FLATLAND FARMSBarns · Prints · Songs · Indiana
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Record your family's barn story.

The people who remember how the barn was built, what it held and who worked in it won't always be here to tell it. One afternoon with a phone and these questions saves it for the grandchildren.

Nominate the barn too

Twelve questions to ask

Start easy. Let silences sit; the best stories often come after a pause.

  1. Who built the barn, and when? How do you know?
  2. What did the barn hold when you were a child: which animals, what crops, what machines?
  3. What was your first job in the barn, and how old were you?
  4. Describe the barn on a winter morning. What did it smell and sound like?
  5. Was there ever a barn raising, a barn dance, a wedding or a party in it?
  6. Which storm, fire or hard year is the barn tied to in your memory?
  7. Who taught you to work there, and what did they always say?
  8. What changed about the barn over the years: roof, doors, paint, additions?
  9. What is the best thing that ever happened in or near that barn?
  10. Which tools or objects from the barn did the family keep?
  11. What should the grandchildren know about the people who worked there?
  12. If the barn could tell one story, which one would it tell?

How to do it right

Simple steps from the Smithsonian, the Oral History Association and the Library of Congress.

  • Ask first. Get permission for the interview, photos and recording ahead of time, say you are recording, and explain what you will do with it. Never record without the person knowing.[1][2]
  • Ask open questions. How, what and why questions draw out stories; yes-or-no questions shut them down. Read up on the farm first.[1]
  • Label the start. Begin each recording by saying the names, the date, the place in general terms (like "Grandma's kitchen") and the subject. Make a one-minute test recording and play it back.[2][1]
  • Find a quiet room. Turn off the TV, radio and loud clocks, keep the microphone close to both voices, and bring spare batteries and storage.[1][2]
  • Name every file. Give recordings and photos clear names: date, person, place, subject. Write down who is in each photo and when it was taken.[1][3]
  • Back up the same day. Copy the files off the phone or recorder right away, and keep copies in more than one place.[2]
  • Keep a paper copy. Formats change. Print the best photos and a short summary for a family scrapbook too.[1][2]
  • Say thank you. Send a thank-you note and, if you can, a copy of the recording.[1]

Help nearby

Want help? Every Indiana county has a volunteer county historian, and the Indiana Historical Society keeps a list of local historical and genealogical societies by county.[4] The Indiana Barn Foundation offers education and on-site help to barn owners.[5]

When you are done, send us two or three sentences of the story with your nomination. If your barn wins Barn of the Month, its story becomes the feature, with a video set to that month's song.

Is there a barn like this in your family?

Barn of the Month opens January 1, 2027. Tell us about it now, free, and we will email you the day entries open.

Nominate a barn Record its story
Sources

Where these facts come from

  1. Smithsonian Folklife and Oral History Interviewing Guide
  2. Oral History Association, Principles and Best Practices
  3. Library of Congress American Folklife Center, Folklife and Fieldwork, 4th edition (2016)
  4. Indiana Historical Society, Hometown resources by county
  5. Central Indiana Community Foundation, Indiana Barn Foundation

Facts checked October 2026 and written in our own words. If something here is wrong or out of date, tell us through the Barn Letter form and we will fix it. The engraved plates are Flatland Farms artwork, not historic photographs.