It seems like every time you buy a new home you always have something you do not like. It can be anything from an eyesore to a color in a room to the size of a room. One specific kind of an eyesore is an old barn that is on the property owned by my family. Any time you have a barn that needs some work, you have to make a decision whether to tear the old one down and build a new one or restore the old one to keep history and memories alive. Ray Mullins is my mentor, and he used to work on old houses and things that needed to be restored. Ray Mullins said that a barn may not mean anything to you, but it may mean something to someone else in your town. That is why you should get some opinions from older residents who have been there the longest (Mullins). When restoring a building, it is important to know its history along with some architectural information before selecting the best materials and actually starting the work.
             The history of the barn is the most important part to it. Our barn used to be called Wayne Feeds. That name is still visible on the right side closest to the road. A long time resident named John Schafer said that Bill Mitten (who was the owner) started his business in 1926, but did not build the building until that year or the next year. Schafer said, "The feed mill was going good in the 1930s." Another long time resident named Edna Ruth Smith said that the owner and manager's name was Bill Mitten. Smith said, "He did not have a lot of help." She added that her husband, Carroll Smith, worked for Bill. Carroll was still going through school when he worked for Bill (Smith). Smith said, "Carroll got paid one dollar per day while going through school." Schafer mentioned a lot of people who were workers such as Loranie Havaland, Paul Stantz, Marian Wells, Billy Fiskey, and himself. Loranie and Paul only worked there for a little while. Marian worked in the mill. For about 25 to 30 years...