Project Scrapbook and Other Amazing Stories

The image above is a BarnAgain! quilt that was raffled off at the
Churchill County Museum. Each block was contributed by a member
of the community and was pieced together to form the quilt. Raffle
ticket sales from this item alone brought in nearly $2,000 for the
museum's building fund. pop. (Fallon, Nevada, pop. 6,438)

A draft horse demonstration accompanied the "Barn Again!"
exhibition while in Blanchardville, Wisconsin. (pop. 800)

Barn art made from oils and acrylics, created by
Argyle High School in Blanchardville, Wisconsin. (pop. 800)

The image pictured above is of Grant Wood's "American Gothic" rendered in sand
by artist Bill Dow, to accompany the "Barn Again!" exhibition's tour in
Lewistown, Montana. (pop. 5,813)

A barn dance in Logandale, Nevada. (pop. 500)

The Oatman barn survey in Nevada.

Exhibition component created by the Wisconsin Humanities Council
to highlight Wisconsin barns.

In conjunction with the Montana opening of "Barn Again!" the
Jefferson County Museum in Clancy, Montana, featured a
replica (to 1/9 scale) of a 1923 Jefferson County barn which is located
very near the town of Clancy, belonging to the Marks family. A truly
remarkable piece of craftsmanship, this scaled barn is identical to the
original in every way, with laminated floors, unique for 1923, cottonwood
horse stalls, working doors and a hay mow. (pop. 2,545)

The original Marks family barn.

The school library in Wausaukee, Wisconsin. (pop. 656)

News of the Smithsonian exhibition “Barn Again! Celebrating an American Icon” inspired this couple (pictured above) to create an exhibition entitled “Barns of Nebraska’s Ethnic Communities.” The exhibition was displayed in each of the Nebraska host communities on the 2001 tour. A highlight of their exhibition was a painstakingly detailed model of their family barn.

The community of Brownsville, TN used “Barn Again!” as a means to raise awareness of local history. Relying on the photographs, documents, and oral histories of townspeople, they created an exhibition, “A Piece of the Pie,” which explored the patterns of African American land use in their area, and presented it alongside “Barn Again!” (pop. 10,019)

Winners of a state-wide barn coloring contest, sponsored by the South Dakota Humanities Council and 4-H in conjunction with the tour of “Barn Again!,” were honored by the Smithsonian Institution and members of Congress. The event took place at the South Dakota State Fair, the final venue on the tour. A calendar was produced with the winners’ artwork.
Top row: (from left to right) Sen. Tom Daschle; Anna Cohn, director of SITES; Sen. Tim Johnson; and Rep. John Thune.
Bottom row: Contest winners

Given the opportunity to host “Barn Again!,” Monticello, UT, raised over $100,000 to move an old barn to a prime spot in town to house the museum. (pop. 1,929)

A local business in Gainsville, GA donated the use of three billboards in town to promote the arrival of “Barn Again!” at the museum. The local museum also hosted special luncheons with food donated by restaurants to involve politicians and community leaders in the strategic planning for the museum. (pop. 17,885)

A high-school photography project in Denison, Iowa required
students to photograph local barns. Entries were then used to
collage a model of a regional barn. (pop. 6,604)

The Nebraska Humanities Council collaborated with 4-H and the Nebraska Soybean Board to sponsor a coloring contest in conjunction with “Barn Again!” All Nebraska students grades 3 through 12 were eligible and were asked to produce an original soybean crayon drawing of an existing barn in Nebraska accompanied by a brief paragraph about the barn. One of the winning drawings is pictured above.

Other Amazing Stories
In Lindsborg, KS, museum attendance shot up 132% over the previous year when they hosted “Barn Again!” and gift shop sales when up 139%!

“Barn Again!” produced many new relationships for the Courthouse Square Association in Charlotte, MI. A partnership with Michigan State University Museum and the Michigan Barn Preservation Network resulted in the documentation of the barns of Eaton County. Because of the collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution, Courthouse Square now has credibility in the community and has made connections with groups and individuals that will ensure future funding for the small association.

In Effingham, IL, a local amateur filmmaker produced a documentary about barns when “Barn Again!” toured Illinois and he received a regional Emmy award for his work!

In Colby, KS, the 5600 visitors who saw “Barn Again!” in the seven week period represents 50% of the number of visitors for the entire previous year; and 75% were first time visitors and 53% drove 100 miles or more to see visit the museum.

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