Tuesday, April 21, 2009

DON'T MISS OUT THIS WEEKEND:

MAIL POUCH BARN IN OAKLAND- LANDMARKS, INC- WILL BE A PART OF THE TOUR
STEVE ALLEN'S BARN WILL ALSO BE ON THE TOUR-

TRAIL TO INDEPENDENCE BARN TOUR
Landmarks, Inc of Oakland will sponsor a driving tour of area barns on Sunday, April 26. The event will be a Drive-by-Self-guided tour of dozens of surviving barns. The tour starts in Oakland and travels north into Douglas and Edgar Counties, to the site of the Black Grove farm, famous in this area because of The Matson Slave Trial that involved Abraham Lincoln in the 1840s. 5 area barns will be open for exploration and inspection while the remaining barns can be viewed from the road. Other points of interest will be included in the tour. These include the Hiram Rutherford Home and compound which includes an original Mail Pouch Barn as well as the site of the Nip-n-Tuck settlement, the Negro Cemetery, Wesley Chapel Church, Albin Cemetery with graves dating back to 1835, and Winkler School. Winkler School, a one room rural schoolhouse which has been well maintained and recently restored, will also be open for viewing. The barns that will be viewed run the spectrum of some of the oldest and most primitive to one of the finest remaining examples of last of the large wooden structures. One of the barns on Kim and Marylee McGee’s property was built prior to the Civil War and has been added on to several times in the ensuing years. It is constructed of large, hand-hewn timbers that rest on large stones instead of a more typical foundation. One room has a threshing floor of large oak planks held together with wooden pins. There is a large post in the middle of the room. Unthreshed grain was thrown on the floor and a team of horse walked around the post trampling the grain out of the husks. This barn will open for inspection. Eilleen Allen’s barn will also be open to visit. It was originally built into the bank of a small rise and had a basement on the low side of the hill. Plans are for James and Jack Allen to be present on the day of the tour to tell stories about growing up on the farm and the many experiences that they have enjoyed there. Steve and Dee Allen will also have their unique barn open to the public. Steve has recently restored the exterior of the barn and the original red barn now has white painted weather strips as was once popular among barn owners in the area. The Mail Pouch Barn will be open as well as the barn belonging to Roger and Dianne Reed.

The map and pamphlet for the tour will be available to purchase at the Meeting House in Oakland from 11:30 AM to 3:00 PM on Sunday, April 26. The Meeting House is located on South Pike Street across from the Rutherford House at the corner of Pike and Route 133.

THE COST IS 15.00 FOR THE MAP

THE TOUR BEGINS AT 11:30- BUT YOU CAN COME LATER AFTER CHURCH AND GO AT YOUR OWN PACE. SO, BRING YOUR CAMERA, BOTTLED WATER AND A SNACK, AND HAVE A BEAUTIFUL AFTERNOON IN THE COUNTRY.

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