Indiana artisan Dorrel Harrison will illustrate his unique craft of replicating local heritage barns during this year’s Jennings County Historical Society Annual Meeting and Pot Luck Supper.
The event begins at 6 p.m. Thursday with the pitch-in dinner at at the North American House, 134 E. Brown Street in Vernon.
Now a resident of Scottsburg, Harrison is a retired New York State educator who moved to Indiana in 2003 and became entranced with the heritage of Hoosier barns.
“Our heritage barns are too quickly becoming a thing of the past, but they are an important part of Indiana History,” said Harrison.
During his presentation, Harrison will explain how he developed his craft of reproducing the scale-size image of a historical barn using aged barn siding wood.
“Everything changes, and we need to embrace that, but our memories are important, too. I created this method of recreating the image of barns as a way to hold and relay our heritage,” Harrison said.
Because of his work with the image of barns, Harrison was accepted as an Indiana Artisan in 2008 and is a member of the Indiana Barn Foundation.
Jennings County Historical Society Board member Travis Shepherd found Harrison’s work when he was looking for a way to preserve the memory of his father’s 1920s barn.
“Dad’s barn has been an important part of his farm for a long, long time, and I wanted him to hold onto that memory, so I commissioned Harrison to recreate the image as a gift for my dad. I was so impressed, I wanted to learn how he did it,” Shepherd said.
“The detail of his work is amazing. Now that I am trying to learn how to do what he does, I understand just how difficult and remarkable his work is,” Shepherd added.
Jennings County Historical Society President Chris Asher said Harrison’s presentation will continue the society’s ongoing efforts to preserve the history of Hoosier barns.
“We will continue our work to preserve the significance of the history of barns this year. I think Dorrel’s artistry will demonstrate how the history of barns ties local family history into our community’s history,” Asher said.
“Besides, our annual meeting and dinner is always a fun time. Everyone is welcome. You do not have to be a member. Just bring a covered dish and come in for the evening,” Asher added.
The evening is free and open to the public. Meat, drinks and table service will be provided, but attendees are asked to bring a covered dish meal to share.
