On a trip to Vermont, Jim and Virginia Schultz heard they were having a barn tour, so they bought tickets. As they visited the historic structures, they turned to each other.
‘We could do this,? they said to each other, recounts Jim Schultz.
Schultz brought the idea to the Clarkston Community Historical Society Board of Directors. They loved the idea, and promptly assigned Schultz as its chair.
‘They said, ‘go for it,?? he said.
It has taken about a year to scout suitable locations, seek permission, and arrange demonstrations, but now everything has come together. The tour is set for this Sunday, Oct. 22, from 12:30-5 p.m.
The tour will be the first for Clarkston, said CCHS President Jennifer Arkwright.
?(The barns) are so pretty ? it will make people more aware of them,? Arkwright said.
The barns, which include an English-style carriage barn and large-gambrel-roof dairy barn, were selected for their historic nature and location. Two are located within Clarkston, and the others just to the north. They range in age from about a century to 164 years old.
?(Historic barns) are disappearing from the landscape,? Schultz said. ‘They’re very expensive to maintain.?
Over the years, fewer farmers, increased technology, and different farming techniques have meant fewer barns are needed. Also, old barns have been torn down for property development, and to provide timber for fireplace mantles and other old-fashioned items.
But barns are an important symbol of the area’s agricultural heritage, Schultz said.
‘They show our history,? said Larry Hearn of Clarkston, who stopped at Schultz’s Clarkston Country Store to ask about the tour.
‘They show what life was like in the countryside,? said Hearn, who said he is planning to take the tour. ‘They’re living history ? they’re becoming rarer and rarer.?
To take the tour, first buy a ticket, which are $10 each. Admission is free for children 5 and under. Tickets are available at Clarkston Country Store, 21 N. Main St., and the Chamber of Commerce, 5856 S. Main St. On Sunday, a tent will be set up at the Mill Pond parking lot on Main Street. At the tent, ticket-holders will get a map and brochure, with information about each barn and the activities planned there. Tickets will also be available at the tent from 12-3 p.m. The tour will be held rain or shine.
Owners and volunteers from the Historical Society will be at each barn to explain its history. Activities will include a tractor from the Antique Tractor Association, horse and buggy, and demonstrations of farm-related activities. A wood worker from the Barn Preservation Network of Michigan will demonstrate the use of 19th-century hand tools.
Other crafters will show people how they make brooms, soap, sauerkraut, chair-caning, quilts, needlework, and wool. Livestock, including chickens, goats, llamas, and peacocks, will be at other locations.
Refreshments will be served. Also available will be calendars featuring all the barns on the tour, photos by Ken Lemieux. The Lewis E. Wint & Son Funeral Home is sponsoring the tour.
For more information, call 248-922-0270. For more information on the Barn Preservation Network of Michigan, call 734-996-3676.