital-brilliance.com/hyperg/history/tithe.htm.

  • Disappearing Legacy: Old Barns of the Northwest contains fifty antique barn photos in Idaho, Utah, Oregon and Washington at www.angelfire.com/id/photogreats/barnphotographstest.html.

  • A Forgotten America, a photo gallery of old barns compiled by Mike Holland of Oklahoma, at www.shop-southwest-ok.com/america.

  • The Frydenlund Round Barn: "Have you ever been inside an old barn…when the wind outside is howling?"  Read about this barn in St.Croix County, WI at www.roundbarn.homestead.com.

  • Hoff Family Homepage, with information about a restored 1947 northern MN dairy barn used for community activities as well as an annual hospice fundraiser, the Art Hoff Festival.  Read about it at sites.netscape.net/ojhoff/homepage.

  • "It's the Round," an article about a 64' diameter round barn at Kirksville, MO, from Truman State University at index.truman.edu/issues/19992000/1014/features/features14.asp.

  • Maxheim Photography, a family-owned photography business that sells photos of distinctive round barns in Iowa. Visit the site at www.maxheimphoto.com.

  • Ohio Barns showcases a variety of barns from Ohio and the Midwest, including Mail Pouch barns, Rock City barns, and round barns. Go to www.ohiobarns.com.

  • Ohio Bicentennial (1803-2003) mentions that Scott Hagan is painting the Bicentennial logo on dozens of OH barns. Scott was mentored by the late Harley Warrick of Mail Pouch fame. A county-by-county listing is provided at www.ohio200.org.

  • Old Barns, a pictorial site by John C. McCornack, Yukon, OK. Read about the huge Yukon barn that was saved, and the Walnut Grove barn at Knoxville, IL which is available as an Ertl Collectible, at www.geocities.com/colosseum/bleachers/4895/barn.html.

  • The Preservation of Historic Barns, a good reference of barn styles, and a primer on maintenance and rehabilitation of barns for adaptive uses. Read the document at www.oldhouseweb.com/oldhouse/content/npsbriefs/brief20.asp.

  • PreservationDirectory.com is a "public research tool for historic and cultural resource preservation." The site includes links to over 700 Web sites in dozens of categories. Take a look at www.preservationdirectory.com.

  • Remembering the Family Farm - 150 Years of American Prints is an exhibition at Kansas University showcasing prints of "farm implements, barns, silos, and other outbuildings." See the prints at www.ku.edu/~sma/barns/barns.htm.

  • Round and Mail Pouch Barns in Shiawassee County (MI), at www.angelfire.com/mi2/shiawasseeglass/barn.html.

  • The Round Barn, photos and history of a beautiful specimen at Manning, WV. Visit the site at www.theroundbarn.org.

  • Round Barns, a pictorial site developed by a WI graduate student at sapphire.surgery.wisc.edu/barns.html.

  • Round Barns and Covered Bridges, a well-organized site (by state and county with detailed directions) of round barns and covered bridges in the Nation’s Heartland.  Highly recommended.  Visit the site at www.dalejtravis.com.

  • Secrest 1883 Octagonal Barn, featuring photos and information about the Secrest farmstead and its round barn in West Branch, Iowa.  Visit the site at earphone.oto.uiowa.edu/octbarn.

  • Traditional Building, "The Professional Source for Historical Products." This is the web site of a wonderful bimonthly publication. For example, the March-April 1999 issue has 195 huge pages - pp. 70-89 are devoted to traditional post and beam, and modern horse barns.  See www.traditional-building.com.

  • Traverse City State Hospital Farm Operations contains photos and history of the farm activity at the State Hospital in Traverse City, Michigan.  Visit the site at www.geocities.com/SoHo/Workshop/1885/farm1.html.

  • Barns of Sonoma County A pictorial review of the Barns of Sanoma County, CA. Visit the site at www.barnsofsonoma.com .

  • The Victorian House at www.thevictorianhouse.com has reproduction old house plans including farm buildings from as early as the 1830s.

  • Wild Bill and Stacey's Place, featuring the story of how a family built the barn it always wanted at www.netptc.net/wildbill-stacey.

  • World of Wood, by UK timber framer / barn restorer Ken Hume, at www.kfhume.freeserve.co.uk.

  • For Sale: Dismantled, tagged 28' x 40' oak frame with rafters for $17,500.
    Iowa Barn Savers at 563.252.3541 (after 7pm) or dlschmitt@alpinecom.net

Organizations

Note: Currently there are barn preservation programs in the following states: MI, WI, OH, IL, KS, IN, IA, CO, NY, VT and ME. Some of these are listed below; others may be contacted through the state agricultural university or state historic society.

  • Barn Again! in Ohio has information on barn rehabilitation, contractors, and special workshops in the Ohio area. Read more about them at fabe.osu.edu/~barn.htm.

  • The Dutch Barn Preservation Society (Altamont, NY), an organization dedicated to the study and preservation of New World Dutch barns. These distinctive barns are located in eastern New York and New Jersey. For more information, visit their Web site at www.schist.org/dbps.htm.

  • Friends of Ohio Barns, a non-profit organization founded in 2001 to "help save and protect Ohio's beautiful barns." For more information, visit ohiobarns.osu.edu.

  • Foundation for Historic Building Rescue (Souderton, PA), a non-profit organization that saves timber frame barns, houses and other vernacular architecture, primarily in SE PA, but north to New England and south to VA. For complete details please visit www.historicbuildingrescue.org.

