January 17, 2025

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By Marnie Schwartzkopf
“I watched that old barn get old,” said Patricia Montgomery, owner of the Rudicel-Montgomery polygonal barn in Shelby County, Ind.
Montgomery purchased the property with her husband, Floyd, in 1972. It was where they raised a family that still resides there today. Their story started when Floyd noticed Patricia, a majorette in the Farm Bureau band. Montgomery, now 96 years old, remembers that all moms and daughters were fond of Floyd, but he chose her.
“I’m going to marry that girl” are the words that still echo in Montgomery’s mind, as she recalls Floyd saying those words the day he met her. From the moment they got together, Floyd spoiled his wife. As an Indiana farm girl, Montgomery was happy to have a husband who would get her whatever she wanted.
The perfect home
“Anything” happened to include the now 114-year-old homestead that was the first stop on this year's Indiana Barn Foundation barn tour.
During the tour, Montgomery reminisced on the state of the barn when they first purchased the property. She said it used to be pretty and white, unlike its somewhat dilapidated form today.
A historical treasure, the barn is listed on Indiana Landmarks’ 10 Most Endangered list.
“Indiana has a history of the most round and polygonal barns,” IBF Director Randy Miles says.
The Rudicel-Montgomery barn is particularly special because 12-sided polygonal barns are very rare, Miles says. He shares that it was most likely used as a form of advertisement or to “showboat” the other farmers in the area.
Foundation mission
The IBF holds these barn tours to raise awareness and promote the restoration of these endangered barns.
“We hope to get people to make a conscious decision to save their barns,” IBF President Kent Yeager says. He hopes that by hosting the annual barn tour and visiting unique barns across Indiana, people will begin to value the barns and their heritage for years to come.
The IBF’s mission statement highlights that goal: to “support preservation of historic Indiana barns.”
Yeager likes the simplicity behind the phrase. By supporting the preservation of the barns, the foundation can support the life and history behind them.
Montgomery is extremely proud of the family she has built on her homestead. There were four generations represented at the barn tour, displaying the commitment they have for the homestead, the barn and each other.
The 2024 IBF barn tour included six stops. Click through the gallery to learn more about each site.
Schwartzkopf is a senior in agricultural communication at Purdue University.
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