People continue to flock to see bicentennial barns

The Mahoning County barn was built by the Amish in 1954.
STAFF/WIRE REPORTS
he popularity of Ohio's bicentennial barns hasn't diminished even though the milestone they were honoring has passed.
People are still visiting the barns that were painted to celebrate the state's 200th birthday in March 2003. People in one county even had the artist who painted the barns paint another to replace a bicentennial barn that was demolished.
"I figured, when it was over, that would be it," said Scott Hagan, who painted the bicentennial's logo on barns in each of Ohio's 88 counties. "It's 2004, almost 2005, and people are still stopping at them."
Traveling show
People followed Hagan as he painted the structures, and others began traveling the state to take a photograph of each barn.
Christina Wilkinson, who photographed and wrote about the barns for "Bicentennial Barns of Ohio," a 2003 book licensed by the state's Bicentennial Commission, said people like to see the barns because they are unique.
"Seeing all the barns and having your photo taken in front of them -- that's the collector's mentality," she said.
Philip Zuver, who owns the barn that was painted in Williams County, said most people stop by on the weekends while trying to see several barns in a day.
"I see a lot of people just pulling up, jumping out, snapping a picture, and then they are on their way," he said.
Replacement
The barn was so popular in southeast Ohio's Hocking County that people there recently paid Hagan about $1,650 to paint another bicentennial barn to replace the one that was razed to make room for a gas station.
"The local guys wanted it," said Roger Shaw, who owns the Hocking Hills Market and the property where the newly painted barn stands. "I don't think the year has anything to do with it. And they're beautiful. It's a work of art. It's a great honor to have one."
The barn helps draw tourists to an area that depends on the visitors to boost the economy.
"Not a day goes by that someone doesn't come by and take a picture of it," Shaw said. "The day they painted the barn, there was a gentleman and his wife here. They said, 'We're just out looking at every bicentennial barn in the state.'"
Locally
In Mahoning County, the bicentennial barn is at 7435 Tippecanoe Road, south of U.S. Route 224 in Boardman. The logo faces east on Interstate 76. The white barn was built by the Amish in 1954 and is owned by the Flowers family.
Trumbull County's is at 7763 East Liberty St. in Hubbard. It's owned by Jim Marsh.
In Columbiana County, it's 5707 state Route 45, north of Lisbon, and known as the Stewart Barn.