If you’re looking for something different to do, circle June 27-28 on your calendar. Consider touring some of Iowa’s historic barns.
The Iowa Barn Foundation is holding its annual Spring Barn Tour in Jefferson County in southeastern Iowa. Anyone who is interested is welcome to attend this free, drive-it-yourself tour.
The tour includes 21 historic barns, two corn cribs, an 1895 Victorian carriage house, a rare hay silo and two museums. All will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. Barn owners will be on hand to share the history and memories of their barns, as the structures will be open for touring inside and out.
You’ll see a diverse array of barns while driving through the scenic Iowa countryside.
“Touring the barns is an enjoyable educational experience in learning about the history of Iowa agriculture,” said Dave Austin, a volunteer with the Iowa Barn Foundation serving on the board of directors. He’s also editor of the Iowa Barn Foundation Magazine.
Unique agricultural history
The tour hub will be the Maasdam Barns in Fairfield, Iowa. These are three historic barns filled with labor-saving equipment manufactured in Fairfield by Louden Machinery Co.
Founded by the inventive William Louden in 1887, the company transformed the way American farmers worked. Louden’s hay fork and carrier system, patented in 1887, allowed barns to be built taller. Using the Louden hay carrier to get the hay up into the barn loft, hay stacking was no longer limited to how high a farmer could toss hay with a pitchfork while standing on a wagon.
The Maasdam Barns featured on the 2026 tour will have draft horses on hand Saturday afternoon to demonstrate the use of Louden’s hay fork and carrier system.
The original Louden Machinery Co. of Fairfield, Iowa, no longer exists as an independent entity and stopped manufacturing farm equipment in 1965. However, the Louden overhead crane and monorail-handling line was acquired by American Chain & Cable Co. and continues to be manufactured today as Acco-Louden.
Welcome to Fairfield
While in Fairfield for the Spring Barn Tour, visitors also have the unique opportunity to tour an 1895 Victorian carriage house, which sits beside the majestic 1896 James A. Beck Mansion. Carriage houses played a crucial role in the horse-powered transportation system of the 19th century and were commonly situated on the estates of affluent individuals, built in a style to match the house. A portion of the first floor of the Beck Mansion will be open for touring.
While the haymow level of the Beck carriage house has all the characteristics of a standard horse barn for storage of hay and small grains, it has the added flair of stained glass windows.
The tour is free, made possible by Iowa Barn Foundation members.
Full tour details and a map
Full tour details and a map of the tour route can be found in the Iowa Barn Foundation Magazine or online at iowabarnfoundation.org/barn-tours.
A catered lunch will be offered for $15 Saturday at Maasdam Barns, 2224 IA Highway 1, Fairfield. Pre-orders are highly recommended. Limited quantities will be available for cash purchase on the day of the event. The meal will be served from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. by Jefferson County Pork Producers; proceeds benefit the Maasdam Barns programs.
Lunch pre-orders are accepted through June 19. Checks for $15 per person should be made to Maasdam Barns and mailed to Maasdam Barns, 2224 IA Highway 1, Fairfield, IA 52556. Orders also can be made online with a credit card at iowabarnfoundation.org/product/2026-spring-tour-lunch.
Are you interested in becoming a member donor and getting the spring and fall magazines with full printed barn tour guides? Sign up at iowabarnfoundation.org/product/membership. For questions, email iowabarnfoundation@gmail.com.
Preserving rural heritage
Founded in 1997, the Iowa Barn Foundation is dedicated to preserving Iowa’s rural agricultural heritage one barn at a time. The all-volunteer statewide organization is a nonprofit.
“The primary mission of the IBF is to educate the public about the significance and importance of Iowa’s barns through the Iowa Barn Foundation Magazine and our IBF barn tours,” Austin said.
IBF raises money to provide barn rehabilitation or restoration matching grants to help property owners restore their barns. In addition, property owners who use their own funds to restore or rehab barns that would otherwise qualify for a matching grant are eligible to receive an Iowa Barn Foundation Award of Distinction. For more information about the IBF, visit iowabarnfoundation.org.
Save the date for fall tour
In addition to the Spring Barn Tour, the Iowa Barn Foundation hosts an annual Iowa All-State Barn Tour. The spring tour focuses on a specific county or two, while the All-State Tour is held at various locations across Iowa.
The 26th annual Iowa All-State Barn Tour will be held Sept. 19-20. The All-State tour features barns that have received Iowa Barn Foundation restoration matching grants, Award of Distinction recipients and Preservation Award recipients.
The self-guided fall tour is free and open to the public. Participants have the unique opportunity to experience and appreciate Iowa’s agricultural heritage as they walk through these majestic barns.
Swoboda is an editor emeritus of Wallaces Farmer and a member of the Iowa Barn Foundation.