In July
of 1969 I moved into Elkhart County. One of the first impressions that
grabbed my attention and fascination were the barns. I would ride my bicycle
along the county roads and see these large structures which commanded a sense
of respect. I gained a sense of respect for the labor of the farmer. I gained a
sense of respect for the pride of family identity they presented as I read
family names and dates of construction on the upper areas of the barns.
These
structures of farm culture preserve a character of history. They are as iconic
as the soil of the Earth is beautiful in its utilitarian fruitfulness.
Some of these barns show evidence of better
times having passed decades ago.
Some continue to be useful in productive manner.
Some serve as historic punctuation in a story
that reaches back into farm history and forward into the future.
Thanks to Gail Shively for giving me a tour of
the Kosciusko County Farm buildings.
Indiana takes barns so very seriously that you
can get a deduction of valuation for an “Heritage Barn”. To find out more about
this deduction and eligibility requirements visit:
You may visit the
official Indiana forms access page to download the form “Statement of Deduction of Assessed
valuation attributed to Heritage Barn”
This form is
found at: https://www.in.gov/iara/2362.htm
And yet more
information on the history of Indiana Barns is found at: http://www.indianabarns.org/about
