The Nakashima barn on Highway 9 six miles north of Arlington has seen better days.
So have scores of other dilapidated Washington barns that have weathered nearly a century of rain, wind and snow.
As urban development and other forces eat up old family farms, experts say the number of barns in the state is dwindling at an alarming rate. The disappearance of barns from the landscape takes away a glimpse into Washington’s agricultural past.
A bipartisan effort to stem the loss of barns was launched in the Legislature this year with the passage of House Bill 2115, which sets aside money to help property owners rehabilitate aging barns.
“Barns as you see them on the landscape are a constant visual reminder of the state’s rich history,” said Michael Houser, the state’s architectural historian. “They’re a nonrenewable resource. Once they’re gone, they’re gone.”
Question: What’s new?
Answer: The governor’s advisory council on historic preservation on Nov. 2 included the Nakashima barn among 159 other structures on the newly created Historic Barn Register. Seven other barns in Snohomish County were placed on the list.
Question: Why was the program created?
Answer: The registry is intended to honor barns of historic value and make them eligible for $500,000 in matching state grants.
Question: What makes this Nakashima barn so special?
Answer: For one thing, it was built by Daniel Waldo Bass, who married Sophie Frye, the granddaughter of Seattle founders Arthur and Mary Ann Boren Denny. The dairy was later operated by Kamezo and Mije Nakashima, and their children, one of just two Japanese farming families in Snohomish County.
During World War II, after the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor, the family was forced to sell the land and sent to separate internment camps in Idaho and California.
Question: What’s happening with the Nakashima barn?
Answer: Snohomish County bought 83 acres of the former Nakashima farm in 1996 and plans to begin transforming it into the north trailhead of the cross-county Centennial Trail in the fall. While the county’s first priority is building the trail, it’s also considering developing the barn for visitors.
For more information:
For more on the Heritage Barn Register: www.dahp.wa.gov
For photos of Snohomish County barns: www.heraldnet.com/barns
For photos of the Nakashima barn: www.heraldnet.com/nakashima
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