            Magnificent historic barns in Cedar, Jones, and Delaware Counties will be highlighted on the annual "area" barn tour Saturday, June 18, and Sunday, June 19 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. A picnic will be held Sunday at 12:30 at the Tjaden historic landmark barn at 9956 Highway 64, Wyoming.
            The purpose of the tour, free and opened to the public, is to highlight the importance of barns in Iowa's agricultural history. For youngsters, it is an up close learning experience; for everyone it's a time to reminisce.
            Sue Robinson, Cedar County representative to the Iowa Barn Foundation, is chair of the event.
            A special picnic lunch will be catered by Kalmes Restaurant, St. Donatus. The cost of the picnic is $9. Checks for the picnic must be made out to the Iowa Barn Foundation and sent to: Roxanne Mehlisch, 17590 730th Avenue, Zearing, Iowa 50278. Questions: 641 487 7690. Checks must be received by June 10.

Barns on tour include:

Delaware County

            A highlight of the tour will be going back in time to explore early barns and a historic vineyard along beautiful Coffins Creek, west of Manchester. The area, Coffin's Grove, was named for Clement Coffin who settled in the area in 1840. At that time he was 10 miles from any other settler. Other families followed. In 1850, Oscar Wellman located in what is now Masonville and kept a wayside inn for travelers along the busy road through the Coffin's Grove that carried traffic to the West.
            Andrews Family Farms includes a barn built in 1864 for Cornelius Van Alstyne. It is believed the barn was raised soon after the farm was purchased in 1864. The Andrews family found clues hidden in an old house on the property which helped to date the barn. These included a new 1864 penny, a Civil War uniform button, and three letters, two from 1868 and one from 1869.
            Also, on the property is the Smith Family barn built by the family with their own hands in 1907. The family made wooden cement molds to pour on-site concrete blocks. The wood used in the barn came from trees on the Smith property. They had their own saw mill. The barn was added onto and doubled in size, using the same molds, in 1917.
            A historic orchard and vineyard, under restoration by the Andrews family, remain on the farm. John Schmid (Smith) came to the area from Austria at the age 37 and planted grapevines on the land in 1863. Wine was sold until Prohibition. Grapevines remain today. Smith's son O.O Smith planted his first 100 apple trees, at a cost of five cents each. Eventually there were 1,900 trees with sales throughout the Middle West. The number dwindled.
            The barns are at 1408 and 1376 East Stagecoach Road. From Manchester, take D 22 west two miles to W 69/145th Avenue. Go north one-half mile.

The large and historic Fiddelke barn was raised on July 4, 1849, the same day that a barn was raised near the stagecoach inn in Masonville.   One barn was raised in the forenoon and one in the afternoon. The large and amazing interior beams and pegs are original. The timbers are hand-hewn. The silo on the Fiddelke farm is also notable. 1337 Candle Road, Manchester. From Manchester take D22 west to Stagecoach Road.

Cedar County

            Louise Robinson barn, Mechanicsville. This large 72x46 bank barn is in its original condition. It was built by Jeremiah Baughman, who arrived in Cedar County from Pennsylvania in 1862. Inscribed on the barn's oats bin is the date, 1880, suggesting that the barn was built that year. Baughman sold the barn to James Shrope in 1904. The barn has been used and beloved in the family since then.
            The barn was put together with mortise and tenon construction and wooden pegs. Timbers used in the barn's construction were floated down the Mississippi and then hauled by horse and wagon to the farm. The quarried stone foundation has eight nine-paned windows built into it. The cupolas have red stars on four sides suggesting the Red Star route, a market to market route that went from Muscatine to Cedar Rapids.
            The barn is at 493 Fox Avenue, two miles south of Mechanicsville.

            Rhoads-Kohl barn, Mechanicsville. This massive and elaborate horse barn, one of the last remaining in the county, was built in 1923 by Charles Rhoads. Inside the barn the old horse stalls remain. There are original collars, iron hooks , and harnesses. The hay mow can hold 6000 bales of hay.
            The Hammon-Kohl barn, still standing, will be displayed in miniature at the Rhoads-Kohl barn. The miniature was made by Steve Kohl several years ago. The barns were four miles apart.
            The Rhoads-Kohl barn is located just off X40 south of Mechanicsville on Garfield Avenue.

            Driscoll barn. This barn was built from a Sears kit in 1875. The pre-drilled and pre-cut segments of the barn were delivered to Mechanicsville during the winter, then loaded onto bob sleds, and carried five miles from Mechanicsville to the farm. The barn was assembled on the farm during the spring.
641 Dixon Avenue, Mechanicsville From Mechanicsville, go south three miles. Turn right on 160th Street and go to Dixon Avenue. Go south a mile on Dixon to the barn.

Jones County:

The Prison Industries Barn, associated with the Anamosa State Penitentiary, was described by Sue Robinson in an article in the spring 2010 Iowa Barn Foundation Magazine. One can view several of the barns on Farm No. 1, from County Road E28 west of Anamosa. The south barn is cross-shaped in plan with a center of three levels. It is a side hill barn with the main floor or second level opening directly onto the hillside. The dramatic-looking barns were built of ashlar limestone from the area. A date block "1912" is built into the barn.

Tjaden Barn, (site of the picnic) Barn was built in 1912 for Fred Storm. He was sold green paint by a Minnesota vendor in horse drawn buggy. The green color has been kept up through the years. The east side of the barn was used for horses and the west side for milking cows. Old milk equipment remains in barn. The beam and frame construction is unusual. Hay was unloaded on the second floor, and the ropes and pulleys are still intact. Over 400 showed up at his farm sale in 1993 to view the barn. (Barn is at 9956 Highway 64, west of Wyoming.)

Baker Family Barn. This large barn is still used in the family's farming operation. The barn, built around 1949, has unique dormers. 004 Garfield Avenue, Mechanicsville. Barn is on the Cedar/Jones County line north of Mechanicsville on X40
(Garfield Avenue).