Dec. 13 — Barns of East Pierce County

Several local barns make the state registry

Susan Schell / of the Herald

Symbols of Washington’s prominent farming era are crumbling before our eyes. Often standing as lonely sentinels, barns remind us of days gone by — of simpler times when barns and farmhouses ruled the land, absent of high rises and shopping centers.

The cost of repairing these huge structures is often too great for struggling farmers, so they simply fall into disrepair.

The Washington Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation has taken action to preserve some of the barns still standing by creating a Heritage Barn Register. Several East Pierce County barns recently appeared on this list. The register allows barn owners to be eligible for a 50/50 matching state grant for structural improvements. The program came through the lobbying efforts of the Washington Trust for Historical Preservation, a statewide non-profit group whose mission is to preserve historic resources.

“This aspect of our history is fast disappearing,” Houser said. “They went to the legislature to start a program and it really caught on.”

Cathy Wickwire, program associate with the Washington Trust for Historical Preservation, said the trust sought to preserve the “most endangered” historic properties by helping with the prohibitive costs of keeping the buildings up.

“The ones that are still standing are owned by people that want to preserve them,” Wickwire said. “And especially in Western Washington there is pressure from development, endangering barns in rural areas where the land is going more and more toward residential use.”

Houser said there was certain criteria to be eligible for the register, like the barn had to be at least 50 years old, had to have fairly good architectural integrity and could have no large additions.

“Barns are such simple structures that little changes make big differences,” he said.

Klumpar Ohop Valley Ranch

Owner Marsha Klumpar is not sure exactly when her Dutch Gambrel style barn was built, but believes it was around 1920. It is used as a cattle barn — Klumpar and her husband raise Black Angus cattle as a hobby.

They purchased the property in 1970 when they were just married.

“We were young and naïve,” she said with a laugh. “It was a little rundown and pretty over-grown. The house was just an old farmhouse. We thought ‘Oh, someday we can remodel this. We wanted land and wanted to have cattle.”

Klumpar believes Scandinavians originally settled the 60-acre property, which was first used as a dairy farm.

The Klumpars have put a lot of work into the property, including building a new farmhouse in 1980, but say every penny was worth it.

“We wanted to raise our children in a rural area and they loved it,” she said. “Plus we have the most beautiful view in Washington.”

Narnia Farm

Larry and Diane Clifton purchased Narnia Farm, nestled in the valley below the Bonney Lake foothills, in 1982. The original English Gambrel-style barn was built in 1913 and was used for dairy cattle. An addition was built on to the side of the barn in 1940. The Cliftons use the modern portion of the barn to board horses, which have free range of a large pasture during the day.

“Dairymen can’t make a living any more,” he said. “There aren’t very many dairy farms left in the valley.”

The inside of the original barn is enormous. One side of the barn was used as a basketball court where the Cliftons’ daughters honed their athletic skills. The other side of the barn sports a tire swing dangling from the rafters.

The Cliftons said raising their children on a farm instilled them with certain values.

“They know that hamburgers don’t come from McDonald’s,” Clifton said. “And they know the value of hard work.”

Narnia Farm is currently up for sale.

The Marsh Property

This property features a salt-box style barn built in 1902. The land was originally used to raise beef cattle. The Marshes bought the property in 1959 planning to farm wheat, but they decided the seasons were too short and wet. The Marshes opened a camp ground in 1961. The campground was named “Huckle-chuck” after their youngest daughter’s mispronunciation of the word “huckleberry.” The wooden letters “HC” still hang on the side of the old barn. The Pierce County parks department now owns the property.

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Historic barns in pierce county

> Castlegate Farm, Graham

> Hillside Organic Farm, Eatonville

> Johnson Farm, Anderson Island

> Klumpar Ohop Valley Ranch, Eatonville

> Lakeview Dairy, Tacoma

> Ledford Ranch, Roy

> Mavik Barn, Gig Harbor

> Narnia Farm, Sumner

> Ohop Milk Farm, Eatonville

> Run Amok Farm, Eatonville

> Valli End Farm, Eatonville

> Wilkinson Farm, Gig Harbor

Reach reporter Susan Schell at 253-841-2481 ext. 315 or by e-mail at susan.schell@puyallupherald.com.