The Heritage Barn Project
The Heritage Barn Project was started in 2004. Gwen embarked on a self-prescribed project to document on canvas in oil paint, historic barns throughout her home state of Indiana. Gwen had several motivations and goals. First, she felt the need and desire to hone her talents. Second, Gwen has a love of old barns stemming from her childhood. She was concerned about the demise of these historic barns and wanted to preserve these structures. She hoped her painting project would spotlight and help save these rural treasures.
The project took more than 12 years of travel and painting to complete 186 historic barn paintings. Why paint? Why not just photograph? Gwen believes our eyes see differently than a camera’s lens. Our eyes can see the delicate nuances of color within shadows and soft hues within reflected light. Our eyes see subtle variations in values.
Therefore, she chose to paint on location as much as possible. She often spent many hours and even days standing quietly observing a barn. Time to see and feel all the subtleties mentioned, but also the character of each barn to, in essence, capture the barn’s portrait.
Below are the 186 barns featured in Gwen’s published gallery book, “Heritage Barns of Indiana.” The paintings are searchable by county and each painting features a bit of history of the structure.
You can find “Heritage Barns of Indiana” online by clicking here or at various galleries and shops in Indiana. For more information about the book or Gwen’s work, please click here to contact Gwen.
All the barn paintings are for sale. Please contact Gwen to find out if the painting(s) you are interested in are sold or available.
Cook-Burke Barn
This three-level barn was built sometime after 1854 by homesteader Levi Cook. The barn, house and other buildings are located on a slight ridge above a flood plain and creek that feeds into the West Fork of the White River.
Lain Homestead Barn
With old photos and handwritten notes, the Lain family traces back through time for a glimpse of their heritage, including the family farm and its old barn.
Littleton-Kingen Round Barn
This 102-foot diameter barn is considered the largest round barn in the state of Indiana. Frank L. Littleton had it built in 1898. It had a 16-foot windmill at the top of the cupola that pumped water from a well located under the center of the barn.
Dana Harrell Barn
Featuring sawmill-cut timbers that are pegged, this barn does not reveal its true age. Estimates place it in the late 1800s to early 1900s.
O’Bannon State Park Hay Press Barn
Originally, this hay press barn adorned a piece of land in Crawford County near the pre- Civil War construction was 1859-1860. It is now located in Harrison County and is referred to as the Leavenworth-Lang-Cole hay press barn. The name reflects earlier ownership.
Hays-Thompson Barn
This eye-pleasing barn is perched on the crest of a hill near North Salem with a commanding view of the surrounding farmland.
Rising Hall Brick Horse Barn
This unusual brick barn is located on a farm overlapping Hendricks and Putnam counties.
Adams Family Barn
The Big Blue River in Henry County provided very fertile soil for this farm. The old gable-roofed bank barn held the bounty of hay and grain the land would provide for their animals.
Allhands Family Barn
This large and stately barn is visible while traveling on Highway 40 near Lewisville. It turns the head of many passing by; even at a distance it is a very impressive sight.
Colin Craig Barn
Near Wildcat Creek in Howard County, this striking barn sets in rich and rolling farmland.
Rinehart Family Barn
This family farm located in western Howard County has been home to the Rinehart family for over 150 years.
Doctor Family Barn
In 1994 this barn was rescued from its impending demise. The Doctor family acquired the barn and then slowly and carefully moved the suffering structure to its current location.
Watson Family Round Barn
This barn stands out like a monument to farming on the flat and fertile land surrounding it in Huntington County. From a considerable distance, it is visible and is in relative proximity to the Salamonie River.
Burcham Family Round Barn
In 1909, John Hess built this round barn for the maternal Grandfather of the Burcham family. The barn’s centrally located silo facilitated the distribution of silage to the livestock because all of the animal pens radiated out from the central silo.
Stuckwish Round Barn
This round barn was built in 1910 during the peak of the round barn construction era taking place in Indiana. The advantages of a round barn were regularly promoted from 1902 through 1909 in THE INDIANA FARMER, an agriculture-based newspaper.
Max Schultz Barn
This three-and-a-half level barn is positioned on a slight hillside with an attractive and sturdy fieldstone foundation. It is a three-bay barn built from pegged mill-cut timbers. The date of construction is unknown, but is presumed to be in the early 1900s.
Sigo Family Barn
Charles Sigo built this gambrel-roofed barn in 1899. His employer, A.J. Kent, loaned the money needed to purchase his farm. The town of Kentland, located in nearby Newton County, is named after Mr. Kent, one of the region’s early influential citizens.
Paxson Family Barn
Joseph E. Paxson acquired the farm in 1873; the family believed he built this barn soon thereafter Joseph was a barn builder and traveled around the area building barns for many farmers in the region. This three-level T-shaped barn is built on a slight grade.
Rankin-Elliott Round Barn
The farm that holds this round barn has been in the same family for over 125 years. Rebecca Rankin added the barn in 1908.
Kellems Family Barn
The Kellems family has owned their farm since 1879. This pegged timber-framed barn was built circa 1916. It is a three-bay barn with the center section banked three feet higher than the two outside bays.
Click below to search for paintings from
the Heritage Barn Project by county.
Owen
Parke
Perry
Pike
Porter
Posey
Pulaski
Putnam
Randolph
Ripley
Rush
Scott
Shelby
Spencer
St. Joseph
Starke
Steuben
Sullivan
Switzerland
Tippecanoe
Tipton
Union
Vanderburgh
Vermillion
Vigo
Wabash
Warren
Warrick
Washington
Wayne
Wells
White
Whitley