The heart of every working farm and ranch, the barn is an icon of rural America. This book chronicles – and celebrates – all the main types, and looks at how these treasures of early American architecture developed. It explains how a wealth of immigrant construction methods and range of environments and climates resulted in a fascinating variety of barn styles in the United States, from the earliest rare Dutch examples to simpler English types and others in more surprising shapes (round or even polygonal) crafted by the Shakers in the 1800s. It highlights the most notable, famous and historic barns that the reader can visit, and features the efforts of conservation groups to preserve America's barns and find innovative ways to repurpose these glorious old structures as homes and studios – and as living monuments of rural heritage.

This lovingly written book presents reliable records of such vanishing forms of architecture as the American barn and covered bridge. Delightful anecdotes accompany accurate line drawings of barns attached to houses, an "open" log barn in Virginia, a "top hat" barn in North Carolina, and more. Over 75 black-and-white illustrations.

"Diana created a warm, down-home country feeling with her choice of Kansas Trouble fabrics by Moda. Her quilt fulfills a drem of driving down country roads in America's heartland. It's perfect to snuggle under by the fireplace on a cold winter day"--Page 4 of cover.

"Complementing Harker's photographs are vignettes by poet and writer Jim Heynen. Both whimsical and endearing, each vignette treats barns as organic and intelligent entities, reflecting the living history that can be found inside each rural structure."--BOOK JACKET.

The history of these gorgeous old bits of roadside Americana comes to life with stunning photographs of these crumbling relics of America's rural past. Featuring Mail Pouch Tobacco barns as well as others painted with old-fashioned advertisements, this book includes a profile of a man who painted hundreds of Mail Pouch Tobacco barns. A nostalgic look at the way America used to advertise and photographs of barn ad memorabilia, this beautiful book is a sure bet to tug at the heartstrings of those who long for a simpler time.- This great, nostalgic title will sell as a gift book to Americana and history buffs during the Holiday Season. Its the perfect present for Grandpa and Grandma.- Most Americans, while on vacation, have seen these barns adorned in advertising slogans along the road. These barns are a piece of American history that is disappearing.- The only book in print covering this topic.About the AuthorWilliam G. Simmonds is a senior graphic designer for a large Northeast Ohio corporation. He graduated from Kent State University in 1975 and makes his home in Chardon, Ohio. He has photographed more than 600 Mail Pouch and other ad barns. By doing so he hopes to preserve the memory of these nostalgic structures for future generations.

Until Jamestown was established, nothing in North America grew taller than the native forests, grasses, and mountains. Beginning in 1620, the settlers who plowed the indigenous sod also dotted the virgin landscapes with towering, stately structures, the likes of which had never before been seen on the continent. This photo/essay treatment of barns in America is arranged by the five distinct roof styles that have largely come to define American barns, presenting six 20-page spreads detailing the Dutch, bank, crib, round, and prairie styles. The result captures the pastiche of rural America through stunning photography, conveying everything from stone barns in hard-scrabble Maine to thoroughbred barns in the lush bluegrass regions, to traditional Gambrel-roofed red barns in the Midwest. Regions represented include New England, the Southeast, the mid-South, the Midwest, the Pacific Northwest, the desert Southwest, and California. There is an in depth examination of how styles developed out of necessity and anecdotes from those who work and live on farms.

From hay barns to corn cribs, from fences to chicken coops, from silos to outhouses, 'The Old Barn Book's' clear drawings, photos, maps, and descriptions make it easy to figure what's what around a farm.