Pawnee Barns - Western Pawnee County

 October 24, 2021

By Seth McFarland

Barns - a symbol of rural life and witnesses to history. Yesterday, the Larned Area Chamber of Commerce and the Pawnee County Economic Development Commission hosted the first Pawnee County Barn Tour. The tour focused on barns of western Pawnee County, and included older and newer barns. Barns that had once served as shelters for families who homesteaded in Pawnee County and would later build their homes. Several of these stoic structures dated as early as 1902. Some barns had housed famous horses, or had been part of the childhood homes of a famous astronomer. Some barns have remained in the same families for nearly a century. Most barns are still functioning barns for equipment, cattle and horses, while other barns have been abandoned. Many thanks to the property owners who allowed us to visit, and to learn about these important historic structures of Kansas history.