If you own an older barn and aren’t sure what to do with it, Kent Yeager encourages you to consider keeping it in good repair. Yeager, Mauckport, Ind., is president of the Indiana Barn Foundation.
Yeager says there is a lot of history in many old barns all over Indiana. Unless they’re cared for today, that history will be lost, he says.
Max Heflin, Urbana, Ind., is doing his part to preserve older buildings on his farm. When he retired from the USDA Risk Management Agency in 2004, he remodeled a garage that originally housed a Model T Ford. He has kept up other older buildings on his property in Wabash County, as well. One of his largest buildings is a former dairy barn.
One problem with deciding whether to keep older barns is finding a purpose for them, Yeager acknowledges. Because they were built for a different era, the space inside isn’t always easy to use for storage of modern equipment.
Heflin repurposed his one-time dairy barn as a garage and woodworking shop. When he converted it to its present uses, he heated the barn. He also installed a bathroom.
![house on Max Heflin's farm]()
WELL PRESERVED: This house on Max Heflin’s farm is still in good condition, proving that with care, older structures can be preserved and used today.
To learn more about the Indiana Barn Foundation and a tax incentive available for those who maintain older barns, visit indianabarns.org. A tour of older barns in Dekalb and Allen counties is still planned for Oct. 3. Stay abreast of current events related to the foundation by visiting the website.