09/13/2026
Many thanks to the Cherokee Chronicle for their coverage of the Iowa Barn Foundation presentation at the Sanford Museum. It was a great turnout by 55 people followed by a tour of the Ogilvy Barn on Magnetic Park Trail. An award was given to the City of Cherokee, Cherokee Trails and Cherokee Historic Preservation for their work and efforts to save the barn and create this beautiful historic trail surrounding it.
Vanessa Rohwer photos and articles from Cherokee Chronicle Times.
Barnology 101: Exploring the stories Iowa barns still told
Ogilvy Barn receives Iowa Barn Foundation Preservation Award, first in Cherokee County.
The stories held inside Iowa’s barns came into focus Sunday afternoon as visitors filled the Sanford Museum and Planetarium for Barnology 101, a program that traced the state’s agricultural past through the architecture, craftsmanship and preservation of its historic farm structures.
Led by members of the Iowa Barn Foundation and museum staff, the presentation explored how barns were built, what they were used for and why saving them still matters in communities across the state.
The program was presented by Deann Haden of the Iowa Barn Foundation and Mark Anderson, archaeologist at the Sanford Museum. They were joined by foundation member Dave Austin, who assisted in discussing preservation efforts and the foundation’s outreach.
Haden, who has researched Iowa barns since the mid‑1990s, outlined the variety of barn types found across the state. Many barns, she said, were built for specific functions, shaped by regional needs and available materials. Gothic‑roof barns rose tall to accommodate hay storage, Prairie‑style barns emphasized practicality and livestock space, and timber framing showcased craftsmanship from a time before mechanized tools.
“These barns told us who we were,” Haden said. “And if we preserved them, they kept telling those stories long after we were gone.”
She noted that northwest Iowa still holds an abundance of historic barns, including several along the route to the Ogilvy Barn. “Cherokee could have its own barn tour,” she said, adding that more barns would be needed to build a full route. “It was sad to see a barn deteriorate — or worse, be burned.”
Haden said preservation relied on community involvement as much as craftsmanship. The Iowa Barn Foundation, she added, is always seeking members to support its work and help identify barns worth saving.
Anderson provided archaeological context, explaining how barns often remained long after the farmsteads around them changed or disappeared. Reused lumber, foundation styles and construction methods offered clues about how families adapted to shifting technology, weather and economic pressures.
The presenters also highlighted the work of the Iowa Barn Foundation, an all‑volunteer nonprofit founded in 1997. The foundation provides education, tours and matching grants to help owners rehabilitate aging barns. Haden noted that 107 barns statewide will be open for public touring in September.
Earlier in the afternoon, museum staff and Haden pointed out a display detailing the Ogilvy Barn’s history, including its connection to the old Fountain House. The Fountain House, a bath‑house and resort known in the late 1800s for its “magnetic spring water,” operated from the 1880s into the 1890s before closing. When the structure was dismantled, its lumber was salvaged and later used to build the Ogilvy Barn in 1939.
The Ogilvy Barn’s modern story reflects decades of local stewardship. The Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation acquired the 55‑acre property from Tom and Gladys Jenness in 2017. The Cherokee Trails Committee then raised funds to acquire and develop the land as an extension of the Cherokee Trails System. The property was transferred to the City of Cherokee in 2019, and its history has since been preserved through the Cherokee Trails Commission with assistance from the Cherokee Historic Preservation Commission and the Cherokee Area Archives.
After Sunday’s program, attendees traveled to Magnetic Park to view the Ogilvy Barn, the first barn in Cherokee County to receive the Iowa Barn Foundation Preservation Award. Today, it serves as the centerpiece of the city‑owned park.
Several original features remain. The lean‑to on the south side once sheltered a plow, grading blade and disc. A small shed nearby was originally connected to a larger shed that has since been removed, its footprint still visible through a concrete pad. The shed stored tools — shovels, pitchforks and other equipment — and later housed a tractor.
The barn also bears signs of recent history. Flooding in 2024 left silt on the floor, and visitors Sunday stepped inside to trace the grain of century‑old boards and climb the ladder to the upstairs. Weathered but solid, the structure stood as a testament to the craftsmanship that carried it through nearly a century.
