“Old barns, which used to be what I call the ‘money makers,’ are falling apart. My mission is to preserve the history of these old barns before they’re all gone.”
So stated Dr. Robert Kroeger to a small group of artists, history lovers and a combination of the two at the Logan County Transportation Museum in Bellefontaine Thursday, April 13. The museum invited Kroeger to give a presentation on the Historic Barns of Ohio.
He began by offering a demonstration of his painting technique, then shared some of the old barn stories he’s collected over the years.
The “Dr.” comes from Kroeger’s career as a dentist in Cincinnati, following a tour in the Navy. He started working on the Ohio Barn Project after he retired in 2012.
Since then, this self-taught painter — son of a professional artist father — has accomplished his goal: creating artistic renditions of 88 barns from all 88 Ohio counties. He then wrote an essay about each one and put all that history into a book titled Historic Barns of Ohio. The collection was published in March 2021 by The History Press.
According to Todd McCormick, museum curator/director of the Logan County History Center (LCHC), about 35 people showed up for some or all of the program. Attendees seemed especially interested in the artistic demonstration.
The self-taught artist prefers to use a palette knife in oils and thick impasto, much like Rembrandt’s technique. He also makes his own frames out of reclaimed wood, often framing a painting using siding from the featured barn.
Kroeger — who donates most of his artwork to fundraisers for historical societies and other nonprofits — is already working on his third project: capturing the stories and images of 5,000 more old barns around the country. His second book — Round Barns of America — showcases 75 barns in 32 states. An online auction to sell 72 of those paintings will take place through May at biddingowl.com (search Hocking County Historical Society).
Up next for the LCHC will be “A Salute to Logan County Schools” open house on Sunday, April 23, from 1 to 5 p.m. The museum will feature artifacts and photographs and other archived materials highlighting the histories of Logan County schools. Like most LCHC events, this one is free and open to the public.
