The Skype is the limit in the Celebration of Swiss Barns day

Authored by Jim Langham on Aug 9, 2010

A group of at least 35 people sat in awe inside the shelter of the Swiss barn at Swiss Heritage Village on Saturday morning. Through the technology of Skype, local leaders were able to communicate directly with officials in Switzerland through a global “Celebration of Swiss Barns” in the United States, Canada, and Switzerland.
Beginning at 10 a.m. (Eastern time), people throughout the world celebrated the structure and architecture of Swiss barns as families, architects, historians, and many other officials came together for the event. The purpose was for those with Swiss roots to increase their knowledge of each other.
“This particular barn is most prevalent in Indiana, Wisconsin, Ohio and some in Illinois,” Schwartz told those gathered in a barn in Switzerland. “These barns are built solid because we have tornadoes around here. They are built to be braced against those storms.
“The only reason why this has stood against tornadoes is because of the way it is put together,” continued Schwartz. “The joints in here are just perfect yet after 150 years.”
Schwartz said following the Skyping experience that he has deep feelings about the barn because there were many Swiss barns in the Black Hills area of Switzerland, where most of the Amish in Adams County had come from. Schwartz’s heritage background is connected to Amish ancestry.
“It was great,” said Schwartz of the Skype communication. “It was unreal; everything I said they understood.”
Marsh Davis, president of the Indiana Landmarks was on hand for the occasion.
“Right here at Swiss Heritage Village, we have this real cultural treasure, one of the great barns in the country,” said Davis. “The fact that it has retained its integrity, that it hasn’t changed, shows the barn in its full glory. That is amazing.
“To be chosen to be part of this special occasion is quite an honor,” continued Davis. “People are not only passionate about the barn, but the lifestyle that it represents. There are several states now that are fully dedicated to barn preservation.”
In addition to Skyping, there were slide shows, special music and a fully cooked Swiss lunch.
Anna Steiner, originally from Switzerland, moved to Adams County in 1978 and resides with her husband, George, on a farm outside of Geneva. Steiner said that her home place had a large Swiss barn.
“Most farm ground in Switzerland is passed down through generations,” said Steiner. “It is hard to get a farm on your own so I decided to come to America. When I left Switzerland in 1978, the cost of one yard of farm ground was the same as two acres here. “
She noted that her barn in the old country had housed a large number of cows, pigs, goats, grain, potatoes, firewood, and various vegetables during the gardening season.
South Adams educator Gwen Habegger was especially interested in Saturday’s event because she had grown up on a farm. She noted that her home barn was similar to the Swiss Heritage barn. However, she was amazed at things she had learned from Schwartz at the gathering.
“I never knew that much about the structure,” said Habegger. “Last summer my husband (Mike Habegger) and I went to visit Habeggers in Switzerland. They showed us their barn.
“Skyping like this is awesome,” continued Habegger. “It makes the world seem like such a smaller place, to be able to communicate with people anywhere. People that can’t travel can see far away places, such as the barn that we saw in Switzerland.”
Habegger’s daughter, Robyn, who was visiting in the area from New York City this past weekend, joked about the difference between the metropolitan area and the rural communities of Adams County, but radiated with pride when she referred to the significance of the Skypefest.
“This is a great event for showing people our heritage,” said Robyn. “This really brings us to our Swiss heritage. We have Swiss Days but we eat good American food. This is an opportunity to really participate in depth in a Swiss cultural event. This connects us with where we came from in Europe. It makes our heritage seem so much more real.”
Barn historian Greg Huber had conveyed to Swiss Village executive director Gretchen Lehman that the distinguishing quality of a Swiss (Schweitzer) Barn is that there is a distinctive front wall projection or barn section that overshoots the stable wall by a number of feet. The front slope is several feet longer than the rear roof slope. The local barn was one of 10 that were chosen in the United States to become part of the Skypefest.
“It is so significant for us to be able to participate in such a significant international event,” said Lehman. “The fact that we were chosen makes it even more special. These barns are very rare; there aren’t that many around any more.”

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