About Jan

Farm Girl

My passion for barns, animals, and writing, blossomed when I was a child, hearing my father speak with great affection about our barn on Coralan Farm. Our barn had been built by my grandfather on land settled by my great grandfather in 1882

My interests were nurtured searching for kittens, writing stories, riding horseback, and having my dog at my side. Those interests grew, watching milk cows plod in for evening milking and feeling part of a hard-working farm family.

Mom and Dad had taken over the farm in 1940 and built an award-winning herd of Holsteins. The addition to the main barn was built in 1962. Had my parents’ health held out, the farm would have stayed in the family, but sadly, we sold the farm in 1969. Dad said that the hardest part about leaving the farm was leaving the barn. Eventually, a couple bought the parcel with the buildings and remodeled the house but destroyed the timber-frame barn.

In the last years of his life, I helped my father compile his memoirs. Now, I am writing my own, one of several “bucket list” goals. Photo (Jan at left with sisters Judy and Lois on Coralan Farm.)

"Thanks for Asking"

The Barns on Coralan Farm - 1968

Many barns I have photographed over the years are dying or gone, but it gives me true joy that others are being given new purpose. My hope is that there will one day be a national endowment for the preservation of America’s barns managed by top-notch people working coast to coast. From this endowment, grants can undertake projects to save “signature barns” of special importance to local and regional history; document barn and farm/ranch architecture and stories; and host barn-related events that draw people together. Children can be introduced to the wonder of a barn. There can be more tours, barn site maps, and barn quilt trails. Grants and low-interest loans can help people save barns when they lack the resources to do it alone and inspire collaboration to shape zoning, insurance, code, and adaptive reuse policies that benefit barns. We all need hopes and dreams. These are mine.