BLOOMINGTON - A tour of barns in Towanda and surrounding townships Saturday highlighted the rich history preservationists hope to salvage along with the structures. | Photo gallery

Barn Keepers, a local group committed to restoring barns, offered a tour of about a dozen barns north and east of the Twin Cities. The stops along the rural roads brought back memories to Erma Kahle of Bloomington, who toured the barns with her husband, Harlan.

"I like to look at the roof structure, the foundation and the inside, where the mangers were for cows and other livestock," she said.

Barns provided children with many lessons, Kahle said.

"A barn is a place where a kid learns about life," she said.

Ron Ropp, a member of Barn Keepers who lives in a restored barn near Normal, said he learned important lessons about life, death, work and play during the time he spent in a barn as a child.

"Life was about survival. You planted huge gardens. And barns were the family's bank," serving as a place of storage and shelter for valued livestock, Ropp said.

Research by Ropp and other barn enthusiasts led to the formation of the Barn Keepers in 2000. About 1,200 barns were documented in McLean County in 2002, down from 4,500 barns in 1955.

Three generations of the Dale Sutter family showed off their family's barn about two miles west of Merna.

The two-story barn built in the 1870s has been converted to a recreation center for family and friends.

The hay loft - complete with a trapeze and basketball hoop - is a popular gathering place. The family's connection to the circus activity goes back to Sutter's cousin, who was a member of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.

Like many barns, the Sutters' barn has evolved from a vital part of a farming operation to new uses as a gathering place.

Rob Sutter, the son of Dale Sutter, said keeping the barn intact is important for the family and the community.

"We're losing the old barns. When they go, we lose the history we can't pass on to the next generation," said Sutter.

Sponsoring the barn tour with Barn Keepers and Bob Evans Restaurant in Bloomington was the Towanda Area Historical Society.

Barns represent an important piece of the area's history, said Gail Ann Briggs, Towanda Area Historical Society president.

The stories of early settlers, their way of life and the methods they used to build structures are evident in the barns still standing on Illinois farms, Briggs said.

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More information on the Barn Keepers:

www.barnkeepers.org