Amish farmers near Kalona, Iowa looked to replace a family's barn in the 1990s. When my in-laws were selling their farm properties near Cedar Rapids, Iowa a deal was struck. The Amish would hire a driver, vans and wagons, come some 40 miles north, tear down the barn and reassemble it a few miles northeast of Kalona. The tear down phase took just a few days and involved a small army of Amish men. They drew a schematic of the barn, labeled everything (in pencil) including the oak pegs that held wooden beams together. Today the barn (center in photo,) originally built in 1916 by a relative, sits on a rise overlooking corn and hay fields. The new owners who have had the barn now for around 15 years have improved the structure by adding a new roof and updating some of the side walls. Hundred year old barns don't always come on the market. In fact the Amish are currently building a new barn just right of the photo on a neighbor's property.
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