The Barn Raisers: The fascinating true story of barns and the people who built them

"The Barn Raisers" tells the fascinating and true story of America's vintage barns and the mysterious men who built them. Barns were constructed by farmer-craftsmen, professional builders who moved from job to job, and even architects like Frank Lloyd Wright. What do barn settings, styles, and building materials tell us about the people who built them, and the life they lived? "The Barn Raisers" examines barns through the lens of architecture and paints a cinematic portrait of an enduring cultural icon. Insightful interviews with barn owners, historians, architects, artists, and preservationists are combined with "country cathedrals" in Iowa, Kansas, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Michigan to tell this uniquely American story.

Runtime: 54 minutes

Watch this film in the middle of our photo exhibit of Michigan's heritage barns - including one from Grand Traverse County! (Thank you to the Michigan Barn Preservation Network for making this film and exhibit possible.)