Committee hopes to preserve Iowa's barns
|
Print
E-mail
A group of Iowans has set out to document and protect a unique part of the state's agricultural heritage that they say may not last as long as most Iowans assume.
The Barns of Hardin County Committee plans to survey and record hundreds of barns and publish their results to preserve an important piece of Iowa history.
Rod Scott, an Iowa Falls resident and member of the committee, said there were 226,000 family farms in Iowa in 1920 but that number had decreased to 60,000 by 2000.
"In 1920, every farm had at least one barn, and we think we're down to around 60,000 barns," Scott said. "We estimate that we are losing 1,000 barns a year. I think that's an underestimated number."
He said the committee hopes to document every barn in Hardin County, and the committee has surveyed more than 100 barns built in the 1960s or before with the help of volunteers and students from 4-H and FFA.
Kristin Van Zante, ISU Extension Hardin County youth coordinator and member of the committee, said documenting history is an integral part of the project.
"We plan to put together a complete book for local libraries," Van Zante said.
The next phase will be to sell books and calendars to promote the protection of barns, she said.
Scott said he wants future generations to benefit from his work.
"What I'm afraid of is that my grandsons will grow up with no barns on the landscape," he said.
He said he views barns as historic resources and has sadly watched as many have been torn down.
"The fact is that nobody seems to have a handle on how many barns are left in Iowa," he said. "Without numbers, you don't know which ones to save."
The ISU Extension Science, Engineering and Technology program is providing the use of Global Positioning Systems to map the location of each barn. The barns are also being photographed and, if possible, their history recorded, Scott said.
Hardin County's barn project is the first of its kind in Iowa, he said, and he said he hopes other counties will follow their lead.
"We're hoping to work with ISU to plot out where the barns are in the future," Scott said. "You can actually show with GPS mapping the change, the loss of families on the landscape."
He said the maps will be used to get grants to fund the restoration of some of the unique barns.
Ken Starek, of Ackley, who is also a member of the committee and describes himself as a "barnoholic," is the Hardin County representative of the Iowa Barn Foundation and has been photographing barns for 30 years.
"The key to a barn's survivability is its adaptability," Starek said. "There are more barns with basketball hoops than livestock."
He said he estimates only 5 percent of the barns in the county are being used for livestock.
"I like to learn the history," Starek said. "The only U.S. breed of draft horses was developed in a barn in Hardin County."
The Barns of Hardin County Committee plans to survey and record hundreds of barns and publish their results to preserve an important piece of Iowa history.
Rod Scott, an Iowa Falls resident and member of the committee, said there were 226,000 family farms in Iowa in 1920 but that number had decreased to 60,000 by 2000.
"In 1920, every farm had at least one barn, and we think we're down to around 60,000 barns," Scott said. "We estimate that we are losing 1,000 barns a year. I think that's an underestimated number."
He said the committee hopes to document every barn in Hardin County, and the committee has surveyed more than 100 barns built in the 1960s or before with the help of volunteers and students from 4-H and FFA.
Kristin Van Zante, ISU Extension Hardin County youth coordinator and member of the committee, said documenting history is an integral part of the project.
"We plan to put together a complete book for local libraries," Van Zante said.
The next phase will be to sell books and calendars to promote the protection of barns, she said.
Scott said he wants future generations to benefit from his work.
"What I'm afraid of is that my grandsons will grow up with no barns on the landscape," he said.
He said he views barns as historic resources and has sadly watched as many have been torn down.
"The fact is that nobody seems to have a handle on how many barns are left in Iowa," he said. "Without numbers, you don't know which ones to save."
The ISU Extension Science, Engineering and Technology program is providing the use of Global Positioning Systems to map the location of each barn. The barns are also being photographed and, if possible, their history recorded, Scott said.
Hardin County's barn project is the first of its kind in Iowa, he said, and he said he hopes other counties will follow their lead.
"We're hoping to work with ISU to plot out where the barns are in the future," Scott said. "You can actually show with GPS mapping the change, the loss of families on the landscape."
He said the maps will be used to get grants to fund the restoration of some of the unique barns.
Ken Starek, of Ackley, who is also a member of the committee and describes himself as a "barnoholic," is the Hardin County representative of the Iowa Barn Foundation and has been photographing barns for 30 years.
"The key to a barn's survivability is its adaptability," Starek said. "There are more barns with basketball hoops than livestock."
He said he estimates only 5 percent of the barns in the county are being used for livestock.
"I like to learn the history," Starek said. "The only U.S. breed of draft horses was developed in a barn in Hardin County."
Comments