The Hancock Historical Museum will host its fifth historic barn tour on Saturday, Sept. 14, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The self-guided tour will showcase five historic barns around the community of Mt. Blanchard, dating from the 1840s to the early 1900s.

Guests on the tour will learn the history of the barns and the farms they occupy. Many of the farms have been passed down in the same families for several generations. The barns display a wide array of timber-framing techniques and styles and have come to serve a variety of purposes.

In addition to a wealth of historical information, guests will enjoy a day of activities promoting Hancock County heritage at each of the tour stops, including antique machinery demonstrations, local food vendors, hewing and timber framing demonstrations with JCM Timberworks, live music by the Dulcimer Gatherin’ and classic country band, East of Cheyenne.

In 2017, nearly 1,000 people attended the barn tour. In 2014, the event was awarded the Public Education & Awareness Award by the Ohio State Historic Preservation Office for one of the best preservation programs in the state, and in 2018, the event was presented with the Scenic Ohio Award.

Tickets are available pre-sale for $10 at the Hancock Historical Museum, Citizens National Bank, in Bluffton, or CLICK HERE. 

The tour is sponsored by Advanced Drainage Systems. Tickets will be available the day of the tour for $10 for Hancock Historical Museum members and $15 for non-members. The tour is self-guided and participants may start at any of the barns and proceed in any order. Children 16 and under are free. For more information and a map of the tour stops, visit www.hancockhistoricalmuseum.org or call the Hancock Historical Museum at (419) 423-4433.

To kick-off the tour, the Hancock Historical Museum will host a breakfast in the barn from 7-10 a.m. in the historic Ropp-Metzger Barn in Alvada.  Enjoy a home-cooked breakfast on the farm before exploring the surrounding beautiful barns on this year’s tour. Chef Elaine Bruggeman, owner of downtown Findlay’s Main Street Deli, will prepare the morning’s offerings.

Food will be served buffet-style in an open-house fashion. Tickets must be purchased in advance from the Hancock Historical Museum. A $10 ticket includes your choice of quiche or breakfast casserole, choice of fresh fruit or freshly-baked pastry, potatoes, coffee and juice.

Breakfast tickets are limited and must be purchased separately from the Barn Tour. Breakfast tickets are available at the Hancock Historical Museum or CLICK HERE to purchase online.