2025 Membership Drive
Advocate for preserving our old barns and the rural character of Michigan. Support MBPN by joining and keeping your membership up to date.
Dues are for the calendar year. Members will find their expiration date on the MI Barn Newsletter mailing label.
2025 Barn Calendar now available
To order copies, go to the MBPN Online Store. MBPN members were sent a free calendar in the mail.
With silos as the theme, the 2025 MBPN calendar features Wild Pumpkin Farm in Gladwin County on the cover. Its barn has two concrete stave silos with whimsical murals by artist Zach Curtis. Inside is an article by architectural historian Ina Hanel-Gerdenich about the history of silos on Michigan farms.
Photos are by John Cole, Steve Karsten, Steven Brown and Mike Sexton.
Thank you to our advertisers. In addition to our returning supporters from 2024, we welcome Wieber Lumber in Fowler, Michigan Flywheeler Museum in South Haven and St. Clair County Farm Museum in Goodells as new advertisers.
2025 Barn of the Year Awards
Nominations accepted Nov. 1, 2024 through Jan. 31, 2025
The Barn of the Year Award was created to recognize exceptional examples of Michigan’s barns that have been preserved through regular maintenance or restoration. In the 28 years since its inception, a total of 110 barns have been recognized for either their unique character, their historic stories, or the heroic efforts toward saving them for future generations to respect and enjoy.
We are looking for worthy applicants for the awards that will be presented on March 15, 2025 at MBPN’s Annual Conference to be held in St. Johns, Michigan.
The Submission Form is available here.
Deadline: Jan. 31, 2025
Thumb Octagon Barn starts the tradition
Since 1997 when the first award was given, the Barn of the Year designation has become a coveted prize to be sought after. The annual search process highlights just how rich Michigan is in proud barns that have survived and continue to thrive.
The iconic Octagon Barn located near Gagetown in Michigan’s Thumb area was the first Barn of the Year recipient.
This very unique style of barn which was built in 1924 was saved through the restoration efforts of the Friends of the Octagon Barn. Today, it is known throughout the state, draws huge crowds for its Fall Family Festival, held in September on the weekend after Labor Day, and stands as a monument to community commitment to barn preservation. The barn’s Centennial was celebrated in 2024, and was featured on the cover of MBPN’s 2024 Calendar.
The Johnson Big Barn in Traverse City and the Nelson Family Barn in Ada won in 2024. See their story and the other 2024 Great Michigan Barns on the Barn of the Year page.
Just announced…
2025 MBPN Annual Conference
Date: Saturday, March 15, 2025
New Location: AgroLiquid Conference Center in St. Johns
The Michigan Barn Preservation Network Annual Conference, an all-day event for networking, learning and socializing, features exhibits, conference speakers, a buffet lunch, fundraising auction and the Barn of the Year awards.
For a recap of the 2024 conference, click here.
MBPN’s Fall Bus Tour in Lapeer County
On Oct. 15, 2024, the bus tour visited Stonegate Farm event center; the Huntsman Hunt Club with barns and clubhouse on a private 1,000-acre shooting preserve; Gregory Dairy Barn, noted for its wooden silo; and Ivory Farms with its chestnut orchards. Local barn photographer and author Wendy Lange was the presenter during lunch at the historic Old Town Hall/former opera house in the village of Metamora. See program booklet.
The Questions We’re Most Often Asked…
Q. Is there any funding for barn restoration?
The Michigan Barn Preservation Network keeps tabs on funding opportunities in the form of grants, tax credits and low-interest loans. Click here for the latest information about organizations and programs that provide some kind of assistance.
Currently there are no governmental grants in Michigan to help private owners of barns with restoration or repair of their personal property. Work on barns which are owned by municipalities, nonprofit organizations or other public entities may be eligible for consideration for grants and awards through governmental and foundation programs. Listing on the National or State Register of Historic Places is a requirement for most grants.
Q. How can I find someone to fix my barn?
There are people all across Michigan who do repair work on old barns. Some do historically accurate timber frame work. Some do structural reinforcement by using cables. Some specialize in installing steel roofing and siding. Many will repair anything from foundation to cupola.
Our website provides a Contractor’s List as a place for barn owners to start looking for help.
Also check out Tom Irrer’s article about finding and vetting contractors.
Q. Why are barns red?
MBPN Board Member Keith Anderson offers several practical and cost-effective reasons why red became the dominant color of early barns. See article.
Q. Have questions about rehabilitating or repairing your barn?
MBPN has a committee of experts to answer your inquiries. Contact the chairperson, Steve Stier.
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Click here for current issue.
107 Issues and Counting…
In the Fall-Winter issue, the barn bus tour that took place in October in Lapeer County is highlighted with pictures and comments from tour participants. Also read about MBPN outreach to the Michigan Centennial Farm Association about saving their iconic barns, the Barn of the Year call for nominations, barn historical markers in Michigan, and sustaining our future with member support.
Since 1996 this quarterly update for members has featured innumerable stories and photos of barns throughout Michigan…and reports on what our board members, volunteers and supporters are doing to promote our mission. Click here to read the very first issue.
Become a MBPN member to receive the print edition of the newsletter in the mail several times a year.
Visit our archived library of newsletters.
On the Road:
Teamwork & Timbers
Teamwork & Timbers is a one-of-a-kind learning opportunity for youth to experience the barn-raising tradition that was common in Michigan’s rural communities during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
At the request of local organizations, our MBPN volunteers deliver the structural components to festival and school sites in Michigan and coordinate the assembly of a 1/4 size 19th-century timber frame model. While working on this life-size 3-D puzzle, students learn historic construction techniques and architectural terms. They also are challenged to use their math, science, and engineering skills.
This educational experience gives Michigan youth and adults a glimpse into our agricultural heritage, the pride of craftsmanship, and what can happen when people come together to accomplish something that they cannot do alone.
Contact MBPN to ask about scheduling T&T for your group.
MBPN’s Barn School
The Michigan Barn Preservation Network offers barn workshops and classes in both onsite and virtual formats. In the hands-on field program, participants spend a Saturday assessing the condition and stability of a barn and learn about barn architecture, construction, maintenance and repair approaches.
MBPN’s Virtual Barn School 101 is featured on the YouTube channel of the Michigan Historic Preservation. Our Technical Team (Steve Stier, Tammis Donaldson and Stephanie White) covered a brief history of barns in Michigan, barn terminology and parts, and free to low-cost fixes barn owners can do. View Webinar Replay here.
Learn more about the Barn School here.
Welcome to the Michigan Barn Preservation Network (MBPN), a volunteer-based, statewide nonprofit dedicated to promoting appreciation, preservation, and rehabilitation of Michigan barns, farmsteads, and rural communities.
We are committed to the rehabilitation of barns for agricultural, commercial, public, and residential uses. Adaptive re-use is a significant strategy for barn preservation – all structures need a reason for being.
MBPN fosters the sharing of barn experiences and resources with this website and through educational events, recognition programs, connections and collaboration.
Barns symbolize positive qualities of American character: strength, honesty, endurance, security and family stability. They remind us of our heritage and help tell the story of rural life. They serve as landmarks while fulfilling the purpose for which they were originally designed, housing agricultural products and animals. With maintenance and some adaptations, they can serve us well for many years to come.
Mission: Promoting Appreciation, Preservation and Rehabilitation of Michigan Barns, Farmsteads and Rural Communities since 1995.