barn quilts in miami county

Barns represent ties to rural life, reflect our history and celebrate Ohio’s agricultural heritage. The Miami County Visitors & Convention Bureau is pleased to announce its Barn Quilt Driving Tour to promote and celebrate the unique rural and agricultural experience in the Miami County area – a relaxing trip that provides a taste of yesteryear while enjoying the simple elegance of the countryside.

More than 50 barns have been hand painted with true folk-art renditions of traditional quilt patterns, 8 X 8 foot squares that dot the scenic landscape as visitors make their way from town to town. The tour celebrates quilting as a traditional artform as well as offers an appreciation of the architecture of farm buildings.

The original concept is credited to Donna Sue Groves of Adams County, Ohio, who wanted to honor her mother who is an expert quilter. In 2001, Groves came up with the idea to paint quilt squares on Adams County barns, which would also highlight the shared heritage of the Appalachian region. The idea caught on like wild fire, and her dream of linking that region has expanded into many other areas, creating a large network of barn quilt enthusiasts.

The timing of the Miami County VCB project, which began in spring 2006, coincides with the Miami County Bicentennial in 2007, and each of the original barns to be painted can carry the Bicentennial designation. The Barn Quilt Driving Tour is truly a tourist attraction on its own, and visitors are encouraged to make it a two-day, overnight event. Along the way, visitors will find historic communities such as Piqua, Tipp City, Troy and Covington – each featuring their own quaint downtowns offering unique shopping and dining experiences, as well as historical and heritage attractions and quality accommodations. Funding for the project was secured through local business sponsorships, along with generous donations from the Troy Foundation and Miami County Foundation.

Finding the artist
When the Miami County barn quilt project was launched, the MCVCB barn quilt committee needed someone who could paint the squares on the barns. Ruben Pelayo, co-owner of El Sombrero Restaurant, a local restaurant in Piqua and Troy, suggested that Rafael Santoyo was the man for the job. Santoyo, a native of Villa Modera, Mexico, has been painting murals for 12 years. When asked by Pelayo to come to the United States to paint murals on his restaurant walls, Santoyo wasn’t certain he could do something so large, but Pelayo reassured him and the muralist was born. Santoyo has painted pictures nearly all of his life, but never had any formal training. He doesn’t recall what made him begin painting, but just knows that he wanted to make things more beautiful. He paints the barn patterns free hand, with a picture of the pattern as his only guide. He loves working on the barns, being outdoors and thinks the patterns are “fantastico.” He is fascinated by the fact that these quilt patterns were made in cloth by women, saying it must have been their way of making beauty. He is amazed that so many people like what he does and feels the people in the United States seem to appreciate his work and they take time to really look at the beauty of the paintings.

A lovely example of barn heritage in Miami County can be found east of Troy on State Route 55. This Bank Barn, adorned with the “Texas Star” pattern, is an oblong frame structure on a stone foundation, built of oak and ash timber, wooden pegs, hand made nails, hinges and doors. It was built in the early 1840s when the farm was established and the land was cleared, and has maintained its original shape and size. An interesting historical marker is found at the west end of the barn - a 1959 National Geographic Geo-physical year elevation marker which records the property as 1,052 feet above sea level. Legend has it that if water reaches that mark, it will be to the hips of the statue on the Miami County Courthouse in Troy.

East of Troy on State Route 41, another beautiful barn, this one with the “Card Trick” pattern, sits off the road, down a ¼ mile country lane. This Pomeranian Style, Sweitzer Bank Barn, built in 1827, was originally constructed of wood. The history of the farmstead itself is connected with an Irish born native who arrived in 1813, one of the earliest settlers in Elizabeth Township. Buildings on the farm were constructed of bricks made from the clay on the farm, as well as wood which was cut from a sawmill he erected on the property. He also operated a grist mill and a distillery.

Miami County is the Midwest at its best – a sampling of small towns, picturesque countryside and friendly people everywhere. Located in Ohio’s heartland, Miami County is just minutes north of Dayton on I-75.

For more information including a map brochure, call 800-348-8993, visit www.VisitMiamiCounty.org or e-mail: info@VisitMiamiCounty.org

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