How do I determine the age of my barn?

Robben Farm-Grinnell, KS after rehabilitation.

Answer:

A good place to start when searching for a barn's history is in the tax records or assessor's office at your local city hall or county courthouse. Property tax assessments are a good way to gauge the addition of a predominant piece of value to a farm, namely the barn. Armed with a general date of construction of the barn, additional information about the original owners, builder and use may be obtained from the local newspaper's archives.