Move Photo Courtesy of Jeremy Statler

Across the highways and byways of southeast Iowa recently, people saw not a vehicle, but a barn, make its way from one part of Washington County to another. The Wulf Barn, located on G36 northeast of Washington, made the nearly 15-mile trek to the Kalona Historical Village on Highway 22. Goodwin House Moving, Greiner Buildings and others helped the structure traverse nearly a dozen different roadways to complete the journey over the course of two days. Kalona Historical Village Director Nancy Roth talked with KCII News about the barn and their future plans. “A lot of people want to know, why a barn? Why this barn? What are you going to do with it? This barn, because it’s definitely majestic. It looks a little rough around the edges on the outside right now, but it’s in really good shape on the inside. When this came around it was just perfect because that is one thing we don’t talk about here at the Historical Village, farming and agriculture, so this barn is a big part of our mission statement, preserving the history of Kalona and the surrounding area, it’s within our county. It may take us a few years for exhibits, we will definitely be doing more fundraising, but we want to tell stories, and that’s the big key!”

The barn is currently located on a foundation that was built in the fall, on the west edge of the grounds. Roth says that the project will be an ongoing one, including the restoration of the building, plans for displays and availability to the public, with no timeline set for a finished product. The Historical Society is working with a goal of allowing patrons to tour the building during this September’s Fall Festival.