  • Garfield Farm and Inn Museum (Kane County, IL), a 150-year old farming museum. Garfield Farm is on Garfield Rd. just north of Illinois Route 38 between Geneva and Dekalb. The museum is open 1-4 PM on Sundays and Wednesdays, June through September, or for an appointment call (630) 584-8485, or visit the Garfield Farm and Inn Museum web site at www.garfieldfarm.org.

  • Iowa Barn Foundation has 1300 members worldwide and has awarded 47 grants totaling $400,000 to Iowa barn owners who are preserving their heritage. Please see www.iowabarnfoundation.org or contact J. Schmeal at 505.988.5917.

  • Kansas Barn Alliance Please see www.kansasbarnalliance.org or contact J. Schmeal at 505.988.5917.

  • Leelanau Museum (Leland, MI): How are barns built? What other structures can be found on farmsteads? What does the form of these buildings say about how they were used? These are some of the questions visitors can answer in the Leelanau Historical Museum's special exhibit, "Reading the Farm" on display through April 1999. This exhibit provides information on the identification of farm buildings and other structures which are part of a working farmstead. It is presented as a guide for museum visitors and the team of volunteers who will be part of the Leelanau Museum's county-wide survey of historic farmsteads. For more information please contact the Museum at (616) 256-7475 or leemuse@traverse.com or visit www.leelanau.com/leemuse.

  • Maine Preservation (Portland, ME) is "the statewide private nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving and protecting the irreplaceable architectural heritage, historic places and communities of Maine. Visit their web site at www.mainepreservation.org

  • Malabar Farm State Park (Lucas, OH): This historic site features camping, skiing, farm tours, and other activities. For complete information, call the Park Office at (419) 892-2784 or visit www.malabarfarm.org.

  • McHenry County Historical Barn Preservation Association (IL): Dedicated to saving the barns of McHenry County. Visit www.mchenrycountybarns.org or contact Ken Fiske.

  • The Michigan Barn Preservation Network (MBPN) was founded in 1995, publishes a newsletter, and holds an annual meeting at MSU, the first Saturday in March. See their web site at www.mibarn.net.

  • The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a group "committed to saving America's diverse historic environments and to preserving and revitalizing the livability of communities nationwide." They host the Barn Again! program. For complete information, see the National Trust web site at www.nthp.org.

  • The Newark Valley Historical Society, a historical preservation group based in Newark Valley, New York. Visit the Bement-Billings Farmstead and other attractions on their web site at www.tier.net/nvhistory or contact Ed Nizalowski for more information.

  • New World Dutch Barn Survey 2000 (Rolland Miner, Director), a New York State Board of Regents incorporated non-profit educational organization founded in 1997. The mission of the the Survey is to catalog barns in the Mohawk-Schoharie Valleys of New York. For more information, contact nwdb2000@twcny.rr.com or visit nwdb2000.homestead.com/home.html.

  • The New York State Barn Coalition (Albany, NY), a coalition of New York organizations that provides "a unified voice for barn preservation across the stat." Visit their web site at www.barncoalition.org.

  • Pioneer House and Museum (Oxford, OH), an historic farm homestead managed by the Oxford Museum Association. Visit their web site at www.oxfordchamber.org/pio.html.

  • Society for the Preservation of Hudson Valley Vernacular Architecture (Peter Sinclair, West Hurley, NY, President), publishes a monthly newsletter; annual membership $10. Contact Mr. Sinclair at hvvernar@netstep.net for details.

  • The Society for the Preservation of Old Mills (SPOOM) promotes "interest in old mills and other Americana." Visit their web site at www.spoom.org.

  • The Timber Frame Business Council (TFBC) is a source of information on companies specializing in the engineering, design and construction of timber frames. Visit their web site at www.timberframe.org.

  • The Timber Framers Guild of North America disseminates information on timber framing and timber frame building design, and serves as a center of information about this craft for interested professionals and the general public. The Guild has a membership of 714 individuals and 81 businesses in 46 states, Canada and several other countries. Guild members have extensive experience in the repair and restoration of barns as well as the moving and renovation of barns into a variety of adaptive uses including homes. For complete information, see the Timber Framers Guild web site at www.tfguild.org.

  • The Thumb Octagon Barn (Gagetown, MI), a "unique historical site" that has been restored and preserved by the Friends of the Octagon Barn. Read more about the history of the circa-1924 barn and activities at thumboctagon.8m.com.

  • The Wisconsin Barn Preservation Program "is aimed at both addressing public concerns and drawing attention to the importance of preserving the elements of Wisconsin's rural countryside, those elements that make it a unique part of America." Visit their web site at www.uwex.edu/lgc/barns/barns.htm.

  • Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust (United Kingdom) is a charity "working with local communities to carry out a whole host of conservation projects." Part of their program includes the preservation of traditional field barns. Find out more at www.ydmt.org/index.htm.

Tax Credits For Barn Preservation

  • A Federal income tax program allows a credit equal to 20 percent of the amount spent rehabilitating a historic barn. This program has been administered by the NPS' Technical Preservation Services since passage of the Tax Report Act of 1976. So far, over 30,000 buildings have been rehabilitated including many barns. The Federal Historic Preservation Tax Incentives Program can be found at www.nps.gov/history/hps/tps/tax/.

 

Technical and Construction Information