Press Releases Media Releases Barn near Cresco, Iowa. They conjure up the Emmersonian ideal of self-reliance, and they make us nostalgic for the rural past.
Barns are the monuments of pastoral America.
F or traditional family farmers, the barn was the soul of the farm. But on today's farm, these quintessentially American structures no longer organize industrial and community life. The truth is, barns cannot accommodate the enormous machines and abundant harvests of the modern large-scale farm operation, and farmers cannot always afford to maintain them. It presents information about the origin and development of the barn as warehouse, factory, and cultural icon. It also challenges visitors to ask questions.