There are few things more closely associated with the state of Indiana than historic barns. In fact, nailing up a basketball hoop creates what some call the most popular form of Hoosier iconography. Just as we associate Indiana basketball with old-fashioned fundamentals, barns are too appreciated as artifacts of a traditional past, not with innovation. After watching the PBS documentary, A Rural Revolution, I recognized that not all barns should be interpreted as such.
The construction of round barns, which at one point Indiana had more of than any other state, were evidence of scientific industrialization as argued in my StoryMap, Progressive Era Barns Stuck in a Pioneer Past. Created in April 6th, 2022 for Hoosier Nation: Indiana in American History at Indiana University, I argue that round barns, if repurposed, should be used as tools for learning about how Indiana entered an industrial age in the late 19th century. At the end of the exhibit, I offer an example of a historic site that successfully interprets its designers as modern adapters.
Browse through the PDF and let me know what you associate with the historic barns in your backyard.
Wayne's Wonder-Room 