Historic Barns

Project page has been updated.

Barn-exterior-art

Welcome to the "Historic Barns of Williamstown Township" Project. We hope to engage you in learning about the history of our township by providing images, information, and links on this site. Each month a local barn will be highlighted featuring pictures and stories from "your neighbor next door." We encourage you to add your barn stories in the forum below.

This month we celebrate the iconic "Mail Pouch" Barn on Germany Road. Built in the 1930's this barn was constructed with a Gambrel Roof style. The Gambrel Roof used a double pitch design which provided area to accommodate barn lofts with more room for equipment. In its early years, this barn was used as a dairy farm. The owners currently use the space for family events, and storage.

The history of the dairy industry in the mid-west began in the 1600's when European immigrants brought cattle to rural America. Milk and milk products were produced primarily for home and local use. During the mid 1800's, the population growth and movement from farms to cities created a demand for dairy products and mass production became necessary. Currently, Michigan is home to 1000 dairy farms; many of them family owned for generations. Each year Michigan dairy farmers produce enough milk for the entire state of Michigan; the surplus is exported to other markets.

The "Mail Pouch" Barn is not only an example of a dairy barn but also the vintage art on the barn exterior wall is representative of an early form of billboard advertising. In the early 1900's, barn advertisements were predominantly in the mid-western and south-eastern United States. Advertisers took advantage of a barns' prominence and visibility in rural landscapes by contracting with farmers for the right to paint ads and slogans. Painters of barn advertisements and other murals are known as "wall dogs". By the 21st century, barn advertisements had faded into obscurity, as many of these rural paintings fell into disrepair, along with the barns that bore them.

If you own a barn in the Township and want to participate in this project please download the questionnaire found in the documents section on the right. If you want to learn more about the barns of Michigan click on the resource guide on the right. Also, check out the interactive map pinpointing many of the historic barns in Williamstown Township.

Thank you to the Kraft family for sharing the history of their barn and for maintaining that iconic barn art!


Welcome to the "Historic Barns of Williamstown Township" Project. We hope to engage you in learning about the history of our township by providing images, information, and links on this site. Each month a local barn will be highlighted featuring pictures and stories from "your neighbor next door." We encourage you to add your barn stories in the forum below.

This month we celebrate the iconic "Mail Pouch" Barn on Germany Road. Built in the 1930's this barn was constructed with a Gambrel Roof style. The Gambrel Roof used a double pitch design which provided area to accommodate barn lofts with more room for equipment. In its early years, this barn was used as a dairy farm. The owners currently use the space for family events, and storage.

The history of the dairy industry in the mid-west began in the 1600's when European immigrants brought cattle to rural America. Milk and milk products were produced primarily for home and local use. During the mid 1800's, the population growth and movement from farms to cities created a demand for dairy products and mass production became necessary. Currently, Michigan is home to 1000 dairy farms; many of them family owned for generations. Each year Michigan dairy farmers produce enough milk for the entire state of Michigan; the surplus is exported to other markets.

The "Mail Pouch" Barn is not only an example of a dairy barn but also the vintage art on the barn exterior wall is representative of an early form of billboard advertising. In the early 1900's, barn advertisements were predominantly in the mid-western and south-eastern United States. Advertisers took advantage of a barns' prominence and visibility in rural landscapes by contracting with farmers for the right to paint ads and slogans. Painters of barn advertisements and other murals are known as "wall dogs". By the 21st century, barn advertisements had faded into obscurity, as many of these rural paintings fell into disrepair, along with the barns that bore them.

If you own a barn in the Township and want to participate in this project please download the questionnaire found in the documents section on the right. If you want to learn more about the barns of Michigan click on the resource guide on the right. Also, check out the interactive map pinpointing many of the historic barns in Williamstown Township.

Thank you to the Kraft family for sharing the history of their barn and for maintaining that iconic barn art!


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