Trenkamp Barn, 893 450th Ave. Preston (Jackson County)
Provide by Caroline Bredekamp for the Preston Times / photos by Iowa Barn Foundation,
If you are looking for something different to do on a September weekend, consider taking a self-guided tour of Iowa’s historic barns. The Iowa Barn Foundation is holding its 25th Annual All-State Barn Tour on Saturday and Sunday, September 13-14, featuring over 100 barns across the state that will be available for visiting inside and out from 9-5 both days. Iowa is proud to host the largest barn tour in the country! The fall tour highlights barns that have received a restoration grant from the foundation and those that have received an Award of Distinction or Preservation Award for restoration funded by the owner. Many of the owners will be on hand to share their memories and regard for the structures and answer your questions. This year’s tour has a record 103 stops, including 16 barns on the tour for the first time. If you have only seen barns from the road, you are missing out on the true beauty which lies within. That is where you will see the true craftsmanship that went into the construction of these “cathedrals on the prairie.” The tour includes 11 round barns, which are some of the most rare and unique barns in the state. Tour participants won’t be limited to just seeing barns. They will also see corn cribs, a wood silo, a poultry house, and a couple of agriculture museums. This is great multi-generation weekend activity for the whole family to experience history “in the real.” The self-guided fall tour is free and open to the public, made possible by member donors. An interactive online tour guide can be found at iowabarnfoundation.org/barn-tours. Member donors receive the foundation’s spring and fall magazines in their mailboxes filled with barn photos and stories as well as a printed tour guide and map. Learn more about membership at iowabarnfoundation.org/product/membership. Questions can be emailed to [email protected]. As a volunteer-led non-profit, the Iowa Barn Foundation’s goal is to maximize member donations to provide restoration grants to save the state’s historic barns. Since being founded in 1997, the foundation has given out $2.4 million dollars in grants to help save over 300 barns. Member donors receive our spring and fall magazines in their mailboxes filled with barn photos and stories as well as a printed guide to our spring and fall barn tours.
Trenkamp Barn, 893 450th Ave. Preston (Jackson County) Take IA 64 east out of Preston, turn south onto 450th Ave. Pass cemetery. Barn was built by Justus Berg in 1926. Bernard and Correna Trenkamp purchased the farm in 1945 and used it for dairy cows and horses, and when the horses were no longer needed, the dairy was expanded. When the Trenkamps retired in 1974, Steve and Doris purchased the farm. Steve has been restoring the barn using native lumber when possible (Award of Distinction).
Other locations in Jackson County:
Engelke Barn, 25379 297th Avenue, Bellevue (Jackson County) Go 1/2 mile west of Bellevue on IA 62, then turn right on Bellevue-Cascade Road (D61) and turn right onto 297th Ave. This early 1900s barn stands at the end of dead-end road next to the county’s rodeo grounds was lovingly restored in 2018-19 (Restoration Grant).
Martin Barn, 12578 222nd Street, Zwingle (Jackson County) From US 61 south of Zwingle, at Otter’s Creek, turn right (west) onto Bellevue Cascade Road (IA D61) and go four or five miles and cross a bridge. Turn left (south) on 126th Ave and go a half mile to barn. Hand-pegged barn was built in 1880 and is 100×28 feet. Many inside features are hand carved. Cement stands for draft horses have depressions for each foot (Award of Distinction).
McAndrew Barns, 23477 Bellevue Cascade Rd, La Motte, IA (Jackson County) From Zwingle, take US 61 south about 3.5 miles to Otter Creek, then turn left (east) onto Bellevue Cascade Road (IA-D61). This lovely farm is known as the Sprank farm. The large barn was built around 1900, and the smaller one in 1940. The large barn has wooden peg construction (Restoration Grant).
Steines Barn, 36746 Bellevue-Cascade Road, Bellevue (Jackson County) Go 1/2 mile west of Bellevue on IA 62, then turn right on Bellevue-Cascade Road (D61) and go 1.5 miles to barn. This simple, primitive barn was built in the early 1900s (Restoration Grant).
