If you’re looking for “something different” to do on a weekend this summer, circle June 21-22 on your calendar.
That Saturday and Sunday, 18 historic barns will be open for touring inside and out. What’s more, the owners will be on hand to share their memories and regard for the structures and answer your questions. You will also have the opportunity visit the Cedar County Historical Society Museum and Prairie Village in Tipton.
This tour—which is being arranged and hosted by the Iowa Barn Foundation—is being held in the picturesque countryside of Cedar County. The self-guided tours will be offered 9:00-5:00 both days.
Visitors will experience a diverse array of barns…including a rare Octagonal barn built in 1883, and the oldest barn in Cedar County built in 1840.
The Tour Is Free. It’s being arranged and made possible via the generosity of the Barn Foundation’s member donors. A lunch will be offered for $15 on Saturday. Pre-orders are recommended to help with the planning. Limited quantities will be available for cash/check purchase on the day of the event for a slightly higher price.
This catered lunch will be served Saturday from 11:00-2:00 at the at the Cedar County Historical
Society and Prairie Village site, 1094 Hwy 38 N, Tipton. The lunch will include pulled pork sandwich, coleslaw, fruit cup, homemade pie, and water. The meal will be served by the Tipton Ministerial Association, and proceeds will help fund the association’s programs to help those in need in the local community.
Lunch pre-orders can be made by credit card until June 10th online at iowabarnfoundation.org/product/2025-spring-lunch. Or by mailing a check (made out to CCHS) to: CCHS, P.O. Box 254, Tipton, IA 52772.
Full tour details and a tour map can be found in the Iowa Barn Foundation Magazine (mailed to member donors) or online at iowabarnfoundation.org/barn-tours. For questions, email [email protected].
The Iowa Barn Foundation is a volunteer-led non-profit committed to preserving Iowa’s rural heritage, one barn at a time. The foundation gives out over $100,000 in barn restoration grants annually, made possible by members donors. New members will receive the spring magazine with full tour details. Join online at iowabarnfoundation.org/product/membership.
One of many barns on the tour: Robinson Barn, 493 Fox Ave, Mechanicsville (Cedar County) – two miles south of Mechanicsville on Highway X40 (Fox Ave is also known as Garfield Ave). Large 72×46 bank barn is in its original condition. It was built by Jeremiah Baughman, who arrived in Cedar County from Pennsylvania in 1862. James Shrope Jr. bought the 200-acre farm from the Jeremiah Baughman estate in 1904. The barn has been in the family since that time. The barn was put together with mortise and tendon construction and wooden pegs. The quarried stone foundation has eight nine-paned windows built into it. The cupolas have red stars on four sides depicting the Red Star route, a market-to-market route that went from Muscatine to Cedar Rapids (Award of Distinction).
