Your Old Barn Study – Ontario Barn Preservation

Partner with Ontario Barn Preservation to leave behind a legacy report describing your one-of-a-kind barn!

Welcome to “Your Old Barn Study”

The purpose of “Your Old Barn Study” (YOBS) is to preserve barns digitally to gain an understanding of the number, type, and characteristics of these historic structures across Ontario. The Study focuses on the design, building techniques and special features with the ability to add photos and stories about these one-of-a-kind special structures.
Collecting accurate information about the barns will make a consistent and useful record that will be stored in a secure, password-protected database at the University of Guelph.
By participating in this study, you are assisting OBP in achieving its objective to establish a database of old barns across Ontario.

Before you Begin the Your Old Barn Study…

Before you enter information in the Your Old Barn Study (YOBS) on your computer, we suggest you go to your barn first to collect the information you require to answer the questions.

A summary of the information needed is contained in this Checklist. Print and take it with you to the barn to collect and record your barn information.

You can download a paper copy of the questionnaire if needed.

We suggest taking the following items to the barn:

Paper/notebook and a pen.
Camera (cell phone camera is adequate).
Flashlight for low light places in the barn e.g. granary.
Measuring tape (25 foot works well) or laser measuring app on your cell phone.
A compass will help get the orientation of the barn if you don’t have access to Google Earth.
Someone to assist with recording information and observation of barn details is helpful.

Enter the information you collect on your computer. Scrolling forward and backward can be done using the Blue Arrows at the bottom of each page. Your responses are saved each time you click through to a new section. We suggest filling out the information to complete the Study at one time. When satisfied you are finished, be sure to hit the “Submit” button.

There are No mandatory fields to answer. However, we strongly recommend completing the Barn Owner name and a method of contact (email or phone number), as well as the location of the barn with at least one of the barn address, GPS Coordinates, or historical lot/concession/township/county.

Important: Any data collected through Your Old Barn Study will not be used for the heritage designation of any barn. All personal information submitted will be kept confidential and will not be used or shared with anyone outside OBP without prior participant consent. Personal information includes barn owner’s name and contact information, and barn address or GPS coordinates.

Start the Barn Study Now!