Good news of the day: a barn restored. This 1906 barn in Allamakee county, three miles east of Waterville, was in use for decades but sat empty for 10-15 years before Chad and Kari Kelly purchased it in 2013. I discovered the three buildings in 2014 and learned that the Kellys planned to restore the barn. Attached is the 2014 photo I took and one taken today by the Kellys.
They installed a new steel roof, replaced windows, installed four double doors, replaced the stone foundation, paved the floor inside, and painted it red. Their photo includes antique equipment they found hidden among the weeds. Currently they are using this beautifully restored barn for storage of machinery.
The Kelley family, immigrants from Ireland in the 1860s, possibly lived in the tiny building next to the big barn until they built a home on the hillside. Now the barn is back in the Kelly family. (The name Kelley was changed to Kelly sometime in the past.)
When the barn was being built in 1906 they documented its beginning with a photo of 37 people, mostly family members, proudly standing on the framework.
