NARRATIVE: Historic barns dot the American landscape and have rich meaning and symbolism. The earliest barn designs reflected the architecture and carpentry skills of the European immigrants who built them. Over time, designs evolved to changing trends of farming and to suit specialized functions. These agricultural outbuildings were often valued more than ,the owner’s house, as it protected the means of a family’s livelihood and, therefore, their survival. They tell the story of thousands of American families who lived and died with gratitude for the freedom and happiness that was theirs.

For me, the great American barn is a symbol of hard work, dedication, sacrifice and virtue. They serve as reminders of the beautiful souls upon whose back this nation was built. Men and women who loved God, their families and their country. As agricultural ways of life have been replaced by modern means of living, it seems the virtues they stand for are threatened. I think barns symbolize what America once was, and what it always has the potential to be so long as we humbly acknowledge that we are “one nation under God.”