Look Up: The Star Barn

For decades M and I have passed The Star Barn complex whenever we were on our way to or from visiting family in Pennsylvania.  I’ve been wanting to stop and take photos of it but we never seemed to have the time.  We made the time on our last trip back east.

Although The Star Barn complex is quite obvious from the highway (Interstate 283), it was not easy for us to find.  Lack of preparation had much to do with that.  It wasn’t until we were on the highway and almost at The Star Barn that we decided it would be a good day to stop, walk around, and take photos so we hadn’t bothered to look up directions or ask someone (such as M’s sister) who might know how to get there.  We asked along the way and eventually someone was able to give us good directions.

The complex dates from 1872 and consists of the large barn (The Star Barn, shown in the first photo), a pig barn, a chicken coop, a corn crib/carriage house, pond and stone fence.

According to The Star Barn website, the stars represented hope and good fortune for the farm and land.  The outbuildings (shown in the second and third photos) mimic the Gothic Revival style of the big barn.

There are plans to move the The Star Barn complex to a new location where it will not only be preserved but turned into an agricultural education and exhibition center.  It is currently located near a residential community (one of those newer housing developments that have sprung up in former farmlands everywhere).

There was one other person out there the day M and I stopped.  Another photographer of course.  It was a good day for taking pictures.

Visit The Star Barn website for more information on the history as well as plans for the future of The Star Barn.  The plans for moving, restoring, and using the complex are interesting.