By Kate Klimesh,
The Iowa Barn Foundation has an exciting lineup of historic barns scheduled for the 2021 Iowa Barn Tour Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 25 and 26. These barns have been awarded restoration grants by the Iowa Barn Foundation due to their architectural or historic importance. Barns will be accessible from 8:30 a.m. through 5:30 p.m.
In northeast Iowa, the tour will include the Mikesh Barn in Decorah, Blazek Barn in Lawler, Linderbaum/Palmer Barn in Castalia, Kolsrud Barn in Waukon and the Hardt Pioneer Barn.
The Mikesh dairy barn, at 2714 Co. Rd. A14, Decorah, was built in the early 1900s and was restored in 2018 by a mother and son team.
The Blazek Barn, at 1732 Ridgeway Blvd., Lawler, has a drive through center for teams of horses to unload full loads of hay, and was the site of many barn dances in the early 1900s.
The Linderbaum/Palmer Barn, at 1206 150th St., Castalia, was constructed of hand-sawed oak beams harvested from the property with peg and beam construction and hand-quarried rock. This barn has many unique features still in place, including a drive-thru area for unloading hay, 20 dairy cow stanchions, double loft doors with a hay fork and custom Hoth hay mower and stalls for eight teams of draft horses. The barn celebrates its 100th year during the barn tour and has an extensive collection of antique farm machinery and ephemera for viewing. This barn is the largest on the barn tour.
The Kolsrud Barn, at 1243 Gjelfe Dr., Waukon, was built in 1870 and features rock quarried from the property.
The Hardt Pioneer Barn, at 26152 Kaya Rd., Farmersburg, showcases an innovative hay slide and corn crib attached to the barn
During the tours, please follow COVID-19 precautions, including masks and social distancing. More information about all the barns on the All-State Barn Tour can be found at www.iowabarnfoundation.org.
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