MITCHELLVILLE, Iowa — The Hanke Family Barn, which survived the 2020 Derecho, got some recognition by the Iowa Barn Foundation.
After the storm hit in August of 2020 the barn was leaning to the east. Ginny Hanke Underwood and her siblings realized the family barn needed some serious attention. They found a construction company in Pella who said they would try to right the 100-year-old barn.
“The contractors said they would try, and the barn would either go back, or it would not,” said Virginia Hanke Underwood, who used to watch her Dad work in the barn. “As soon as the barn was straightened, they tore out this whole back of the barn and added support beams.”
The milking tradition goes back to Virginia’s Dad who got serious about milking cows after returning from serving the military during WWII.
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“I did not do the milking,” said Hanke. “My father and my brother did some and my husband after we were married helped with milking.”
The family paid for the barn fix using insurance they had on the barn. The work they did to restore the barn caught the attention of the Iowa Barn Foundation. The Hanke Barn got the Award of Distinction from the Foundation.
“They’ve been wonderful, Dave Austin came out to shoot pictures that are in the magazine,” said Hanke.
The family barn is featured on the cover of the Iowa Barn Foundations’ September magazine.
This year’s Iowa Barn Foundation Tour featured around 103 barns and is believed to be the largest barn tour in the country.
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