Ohio Bicentennial Barns

The Ohio General Assembly established the Ohio Bicentennial Commission in 1995 to prepare the State for its 200^th Anniversary in 2003.  The commission commemorated the event through a barn painting program, anniversary bells, new license plates and the US Mint. 

Ohio Bicentennial Barns

In 1997, the commission approached 19-year-old Scott Hagan (The Barn Artist) about painting the Ohio Bicentennial 1803 – 2003 Logo on a symbolic barn in each of Ohio’s 88 counties.  In the commission’s final report, they shared that Scott had traveled about 65.000 miles using 650 gallons of paint. 

Though I haven’t found detailed information about barn selection process, from their location, each is located along a main highway or state route.  In a few cases like the Dewine Barn and the Young’s Jersey Dairy Barn, iconic structures on multigeneration family farms seemed to draw emphasis in its final selection. 

Ohio Bicentennial Barn Fine Art Prints

25 years after the barns were commissioned, I began capturing them with my camera.  Most of the barns are still there.  Sometimes the paint has faded and sadly a few were lost to shopping center developments.  This gallery captures the pretty one under favorable skies.  To preserve their barn and property, some owners have since repainted their barn, often preserving the logo in full or at least paying tribute to its former design (such as the Bicentennial Barn in Huber Heights.  In capturing these images, sometimes I’ve had to make several trips to either catch better light or in a better season.  For disclosure, although I never add content to an image, sometimes I will clone out minor distractions like a vehicle temporarily parked in the way.