WALSH BARN
1276 Cumber Rd.
Ubly, MI 48475
Block: Aerial Beacon

This barn is located on property owned by Roderick and Marilyn Walsh that is designated a Michigan
Sesquicentennial Farm originally purchased by Maurice Walsh, Rod’s great grandfather, in 1866.  
Maurice was born in Ireland in 1838 and came to this country in 1856; his original purchase from the
state was 40 acres of land for $50.  Rod is the fourth generation to operate the farm and has lived on
the property his entire life in the farm house built in 1907.  The farm was a family dairy farm until 1985,
an operation that raised heifers and steers through 2000, and has since operated as a crop farm producing
corn, wheat, soybeans, and black beans.  Fire destroyed the barn in 1967 when the current hip roof
stanchion dairy barn was built, and an addition to house more cattle was constructed thirteen years later.

An interesting fact about this farm is that Leo Walsh, Rod’s father, discovered bones from a 10,000 year old 
Jefferson Mammoth there in November of 1973 when he set out to dig a water hole for his cattle.  The
subsequent archeological excavation netted a group of 41 mammoth bones, including a 70 pound lower jaw
bone with two teeth still imbedded, shoulder blade, ribs, foot bones, and vertebrae.  The collection is 
currently on loan to Saint Clair Community College and displayed at their Nasr Natural Science Museum
in Port Huron. 

This vibrant tiling pattern was selected because it inspires those who view it to appreciate the amazing
depth and reach that it portrays through a variety of geometric shapes including triangles, parallelograms,
rhombuses, trapezoids, and octagons.   

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.