SNOHOMISH — Normally it’s the house that woos homebuyers. For the Blalocks, it was the property’s antique barn.
“We just fell in love with the barn,” Elizabeth Blalock said.
The Blalocks’ barn, built in 1925, will be featured in the inaugural Snohomish Barn Tour on Oct. 6. The self-guided tour, organized by the Snohomish Historical Society, will showcase four historic barns and one new barn in and around Snohomish.
The oldest of the barns was built in 1900, while another once served as Snohomish County Sheriff’s offices.
Tour chairman Chris Gee said the number of barns and farms in the area are dwindling, but their history and impact on agriculture should not be overlooked.
“It’s going to be a neat deal,” Gee said. “We’ve got one that’s totally restored, then another that’s frozen in the past.”
Elizabeth and Michael Blalock’s Gothic-arch barn is named after Fred Behling, who bought the property from his father-in-law, Herman Micheels, in 1919. Behling Barn has a milk house and once kept dairy cows and workhorses to support a 40-acre dairy farm.
Gothic-arch barns, built in the early 1900s, have rainbow-shaped roofs to allow for more loft room and storage space.
The curve-top barns were popular in the 1930s, when farmers were transitioning from animal-powered machinery to gasoline-powered tractors. But they soon fell out of favor because they required heavy timbers to build, making them one of the more expensive barns.
The upper level of the Blalock’s barn. (Kevin Clark / The Herald)
Elizabeth and Michael, who are real estate brokers, purchased the Behling property in 2015 and have spent much of the three years since clearing out old junk from the barn. They thought about renovating the building and turning it into a dog kennel or a wedding venue, but projected costs are too steep.
Time has weathered its red and yellow paint. The Blalocks are saving up to repair the roof.
Though it requires a lot of upkeep, the couple is proud to have an antique in their back yard.
“It’s an untouched piece of history that could use some tender loving care,” Elizabeth Blalock said. “We like the idea of sharing it with the community.”
The Snohomish County Historical Society regularly hosts home and parlor tours. Gee said he hopes barns and farms will have equal appeal.
“I love barns, myself,” Gee said. “The hard part is that there aren’t a lot of them left. Quite a few are laying in piles. We did find a few that will not be available for this tour, but next year, depending on how this goes.”
The Barn at Holly Farm, just outside Snohomish city limits, was built in 1922 and originally stored hay and stable horses, said Karmel Ackerman, barn director. The Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office called the barn home in the 1920s, she said.
“That’s it’s claim to fame,” Ackerman said.
Today, the barn is leased for corporate team-building and communication workshops, as well as private events. Part of the proceeds go to Equine Life Solutions, an equestrian boarding, riding and therapy operation in Bothell.
The Snohomish Barn Tour includes The Barn at Holly Farm in Bothell. Built in 1922, it originally stored hay and horse stables. It has since been renovated. (The Barn at Holly Farm)
The barn has been refurbished over the past two years, but still features original hand-cut timbers, Ackerman said. Inside, the ribs of the barn are exposed, giving it the look of a ship turned upside down, she said.
Other barns and farms on the tour include Pilchuck Farm, Rafter 19 Stables and Skipley Farm. Gee owns two of them.
Gee’s Pilchuck Farm was built in 1900 and features an original bunkhouse. The barn was remodeled and expanded in the 1930s.
Rafter 19 Stables, also owned by Gee, has been a farm since 1890. Only part of the dairy barn on the property will be open to the public due to its poor condition.
Skipley Farm, an apple orchard owned by John Garcia and Gil Scheiber, is home to the newest barn on the tour: a propagation barn built in 2004.
In addition, three of Snohomish’s historic buildings that were relocated to Rafter 19 Stables about 10 years ago also will be on the tour.
Purchase tickets for the tour in advance at McDaniel’s Do-it-Center (510 Second St., Snohomish), Joyworks (1002 First St.) and Beth West (16315 Highway 9 SE), or the day of the tour at the Blackman Museum (118 Ave. B). The ticket includes a tour map with directions to each showcased barn.
Evan Thompson: 360-544-2999, ethompson@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @evanthompson_1.
If you go
What: Snohomish Barn Tour
When: Noon to 4 p.m. Oct. 6
Tickets: $12 for adults; $10 for seniors and children
More: 425-315-2256 or www.snohomishhistoricalsociety.org
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