Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
The Johnson Barn near Sutherland in O'Brien County.
The Hansen Crib near Ruthven in Clay County.
If you are looking for something different to do on a September weekend, consider taking a self-guided tour of Iowa's historic barns.
The Iowa Barn Foundation is holding its annual All-State Tour on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 14-15, featuring a record 92 barns across the state that will be available for visiting inside and out from 9 a.m.-5 p.m., both days.
Local barns on the tour include:
• Johnson Barn, 4594 Vine Ave., Sutherland (O'Brien County): From Sutherland, travel one mile north on county road M12, and turn right onto 460th Street. This barn was built about 1920 for John Adams, a dairy farmer. It has a footprint of over 2,000 square feet. Twin cupolas and horse weathervanes are original. Arched rafters had to be hoisted in place with pulleys and horsepower. This allowed for access to the loft without support poles.
• Hansen Crib, 4015 340th Ave., Ruthven (Clay County): From Ruthven, take N18 south to 340th Ave. This one-of-a-kind landmark corncrib built in the 1940s holds 7,000 bushels of ear corn and 4,000 bushels of small grain. In middle of crib is a bucket system that transports ear corn to the top of the corncrib and releases it into multiple outlets. Grandfather of owner died when owner's father was 18 and he had to take over farm.
The fall tour highlights barns that have received a restoration grant from the foundation and those that have received an Award of Distinction or Preservation Award for restoration funded by the owner. Many of the owners will be on hand to share their memories and regard for the structures and answer your questions.
The Foundation is especially excited to have a record 11 round barns included in the tour this year. Of the approximately 200,000 barns built in the late 1800s and early 1900s, only 250 were round - including some octagonal and multi-sided.
There are a record 11 round barns on the fall tour this year, six of which are on the fall tour for the very first time this year. These barns feature some of the most amazing design and architecture you will find in any building in the state of Iowa.
The self-guided fall tour is free and open to the public, made possible by member donors. An online tour guide can be found at iowabarnfoundation.org/barn-tours. Member donors receive the foundation's spring and fall magazines in their mailboxes filled with barn photos and stories as well as a printed guide to spring and fall barn tours. Learn more about membership at iowabarnfoundation.org/product/membership. Questions can be emailed to [email protected].
As a volunteer-led non-profit, the Iowa Barn Foundation's goal is to maximize member donations to provide restoration grants to save the state's historic barns. Since being founded in 1997, the foundation has given out $2.3 million dollars in grants to help save nearly 300 barns.
