Take a country drive anywhere on Ohio’s rural roads and you’ll likely see a painted barn.
Barns are a part of life in Ohio so it makes sense that some of them get decorated in special ways.
Sometimes, they are just adorned with a flag or the name of the farm’s proprietors.
Other times, a barn showcases an old-school billboard or tobacco advertisement dating back to the 1950s or earlier.
Then there are our favorites: the quilt barns and Bicentennial painted barns.
Quilt barns (or barn quilts, as they’re known in Canada) are cool because they’re an international cultural and art phenomenon that originated right here in Ohio.
In 2001, Donna Sue Groves wanted to honor her late mother, a lifelong quilter. She had a quilt square design painted on the side of her Adams County tobacco barn. Her creative idea launched a state-wide and American movement and tourism initiative that has since spread to Canada.
There are actual quilt barn trails in Ohio where pleasure drivers and tourists alike can follow along on scenic rural roads to spot all the different quilt patterns people have painted on their big red barns. Other states (and Canada) also have quilt barn trails.
Sometimes the quilt squares are just decorative; other times, they are done to honor the memory of a loved one. Some of the quilt squares painted on barns represent that family’s unique quilt pattern or design, handed down over generations.
Ohio’s Bicentennial barns also have historical significance. In the years leading up to Ohio’s Bicentennial celebration in 2003, each county in Ohio selected a big red barn to be painted with the official Ohio Bicentennial logo artwork. These 88 Bicentennial barns were a popular way to commemorate and promote Ohio’s 200 years of being a state.
One young man, 19-year-old Scott Hagan, was hired by the State of Ohio to paint all those Bicentennial barns; the enormous project was the start of his career as an epic barn painter. Alas, over time, many of his Bicentennial barns have faded or been painted over. But not the one near us on Bale Kenyon Road in Delaware County, which still looks great.
If you’d like to drive the Ohio Bicentennial barn trail, you can do just that. And watch this space for more exciting news about Lewis Center’s own vintage Bicentennial barn, which will soon have a very cool new life and purpose.
Are you a fan of spotting these colorful painted barns while driving through and around Ohio on family road trips? See how many you can spot on your next country drive!
