Barn Lunch & Learn -- May 21, 2009

It was another spectacular day for a learning trip on May 15, when 23 members attended the Barn Lunch & Learn event.

The day began with breakfast in the Alumni Dining Room, followed by a two-hour presentation by renowned barn expert Bob Sherman. His lecture included information about the American barn's European antecedents, an examination of the nomenclature, and a discussion of the functional uses of farm structures.

Participants then boarded a charter coach to look at rural structures and farmsteads throughout Peoria County. The first stop was the Hauk farmstead, which has been in the same family for more than 150 years. The barn, constructed in 1850, includes hand-hewn timbers and hay mow areas currently used for storage. The rustic corn crib was built in 1905 to hold earn corn for livestock feeding. Today, the crib is used for storage, since corn in shelled in the field by modern combines and stored in closed metal corn bins.

Other stops included the Howarth barn and house, circa 1844, one of only 12 stone structures in the county during the 19th century; the Tom Coyle farm near Trivoli; the Phelps barn in Elmwood, and the Virgil Janssen barn in Hanna City.