This large white transverse frame barn was built on a farmstead in Casey, Iowa, in 1916. Casey has always been a small town, located just outside of Des Moines, and today has less than 500 residents. Throughout the years, the barn served as lodging for cows and a storeplace for hay. When Dan started excavating the barn, he found some hidden surprises in the dusty corners—decades-old cow pies! According to the barn’s owner, they make great kindling for fires…

One thing we loved about this structure were the cedar posts. Cedar was (and still is) a desirable wood to build from because it is resistant to bugs. These posts are nearly 100 years old, but even today they still smell like they were first cut. In the spirit of Barnwood Trays’ mission of recycling and repurposing old structures, the supports are now used to anchor our canopy at craft fairs and farmer’s markets. We like to incorporate barn finds into our displays whenever we can.

For Barnwood Trays purposes, this barn has been retired.