Barnstorming INC.

02/11/2017

Soon you will be able to join the "Friends of the Barn" and thereby help move the Eureka Community Project along. A logo has been designed and T-shirts printed up. Watch for more information coming soon.

01/16/2017

Barnstorming Incorporated Welcomes New Board Members

Three new members have been added to the Barnstorming, Inc. board of directors. They are Laura Siscoe, Brandon Bressner and Mark Scott. The other members of the board are Steve Colburn, Karen Fyke, Junius Rodriguez, Larry Reed, Melwyn Hallam, and Dan Fehr.
Barnstorming, Inc. has one main purpose: To restore the 170+ year old Davidson Barn as a community center for the city of Eureka. Once completed, the multi-purpose center will be donated to the community for uses such as meetings, weddings and events.
Colburn has constructed a scale model of the proposed building, and it is currently on display at the Cornerstone Restaurant.
The next stage of the project is to raise $80,000 to deconstruct the building at its original site near Mt. Zion Road. Trillium Dell Timberworks has been contracted to do the work of labeling and removing the massive white oak timbers and taking them to a storage site where they will await the process of repairing any damage and getting them ready for the eventual reassembly as the Eureka Community Center.
For more information, or to make a donation, contact Steve Colburn at 309-360-2288 or the website at barnstorming.org.

11/26/2016

It took Steve Colburn 72 hours to construct the scale model of the proposed Eureka Community Center. The architectural model is in meticulous detail, right down to the position of the existing trees.

Steve started with the drawings done by architect Paul Young. He printed them out to scale and glued them together to form a tiny, paper building. He used foam core to construct the terrain gradations, so the viewer can get an idea of how the barn will sit on the land. Looking around for something to use for the trees, Steve found that goldenrod heads were perfect.

Wanting to show the relation of the size of cars, Steve got permission from the Ford Motor Company to print an F-150 truck and a Focus with a 3-D printer. The two vehicles needed a little delicate touching up with a drill to make them look more realistic.

Photos of the model can be seen at the “News and Events” tab on the Barnstorming Inc. website: barnstorming.org.

The model has been shown at the City Council and the Eureka Rotary and is now in the window of the Woodford County Historical Society at 112 N. Main (next to the jewelry store). Area businesses are invited to ‘host’ the model so that their customers can see the project in three dimensions. To host the model, call Steve at (309) 467-3144.

11/25/2016

11/24/2016

Here are some photographes taken of the scale model of the Eureka Community Center.
You can read more about it at: http://www.barnstorming.org/scaleModel.htm

10/18/2016

There have been questions about the barn attracting more traffic to the Lake area than the roads can handle. Jeff Martin, Landscape Architect with the Farnsworth Group has made a study of the situation and states "Traffic on Lake Road should not be adversely impacted by the project. The existing road width, speed limit and reconstructed intersection at Lake Road and Route 117 are sufficient to allow traffic to move safely and efficiently. In addition, events at the Community Center will generally occur during 'off peak' hours and should not conflict with existing 'peak hour' traffic patterns.

09/24/2016

D.B. the Barn Owl will keep you informed about the Community Center project.

09/22/2016

Fixing Misconceptions

--Barnstorming has learned that a significant number of Eurekans think the Davidson Barn Community Center will be the traditional 2-story, red structure with a 4-part roof and a haymow.
--The Davidson barn is what is known as a 'bank barn.' It is built into a bank or hillside.
--The building as seen from the street will appear to be one-story. It will be long and low and not nearly as obstructive as many people imagine.
--From the lake you will see two levels, because the bank allows the lower level to be a 'walk-out' on to a patio.

Want more information? Contact Steve Colburn at 309-467-3144 or Karen Fyke at 309-360-6772.

07/07/2016

Steve Colburn recently received an official Land Office document that attested to the purchase of 40 acres in Cruger Twp. by Caleb Davidson in 1839. That was the year the Davidson Barn was completed. Caleb purchased 800 acres over his tenure. The document was discovered by Jack and Janet Goodroe in Scottsdale, AZ and they have sent it on to Steve. It will be appropriately framed and displayed in the completed Davidson Barn Community Center.

07/05/2016

We had a tent at the Eureka 4th of July festivities at the Lake. Many people stopped by to find out what it was all about. Thanks to Larry Reed, Steve Colburn and Karen Fyke for being on hand to answer questions.

06/17/2016

Visit the Barnstorming booth at the Eureka Market on Saturday, June 18. Larry Reed will be on hand to answer questions and explain the project.

-The photo was taken at a previous tour. Barbara Bradle (in green) was standing on the threshing floor which will be the main gathering space in the reconstructed barn.

04/28/2016

Davidson Barn Restoration Project Receives Grant from Landmarks Illinois
Barnstorming Incorporated is pleased to announce that it has received a grant from Landmarks Illinois in support of its efforts to preserve and restore the historic Davidson barn. Landmarks Illinois is the state’s leading voice for historic preservation. The purpose for this grant is to support, in part, current work by Trillium Dell Timberworks to assess the structural integrity of the Davidson barn and to prepare detailed plans showing how this settlement era timberframe barn may be restored and placed in service as a community cultural center serving the people Eureka, Illinois, Woodford County, and the surrounding region.

Barnstorming Incorporated is a non-profit organization formed for the purpose of preserving the Davidson barn. This barn is one of the oldest structures in Woodford County, and a Lincoln site. The City of Eureka has designated a site for the proposed community center on the shore of Lake Eureka in city parkland and has entered into an agreement with Barnstorming to proceed with this project. More information is available at www.barnstorming.org, and President Steve Colburn may be contacted at 309-467-3144 for additional information.

An Essay on Caleb Davidson Barn