SIDNEY — On April 11 from 3 to 4:30 p.m. at the Shelby County Senior Center, 304 S. West Ave., Sidney, Dr. Robert Kroeger will do a barn painting of a local barn along with sharing the history of the old wooden barns and what they add to Shelby County’s landscape.
Kroeger, a Cincinnati-based artist and author, will be visiting Shelby County in search of old barns (built prior to 1930) and their compelling stories. Kroeger’s paintings will go into fundraisers for the historical society – as will sales of his books, Historic Barns of Ohio, published by The History Press/Arcadia, and Round Barns of America, published by Acclaim Press. Both books sold out of their first printing within a year of publication, but are now available both through the historical society and through online sites. The first book includes a barn in each of Ohio’s 88 counties, and the second book features 75 round barns (11 in Ohio) in 32 states.
With Kroeger’s visit, this year the Shelby County Alliance will not do a barn calendar or note cards.
With an overwhelming reception for his books – and with many more barn stories still to share – Kroeger keeps looking for fascinating tales of old barns for inclusion into his next Ohio historic barn book.
“I try to capture a barn and its story before they’re gone,” Kroeger said. “I like stories that illustrate the lives of these hardy pioneers.”
Kroeger’s passion ignited in 2012 when he and his wife were on their way to a bed and breakfast in Licking County. At an intersection, there was a small grey barn that clearly was old and was showing its age.
“Like a thunderbolt right between the eyes, it just captivated me,” Kroeger said. “I heard a voice whisper inside my head, ‘You’re going to do this, write a story about this barn, do a painting,’ and that’s it.” He went back the next day and got the initially reluctant owner to tell him the history of the barn and allow him to take some photographs of it. That initial painting led to a desire to paint barns from all 88 counties in Ohio, to capture what he sees as a part of Ohio history that is vanishing to age and decay.
If a barn is selected to be on the barn tour, Kroeger and barn scouts will arrange to meet the owner, if possible, and take photos of the barn. The visit typically takes about 30 minutes. Kroeger always protects the privacy of the owner; only the county is mentioned – no directions or addresses.
If any barn owner feels that their old barn has a good history behind it, contact historical society Director Tilda Phlipot via email at info@shelbycountyhistory (preferred) or call 937-498-1653.
Kroeger will also do a fundraiser for the historical society on April 11, open to the public. Details can be found at https://www.robertkroeger.com/event/197063/shelby-county-historical-society-fundraiser. Kroeger’s essays and barn paintings can be seen at www.barnart.weebly.com.
