NEWSLETTERS: Spreading the word about what we do is an important component of our organization’s mission. From our start through 2020, we distributed a quarterly newsletter before switching to monthly. Follow our history by reading our past newsletters. Coverage in other media has brought volunteers, stories, and supporters alike.
HISTORIC BARN SERIES: Scattered throughout Madison County, North Carolina, tucked in the Blue Ridge Mountains are historic barns which reveal the struggle of the farmers whose life was defined by the crops and livestock. Each one has a different story. From 2012 through 2014 the ABA partnered with the Madison County local newspaper, The News Record and Sentinel, for a regular series which highlighted a local barn and its story. Owners and family descendants provided details for stories in The Historic Barn Series revealing not only facts about use and construction but also about the ancestors who built and used these barns.
FAMILY STORIES SERIES: In 2019, the ABA revived a series in The News Record and Sentinel, with a new focus, this one highlighting the current owners of a local barn and their stories. The respect for and love of the barns that this new generation feels is apparent in each of these stories.
- Anders family — January 16 2019
- Burda family — February 27 2019
- Wyatt family — April 17 2019
- Shelton-McAllister family — October 9 2019
COVERAGE IN OTHER MAGAZINES & NEWSPAPERS: Attracted by the deep history represented by the historic barns in Madison County, articles have appeared in the Asheville Citizen Times as well as The Laurel of Asheville and Our State magazines just to name a few. Each provides an interesting perspective on the stories that each of the barns tell.
- Preserving the Era of Appalachian Barns– Plough to Pantry Spring 2016
- Two Centuries of Mountain Barn Evolution — Plough to Pantry Summer 2016
- The 10,000 Barns of Madison County — Asheville Citizen Times August 22, 2016
- Like Building the Pyramids– Mountain XPress February 17, 2017
- Before Tobacco, There was the Appalachian Barn– The Laurel of Asheville March 2017
- Barn Deconstruction aims to save Madison’s History– Asheville Citizen Times November 6, 2016
- High Lonesome Barns– The Laurel of Asheville May 2018
- Site Search Begins– The News Record and Sentinel November 21, 2018
- The Modern Barn of a Century ago– Asheville Citizen Times February 23, 2019
- The Barns of Madison County– Our State magazine September 2019
- Farm Life offers Insight into Life during the Other Pandemic in 1918– The News Record and Sentinel October 21, 2020
- Ceremony Set to Unveil Signage at New Smith Farm Heritage Farmstead– The Laurel of Asheville October 2021
- Appalachian Barn Alliance unveils new signage at Smith Farm property– Asheville Citizen Times November 16, 2021
- Appalachian Barn Alliance unveils new history signage — News Record Sentinel November 17, 2021
- Bailey Mountain and the Smith Farm — News Record Sentinel March 9, 2022
- Art Gala raises funds for rebuilding barn at Smith Farm — News Record Sentinel June 7, 2023
- National Barn Alliance chooses Mars Hill for meeting — News Record Sentinel September 25, 2024