Tour Offers Rare Peek Inside Iowa's Historic Barns: Including 19 Stops in Northeast Iowa

Be the reason your community stays informed—give to local journalism now! For many Iowans, historic barns are icons of the rural landscape: admired from a distance but rarely experienced up close. That changes the weekend of Sept. 13–14, when more than 100 barns across the state open their doors for the Iowa Barn Foundation's 25th Annual All-State Barn Tour. Held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day, the self-guided tour is free and open to the public, offering a unique opportunity to explore the architecture, craftsmanship and stories behind some of Iowa's most treasured agricultural buildings. With a record 103 barns participating this year, the tour includes 19 sites in northeast Iowa, several of them newly added for 2025. Many of the barns have been restored with the help of Iowa Barn Foundation grants, or recognized for their preservation with an Award of Distinction. The Northeast region features rare round barns, 14- and 16-sided exhibition barns, stone foundations, wooden silos,and even a bridge barn built using traditional Norwegian techniques. Just north of Decorah, the historic barn at Seed Savers Exchange will be open to the public for the first time as part of the tour. Located at 3074 North Winn Road, this striking Gothic-arch barn was built between 1929 and 1930 by Ralph and Maggie Halse. Originally a dairy barn, the structure now serves a vital role in Seed Savers Exchange's seed preservation work. Staff use the space to process "wet" crops like tomatoes, melons, and peppers—extracting seeds, allowing them to ferment, and drying them with fans and screens. The barn also functions as a venue for educational events and workshops, making it both a working space and a community gathering point. It was honored with a Preservation Award from the Iowa Barn Foundation. More Stops in Winneshiek County Several other notable barns near Decorah are also featured in this year's tour, including: Boeding Barn (Madison Road) – Built in 1883, with a stone foundation and still used for hay storage. Also includes a restored stone milk house. (Award of Distinction) Emery Bridge Barn (Bear Creek Road) – A rare Norwegian-American "bridge barn" or "laave bru," built between 1871 and 1906, with internal ramps and traditional post-and-beam framing. Hinsenbrock Barn (Norske Road) – Constructed in 1878 by Norwegian settler Peder Bakke, featuring hand-hewn timbers and wooden pegs. (Restoration Grant) Kuehner Dairy Barn (Town Line Road) – In continuous use for milking since 1959, the 1878 barn features original interior stonework and houses 90 Holsteins. (Preservation Award) Steve Mikesh Barn (County Road A14) – Updated in 1980 for a growing dairy herd and in use until 2004. (Restoration Grant) Treasures Across the Region Beyond Winneshiek County, the tour includes a range of unusual barns in the surrounding counties: A 14-sided barn in Volga, believed to be the only one of its kind still standing in Iowa. (Restoration Grant) The Friedlein Round Barn in Guttenberg, a 1914 structure with a center silo and labor-saving milking design. A freestanding wooden silo near Readlyn, built in 1939 using redwood and now one of Iowa's last of its kind. (Award of Distinction) The Grimes Octagon Barn near West Union, built between 1885–1891 and recently restored. (Preservation Award) The Borlaug Barn near Cresco, where Nobel Peace Prize winner Norman Borlaug spent his early childhood. (Restoration Grant) The tour covers barns in Allamakee, Winneshiek, Fayette, Clayton, Howard, Chickasaw, Floyd, Bremer, Butler and Mitchell counties. Tour Details and Guide The Iowa Barn Tour is free and self-guided, made possible by member donations. An interactive tour guide, with a full list and map of all 103 barn stops, is available online at: www.iowabarnfoundation.org/barn-tours Members of the Iowa Barn Foundation receive printed guides, seasonal magazines, and support ongoing preservation efforts. More information is available at www.iowabarnfoundation.org. Since 1997, the volunteer-led nonprofit has awarded more than $2.4 million in grants and helped save over 300 barns statewide. For questions or additional details, email: iowabarnfoundation@gmail.com Feed your curiosity! Subscribe to the free newsletter and indulge in all that's local. Your friends will be impressed.