More than a mere building amidst meadows and foliage, a barn is a monument in the American landscape; it is a testament to the evolution of agricultural production and community, hence a marker of centuries of change.
Organized by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service and the National Building Museum, as well as in association with various state Humanities Councils, this traveling exhibition made its debut within 162 rural communities across 27 states nationwide between 1997 and 2005. In collaboration with the Maine Humanities Council, the Barn Again! exhibition debuted in the Maine communities of Saco, Lille, and Bethel between April and October of 2005.
The Barn Again! exhibition sought to explore this enduring symbol of rural-life as both a cultural and agricultural icon, examining how the building acts as a site that intimately reflects the identity(s) of their communities whilst operating as a crucial agent within enterprises that affect market economies and broader human life across local, regional, and even international geographies. Along with recognizing the diverse architectural and stylistic nature of these structures, the exhibition aimed to interrogate these buildings’ past legacies and call attention to the future of their roles and even relevance amidst the ever-changing dynamism brought on by rapid industrial and technological advancements, increasing globalization, and shifts in environmental patterns.
As such, the subject of whether these time-honored structures are to eventually be rendered obsolete was a critical area of interest, for this implores us to question what do we truly know about barns? What local stories, histories, and broader narratives can they tell us? In what ways can they perhaps be preserved rather than be lost to age or changing systems of production and human development?
Barn Again! sought to highlight these perplexities within every community it reached, thus stimulating within communities both large and small across the nation a renewed interest in their own unique past.
Each Maine community’s exhibit encompassed a display of historical documents and photographs of early Maine barns, educational lectures of regional barn architecture and their structural components, demonstrations of former methods used in yielding agricultural output, samples of delicate old toys fastened from various materials, and even period-based advertising. Each site also offered their own special programming and activities in further support of the exhibition’s aims.
Benjamin Williamson. Gambrel roof barn with Acadian flag, Grand Isle, ME.
Barn Again! is a registered trademark owned by the Meredith Corporation and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. It is part of Museum on Main Street, a partnership of the Smithsonian Institution and State Humanities Councils nationwide that serves the small town museums and citizens of rural America. Barn Again! was made possible through the generous support of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and The Hearst Foundation. Additional funding was provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Smithsonian Institution Special Exhibition Fund, and the Smithsonian Institution Educational Outreach Fund.
The Maine Humanities Council extends a special thanks to the following organizations and their communities that made this exhibition on Maine barns possible: The Saco Museum, Bethel Historical Society, and the Musée culturel du Mont-Carmel. Additional thanks is given to the Maine Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources.
Image credits
Cover image: Gambrel roof barn, Aroostook County, ME. Destroyed.