Monroe County Chapter, Indiana Barn Foundation

The Indiana Barn Foundation is a statewide, all volunteer organization devoted to the documentation, preservation and reuse of historic barns. We have board members from across the state, and county representatives for many Indiana counties. The organization holds fund raising barn tours, has an annual meeting in July, was instrumental in creation of the heritage barn tax deduction legislation, and created the Indiana Bicentennial Barn Quilt to raise funds and awareness. Funds raised are devoted to the Mauri Williamson Memorial Grant Program for the purpose of assisting barn owners with rehabilitation projects. An overall goal of the organization is to systematically survey historic barns in every county to collect family stories, barn histories and architectural information.

The Indiana Barn Foundation relies on volunteers across the state to help raise awareness and funds, and to accomplish additional goals of the organization. The Monroe County Chapter consists of local volunteers willing to help with those tasks on a county and regional level, as several surrounding counties do not yet have their own county representative chapter. In Monroe County, we have a booth at the county fair, appear at local events, provide speakers to other organizations, organize barn tours, and recruit volunteers to document historic barns.