MARS HILL, N.C. (828newsNOW) — The Appalachian Barn Alliance is a historical preservation society dedicated to cataloguing the barns of Western North Carolina, particularly in Madison County. For their 10th Barn Day, an annual celebration of barn heritage complete with barn tours, live music and a meal, the ABA will highlight their restoration work on the Smith Heritage Farmstead at the Bailey Mountain Preserve.
Barn Day 2025
On the Smith farm, the ABA has restored three barns and reconstructed two historic barns originally built between the late 19th and early 20th centuries. While Barn Day is always oriented around regional barn tours, this year, the festivities will focus around the work ABA has accomplished at Bailey Mountain.
“We are so proud of what we have accomplished that we decided to have a different type of festivity,” wrote the ABA in a press release. “You will still be guided past barns — five different architectural southern Appalachian styles — by our knowledgeable researcher Taylor Barnhill. And, as past attendees will tell you, he will entertain you with stories about each of these!”
There are limited tickets available for Barn Day this year, with only 40 slots available between two scheduled tour times at 11 a.m. and 1:15 p.m. Prior to purchasing a ticket, please inquire about availability with Sandy Stevenson, president of the ABA board, by calling (828) 380-9146.
Tickets are $25 per person – or $20 for ABA members – and can be purchased via PayPal at www.appalachianbarns.org or via check at ABA, P.O. Box 1441, Mars Hill, N.C. 28754.
Music will be provided by award-winning fiddler Roger Howell and a silent auction will serve as a background activity during lunch hour at noon.
“This is a great way to introduce you to the southern Appalachian architecture of our barns in a beautiful setting that the ABA has worked for four years with the town of Mars Hill to help create at the Bailey Mountain Preserve,” ABA said in the release.
For more information about the Appalachian Barn Alliance Barn Day, visit www.appalachianbarns.org/barn-day.
