This study and well-maintained barn sits at the intersection of Minnesota Highways 19 and 56 near Stanton, east of Northfield.
NOTHING DEFINES RURAL Minnesota more than a red barn.
Whether nestled among the rolling hills of southeastern Minnesota or anchored to the earth in the wide open spaces of the west, red barns symbolize the hope, the fortitude and the dreams of generations of Minnesotans.
For inside the walls of our barns, farm families have worked together—pitching manure, stacking bales, milking cows, building a livelihood as much as a lifestyle.
Strong work ethics have been birthed here, life lessons taught.
While many red barns now stand empty, their roofs sagging, their paint peeling, they remain a symbol of all that is good about life in rural Minnesota.
© Copyright 2013 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Text first published in the September/October 2005 issue of Minnesota Moments
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
I love barns!!! My mom always loved barns and must have passed that love onto me! She did several watercolors of barns and I have one in my possession though I do not have it hung up right now. I need to unearth it, don’t I? Nothing like a barn to make me smile.
Oh, a watercolor of a barn. Yes, pull it out. I once purchased a paint-by-number of a barn at a garage sale and love it.
Okay you peaked my curiousity this morning as to why barns are red. Here is a little something, something –
“As European settlers crossed over to America, they brought with them the tradition of red barns. In the mid to late 1800s, as paints began to be produced with chemical pigments, red paint was the most inexpensive to buy. Red was the color of favor until whitewash became cheaper, at which point white barns began to spring up”.
Beautiful Barn – thanks for sharing:) Happy Thursday!
Thanks for that lesson on red barns. I love when readers like you teach us all something. The barn on my farm growing up was painted white. I always wanted a red barn on our farm. There’s something about a red barn…
Happy to Help Out – love learning:) The barn was red and the other buildings on the farm I grew up on were whitewashed.
No red buildings on our farm that I can remember. All were white, although the window trim on the house was red.
Hi….I am trying to find Harriet Traxler’s contact details. She gave me a copy of her County Kerry book. I wanted to email her. My husband and I are moving to Kerry, and I would love to tell her and keep in touch. If you can give me her email, or tell her to email me, that would be greatly appreciated.
Sorry for the typo mistakes above….tell me if you can help me. I would love to contact Harriet.
I will email Harriet with your email and she can then email you.
I just found Harriet’s
website, and there was a contact email. Thanks anyways,
Your blog is lovely!
Anne, I just emailed Harriet, so she is sure to get the message. Glad you enjoy Minnesota Prairie Roots.
Barn lover here, red, white, stone, no matter…..loved or tattered they are beautiful to me.
Totally would expect you to say this.
Every time we drive to see my husband’s family in Oconomowoc, WI, I fight the urge to pull over on I-94 to photograph one of the many barns along the way. (Why is there a law against pulling over on the interstate? This really puts a crimp in things for spontaneous photography.) There is such a strong attraction to those structures with all their history and their symbolism. I even like the ones that aren’t red!
Here’s my secret to photographing barns on the road, when you’re the passenger and certainly not the driver. Clean your vehicle windows, set your camera on a fast shutter speed (sports mode), poise your camera on your lap, position finger on the shutter button, and then anticipate (constantly scanning what’s ahead) and be ready to shoot. I shot this barn while we were traveling down the highway, as I do most barn shots I showcase here. If we stopped every time I wanted to photograph something, we would never get anywhere.
Since I’m almost always the driver, I’m going to have to consider moving over a seat! 🙂
That would do it.
Lovely photo and, sadly, one that will not be possible in the not so distant future! Hugs, D
Thank you. I try, as often as I can, to photograph barns for just that reason.
I love your barns, Audrey. I am like you, always watching for barns as we are traveling around the country. I keep files with the county that the barns are located in if they are in Minnesota and if they are out of state I put them in a file for the state that I took the photo in. I have photos of barns in Alaska but not in Hawaii (haven’t been there and do not know if there are even any barns there)
Thanks again for helping Anne and me get connected again. What a treat to hear from her!.
Hmmmm, maybe I should organize my barn photos, too.
You are welcome regarding reconnecting you with Anne in Ireland.
We share the love of barns… This “big red” is beautiful! Especially fond of the stone foundation 🙂
That’s what caught my eye, the stone foundation. Seems like a lot of us really are quite fond of barns, based on reader comments.