Log Barns

These two barns may be among the only log barns left in Iowa. It is believed the large barn was built in 1868. Orville Nelson owned these primitive barns for years.

Quilt Barns

Apparently this grass roots art movement began in 2001 and has spread to 16 states and 900 barns, adopted by rural communities as a way to honor the craft of quilt making and farming expressed through public art. Ohio, Iowa and Kentucky have over 250 in each state. Many barns are part of “quilt trails” that map dozens of barns per trail that sightseers can follow and enjoy.

The barns are painted in a variety of manners. Some communities hire local artists, and others are painted by clubs or high school art classes that seize the opportunity to volunteer to help create public art. Frequently a business with a truck with a hoist donates the crew and equipment needed to place the square, which is usually painted on two 4 x 8 sheets of outdoor plywood attached to a frame.
How to explain the rapid growth of the quilt-barn movement? The squares not only honor the wife of every farmer where they appear, they also recognize the rural heritage that has been a part of the fabric of America since Colonial times.

Round Barns

Round barns in Indiana are a rarity in the 21st century. While Indiana, more specifically, Fulton County, is the round barn captial of the world, few round barns remain standing. These barns are a piece of the historical landscape of the Hoosier state. Round barns are indicative of an agragarian society at the turn of the century. The round barn is a long forgotten ingenuity of a farming society that searched for innovative ways to improve their farming techniques. Bob Hamibaugh stated, "The era of round barns was a time in our agricultural history that was brief, but important. It was the birth of modern farming," ("The Round Barns of Fulton County," By: Lisa Hurt Kozarovich). Frank Retter of Randolph County would agree. As the grandson of a round barn builder, he takes great pride in his family's contribution to this aspect of farming. The round barn that his grandfather built 100 years ago is still in the family and still in use today.