SIDNEY — Robert Kroeger, of Cincinnati, created 17 Shelby County barn paintings to raise awareness for historic barn preservation in November 2021. He then donated them to the County Wide Historical Alliance as a fundraising opportunity. A 2023 calendar and note cards were created with the images of the paintings.
The Alliance has announced the paintings will be going up for auction online during the month of July.
Green Township “The Maples”
There were once many maple trees on this farm, according to Joyce Peters, who owns the farm and the old barn, along with her husband Richard. Now only one remains, which Kroeger included in the painting.
Deed records show that in 1863 Isaac Dukemineer bought the 80-acre farm on a land grant from the state. Chances are that he built a timber-framed barn then, but such a barn exists no longer: the present barn was built around 1901. Ownership evolved over the decades until Joyce’s grandfather, a Campbell, bought the farm in 1941. The next year her family moved in. In 1966 Joyce’s dad took over and continued to farm and raise his family. Joyce has lived here for over 75 years.
The barn is a massive one, indicating the farmer/builder was prosperous. Though its slate roof has been replaced with metal, the barn still stands proudly, overlooking a harvested field of corn and the solitary maple tree, a reminder of past years when he had plenty of company.
Paintings on display
The paintings have been on display at various community festivals and will be displayed at the Shelby County Fair at the end of July. The paintings will be located in the Bicentennial Traveling Museum that will be parked next to the Community Foundation Hall. The calendars and sets of 14 note cards will be available for sale for $15 each.
Each painting will be listed by lot number with a description. Opening bids will start at $50 and each subsequent bid will go up by $5. Bids can be made at TroyKies.hibid.com. There will be a total of 19 paintings auctioned off.
The auction will end on Friday, July 29, at 6:30 p.m. The winners of the bids are to pick up their paintings on Saturday, July 30, between 1 and 3 p.m. at the Traveling Museum inside the Shelby County Fairgrounds or arrange a pickup at a future time with the Shelby County Historical Society.
For more information, contact the Shelby County Historical Society, 937-498-1653 or [email protected].
