Kansas Barn Alliance

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Barn Survey

The Alliance believes that a survey of Kansas barns is needed to determine what still exists, what is significant and what is worthy of preservation efforts. This documentation process is known as surveying, which is the practice of identifying and gathering data on historic places. It includes recording basic physical and historical information about a property, photographing it, and drawing a site plan. More information about surveying historic resources in Kansas can be found at this webpage: kshs.org/14669.

In 2007, with the support of the Alliance, the Kansas State Historical Society (KSHS) hired a preservation consultant to gather data on more than 350 older barns and farmsteads in Kansas. The results of that study are available at this webpage: kshs.org/14672. The completed survey forms for each of the more than 350 properties are stored online in the Kansas Historic Resources Inventory (KHRI) online database, at this link: kshs.org/khri. Surveying is not a once-and-done process, and KSHS encourages you to log on to the database and upload your survey data.

In addition to the survey, the project resulted in a National Register of Historic Places multiple property nomination entitled Historic Agriculture-Related Resources of Kansas, which is available at this webpage: kshs.org/14634. To date, more than 20 barns and farmsteads have been nominated to the National Register as part of this multiple property nomination. To learn what Kansas properties are listed in the National Register of Historic Places and/or the Register of Historic Kansas Places, see this link: kshs.org/14638.

Although the contractor-hired portion of the survey and nomination project is completed, the KSHS encourages ongoing survey of barns and farmsteads. If you have questions about the online survey database, would like to contribute survey information, or learn if a property is eligible for the registers, contact the KSHS at 785-272-8681 ext. 240 or shpo@kshs.org.

NBA Farm & Ranch Complex Survey Instructions (PDF)

Barn surveys have been carried out locally, by statewide preservation organizations and by State Historic Preservation Offices. Ideally, the data from these surveys should have the same uniformity that has been developed for other historic building surveys over the last 40 years. The NBA and the National Trust for Historic Preservation have developed a survey form and instructions that will enable data to be entered into a national database.

Download Instructions

Download Barn and Farmstead Survey Form (PDF)