When they purchased their rural Pipestone farm in December of 2007, David and Marlyce Logan had no idea their barn would one day be named ‘Barn of the Year.’
“We were real pleased,” David said. “There are a lot of nice barns around the state. I wasn’t expecting to win.”
Friends of Minnesota Barns (FoMB) selected the Logan’s barn from 61 entries in 36 counties. It’s the second year the organization, which supports efforts to keep traditional barns and other farm buildings part of Minnesota’s landscape, has held the contest.
The Logans joined FoMB in early 2008 and applied for the Barn of the Year awards in September 2009. About two months later they found out they won in the farm use division.
For winning they will receive a plaque and their barn is featured in the FoMB calendar featuring the top 10 barns in the state (two barns are featured twice). The calendar can be purchased on the organization’s Web site at www.friendsofminnesotabarns.org.
“I just kind of hoped we were going to make it into the calendar,” David said.
The barn dates back to 1931 when Walter Anderson, who purchased the property in 1913, built the barn on the exact site where his previous barn stood before it burned down. Jack and Nadine Sturdevant, who purchased the barn in 1968 and sold it to the Logans in 2007, had made a few repairs to the inside, kept the roof from leaking and covered the outside of the barn with tin, but the Logans wanted to do more.
“We didn’t inherit it in a dilapidated state,” David said. “We just wanted to restore it back to its old character.”
That mission led them to the FoMB Web site. The site contains numerous resources on barn preservation and a list of contractors who specialize in restoration. They settled on Barn Doctors Inc. out of Fulda and in late May of 2008 the restoration began.
The Logans expected it would be a large project, but were surprised at just how much had to be done. The Barn Doctors told them if they wanted to restore it to its original look, they would have to replace all the outer boards so the paint would match, replace the asphalt shingles with wooden shingles, replace the garage doors with sliding doors and straighten the structure, which had begun to lean.
“It was a big project,” David said.
Despite the size of the barn, 76 feet by 40 feet and about 30 feet in height, and all the work that went into it, the project was complete in just two months. It cost them quite a bit of money (more than they cared to disclose), but to them it was worth it.
“Somebody spent a lot of work and a lot of money building that barn back in the early part of the depression and you just don’t want to see anything happen to it,” David said.
For Marlyce, who was born and raised in Holland, barns have always been a thing of beauty, but for David, who spent the first part of his life in Richfield and never lived on a farm previously, the project has ignited a new sense of appreciation for the historic agrarian buildings scattered throughout Minnesota and the Midwest.
Next, perhaps this summer, they plan to restore an old granary on their property that they believe was built around the same time as the barn.
To learn more about FoMB or find out whom to contact about barn restoration, visit the FoMB Web site or call (612) 338-BARN (2276).
Barn of the Year award winners
David and Marlyce Logan, Pipestone: Barn of the Year, farm use division.
Carl and Wanda Erickson, Hawley: Barn of the Year, non-farm use division.
LeRoy Grewe, Gaylord: Runner-up.
Mike and Jean Kauffmann, Arlington: Runner-up.
Gary and Marjory Becker, Marshall: Runner-up.
Ruth Miller, Buffalo: Runner-up.
Maplewood Area Historical Society: Community Award.
Thompson Barns, Sabin: Family Award.
