2008: Year of the Barn

The goal of this project, "2008: Year of the Barn," is to document, celebrate and preserve the importance and influence of agriculture on the heritage and culture of PA's rural North Country; to highlight the continued role of farming in the PA North Country culture and economy; and to encourage residents and tourists to explore our country byways to view the beautiful landscape, and beautiful and varied barn architecture that not only reminds us of our past and diverse cultural heritage but which also symbolizes the deep connections that we continue to have to the land.

Major activities of the project include: 1) an inventory and self-guided tour of regional barn architecture. The inventory process will also involve documentation of select farm families & their agricultural operations. A documentary DVD will be produced of the interviews, tales and photos depicting the diverse range of barn architecture and functions. 2) two celebratory Barn Dances - one in Bradford County and one in Potter County.

We Need Your Input!
We are still collecting information on barns in the Northern Tier! If you have a barn and would be willing to complete a survey, please download a form here. A second file, Barn ID's is also available to help you identify which type of barn you have. If you are interested in volunteering to conduct surveys, please email Ruth at tonachel@epix.net. While we don’t expect to document every single barn in the Northern Tier, we would like to include as many as possible, particularly the most historic and/or unique ones.

Information collected will be archived with NTCA in Bradford County and also added to other statewide inventories of historic barns if not already included. A variety of architectural types of barns will be selected for inclusion in a self-guided driving tour brochure. Participation in the survey does not commit one to being on the tour - no one will be included without their permission.

Year of the Barn News and Events!

• Year of the Barn Photography Contest: In conjunction with the Northern Tier Cultural Alliance and “2008: the Year of the Barn”, the Potter County Fine Arts Council is sponsoring a Photo Competition. Eligibility, Guidelines and an Entry Form are available on our News Center page.
• Year of the Barn Dances: Our first dance was Saturday, May 24 at the Waterwheel Barn in Colesburg, PA (just north of Coudersport) and what a time it was!! We had over 200 folks attend from all over PA and NY. The food was fantastic and the dancing went on until nearly midnight! Thanks a bunch to our Potter County Friends for all the help and hardwork. Pictured below are our featured master callers Harry Erhard and Ray Wetherby and PCA Apprentice Natalie Phelps (blue shirt). Through the PA Council on the Arts Apprenticeship, Natalie has been working with Ray and Harry to revive the Potter County calling traditions. Don't miss the second dance - Friday, September 19 at Alparon Park in Troy with another potluck dinner and night of dancing. This Dance is part of the 2008 PA Heritage Festival and will highlight a local band and a variety of fiddlers. If you are an old-time fiddle player and would be interested in performing, please contact Ruth Tonachel
.