Barn Preservation

We aren't the only ones trying to save an old barn. If you check out some of the organizations listed at the bottom of this page, you'll see that barns are a big deal to a lot of folks.

Barns are beautiful, and they represent an important part of American history. But more importantly, barns represent an important part of this country's present - the struggle to save the small, family farm.

When a big old barn collapses or gets torn down, a pole shed might be built to take its place. Pole sheds aren't pretty, but at least they indicate that someone is farming the land. The alternative is uglier. The loss of an old barn is sometimes the last straw in a long series of hardships for a small farm, and too often, whole family farms go down with (or shortly after) the barns that served them.

When small independent farms disappear, giant agribusinesses and housing developments take over the land. Usually that spells the end of locally-grown produce, sustainable farming, responsible land stewardship, rural communities, habitats for various flora and fauna, and the end of a landscape and a way of life that many of us treasure.

We're collecting pictures and gathering information about our barn, its history, and its preservation, and we'll post all that stuff on our barn's page as we collect it. In the mean time, you can read more about barns, barn-saving efforts, and urban sprawl at these links:

LGC Wisconsin Barn Preservation Program
Michigan Barn Preservation Network
Barn Again!
Sprawl City