masal oku

Gierman Barn / Stars in Flight Block

GIERMAN BARN
943 N. Decker Rd.
Marlette, MI 48453
Block: Stars in Flight
Block Size: 8'X8'

 

Part 1:

Our barn is a gambrel (hip roof) plank barn. Originally set up with eight stanchions for milking with hay storage above and barnyard
on the west side. Through the years it has housed seven horses, 80 pigs, 30 Holstein heifers, plus pet rabbits, calves, ducks
and turkeys! It is now used for straw and hay storage in the hayloft and stores our "treasures" below.

In 2012, a wind storm caused our barn to lean to the east. We had it straightened and reinforced to keep it standing for generations
 to come. We feel it is the "heart" of our farm.

Besides the pattern and colors, we liked the name "Stars in Flight." Our children each have successful careers - our son as a music
executive in Nashville, TN and our daughter as an educator in MI. We feel they've both become stars when they "Flew from the Nest"!
They love coming home to the farm.

Part 2:

In 2017, we proudly hung our barn quilt on our beautiful, old, red hip roof barn. It was such a welcoming sight as we came home and a reminder of the history of the farm we love so much. But at 10 pm on September 10, 2019, our landscape was forever changed. A tornado touched down, collapsing our beloved barn into a pile of rubble with only the block walls and drive floor remaining. The steel roof was lifted and rotated, landing on the barn hill. To our amazement, our quilt survived!

We now have our quilt displayed on a building we call the “Pickle House”. In the mid 1950’s - 1960’s, fifteen Mexican Nationals lived in this building as part of The Bracero Program. These men were here for two months each year to pick pickles grown on our farm and our neighbors’ farms. Then they moved to other areas of Michigan to harvest apples and cherries. As a young boy, Jack enjoyed working with them, learning some Spanish words, and watching them cook foods from their homeland.

This building has since been used for storage, although our children had fun using it as their own bunkhouse with their friends as teenagers.

When we see our old “Pickle House”, we fondly remember those hard working men from Mexico and the contribution they made to our farm operation.

(Picture below taken on 9/11/2019)

 

Safety and Respecting Private Property~
All sites are on private property and should be viewed from the public road unless otherwise indicated at the
site that it is a business open to the public. We are indebted to our barn hosts for their generosity.
When viewing and enjoying the barns and blocks use caution when slowing or stopping near a site.