Last Updated June 19, 2003
by John Jenkins

The American Family Barn
by
Pat Kytola
There's something special, almost magical about old barns. Barns nostalgically remind us of a simpler time. They are strong reminders of a hard, yet honest, satisfying labor, and a reminder of rural values many of us still hold dear, today.

Barns were so essential to the livelihood of our forefathers; in fact many farmers built one before they erected a home. When times were tough the barns took top priority when it came to repairs or a fresh coat of paint. Barns were where our forefathers lived, worked, played, danced, got married, were born, laughed, cried, and even worshiped in.

A piece of land, a home and a barn defined the dreams of settleers who pushed west. A sod hut or a simple log building would suffice as a shelter for the family, but the barn was a different story. It protected all a farmer had---livestock, equipment, seed, and stored crops---from the ravages of Mother Nature. If the barn were destroyed by fire, flood or wind, the farmer lost his entire livelihood

Local conditions and building materials greatly influenced the image of the barn that was carried in the settlers mind as he crossed the prairie looking for the ideal place to settle down. If wood or limestone were abundant in the area that is the material the barn was built out of. The styles are as varied as the nationality of the people that built them. Early in the 20th Century more than half of all Americans were farmers. Today, less than 5 percent of the American population earns their livelihood off the farm.

Yet, barns pull at our emotional shirt sleeves and urge us to take a closer look. What happened to the people who originally built the barn? Did a single family build the barn or was it done as a community event with a "barn raisint"? What stories can the barn tell us about our past? And the questions could go on and on.

Former Wisconsin Governor Scott McCallum has declared 2003 the Year of the Barn. In celebration rural communities, the Wisconsin Humanities Council and the smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service have partnered to bring (MOMS) Museums on Main Street to a community near you.

"Barnstorm Wisconsin" is an exhibit designed to bring the Smithsonian to citizens living in rural America. There is something for everyone! You will be looking at the world through the barn door and finding so many interesting connections to your past and to the evolution of the American culture. The exhibit will be coming to six rural communities in Wisconsin, giving them the opportunity to explore how barns fit into our national identity, what role they play in American life and history andwhat their architectural forms tell us about function both today and in the past.

Six rural Wisconsin communities have been chosen to host this exhibit: Wausaukee, Ladysmith, Blanchardville, Kewaunee, Osceola and Washburn. The MOMS exhibit will be in Osceola from August 15 through September 21 and Washburn from September 26 through November 1, 2003. But many other communities have also jumped on the history wagon. When visiting an area near a MOMS exhibit be sure to check with your local Chamber or Tourism office and take part in a "Barnstorm Wisconsin" sponsored event. Many of the communities are sponsoring tours of working dairy farms that you can visit and see first hand where your food supply comes from. If lucky, you may even learn about and feel the love farmers hold for their land, and especially their barns.