Indiana Barn Foundation upcoming events

Barn Assessment Workshop (June 24, 2026)

Wed, 24 Jun 2026 16:00:00 GMT

The Indiana Barn Foundation (IBF) performs the assessment of heritage and historical barns as an outreach of its mission to support the preservation of historic Indiana barns. It’s an integral part of the IBF vision to raise the awareness of threatened barns. Our assessors are knowledgeable volunteers with a passion for barns. We always have more requests for assessments than we do volunteers; we're always looking for interested people to become assessors.

If you are interested in becoming a barn assessor for IBF, or have an interest in barn repair, come to our Barn Assessment workshop on June 24 from noon – 4 pm ET. It is a half-day training on how to assess the condition of a barn, and how to physically evaluate the interior and exterior relative to the structure and foundation stability. You do not need to already be thoroughly knowledgeable about barns, if you have the passion and interest please consider joining us.

IBF Board members Mark Kurth and Randy Miles will walk through the barn assessment process. Alan DeFrees and Stephen Hartley, professors at the Notre Dame School of Architecture, will discuss historic building technique repairs.

The workshop takes place in La Porte County. It is $30 to attend. Only 20 spaces are available. The address will be provided to attendees closer to the workshop date.

2026 Forum & Annual Meeting (July 18, 2026)

Sat, 18 Jul 2026 13:00:00 GMT

Mark your calendar now to get together with barn owners and enthusiasts to discuss saving Indiana's heritage barns. Make plans to join us for another great Forum and Annual Meeting in July!

The 2026 Indiana Barn Foundation Forum and Annual Meeting will be held on Saturday, July 18th from 9 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. at The Lawrence Restaurant + Events, 150 McCutcheon Dr, West Lafayette, Indiana.

The Lawrence is the latest restaurant creation of the Cunningham Restaurant Group. This unique destination brings a beautifully restored 1930s barn to life, offering guests a sense of history, community, and fresh, seasonal cuisine. The barn was donated to the Purdue Research Foundation by Sonny Beck, owner of Beck’s Hybrids, and then relocated and transformed near the Purdue campus. The interior features a permanent art installation in partnership with the Indiana Barn Foundation.

The annual meeting will include two presentations:

The Farm at Prophetstown
Lee Goudy, Executive Director of The Farm at Prophetstown, speaks about the farm's history and the restoration of its Gambrel Barn.

The history of the hay trolley

In the 1860's, the invention of the hay track and trolley revolutionized agriculture by allowing farmers to lift massive piles of hay into barn lofts without backbreaking manual labor. IBF Board member, Mac Williams, explores the rise in popularity of the hay trolley, from its invention to peak use and decline.

Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. Lunch is included in the registration fee of $35. Non-members of the Indiana Barn Foundation are welcome to attend. Note: Special dietary requests cannot be guaranteed after July 7th. For more information, please email director@indianabarns.org.

✨ Would you like to sponsor the 2026 Annual Meeting? Click here for sponsorship information.

Hands-on Timber Frame Trades Training (June 21, 2027)

Mon, 21 Jun 2027 14:00:00 GMT

Hands-on Timber Frame Trades Training

RESCHEDULED to June 21-26, 2027
10 people maximum
Location: Hesston Steam Museum, LaPorte County
$1,000

The training originally scheduled for June 22-26, 2-26 has been rescheduled to June 21 - 26, 2027

Learn and apply timber framing skills in this weeklong hands-on active training led by timber frame experts Ian Stewart of Preservation Inc and Steve Hartley. The five-day training will lead you from conception to construction of a timber frame structure and includes a half-day session evaluating a historic timber frame barn. Beginning with project planning and component fabrication, the training ends with the raising of the frame on the last day. You will learn joinery and construction of a timber frame structure and common issues and their repairs of a historic timber frame structure. The training is offered through collaboration of the Indiana Barn Foundation and Indiana Landmarks in partnership with Hesston Steam Museum.

Guests need to be able to engage in heavy lifting, tool use and other manual tasks.