Northstar's Old Barn

Our old barn was built sometime early in the early twentieth century or perhaps late in the nineteenth century as a cow barn by a man reportedly named Hills. In 1962 Glenn Barr and family bought the barn and property from the Hills family  for the purpose of making a square dance barn out of it. They were told that the barn had been built by the Hills' grandfather.  As seen in the photos below, both of Glenn's daughters also used it for keeping horses. 

This is apparently the earliest picture we have of our old barn home.  This picture was in the possession of one of the owners and was probably taken sometime shortly after the Barr's bought the barn. The car appears to be an early fifties Pontiac/Oldsmobile or possibly a Packard. The gray or white paint on the old barn is in pretty sad shape showing an age of at least twenty years in this photo. It appears that a large barn door has just been framed in also.	It is unknown who is on the ladder finishing the paint on the west side of the barn, or who is painting the south side of the barn. This photo was doubtless taken in the spring  of 1964.  Notice the date stamp the processor put on the left margin of the photo.  This also coincides with the information in the Bellingham Herald article scanned and shown below.
Shortly after the Barr's bought the barn work began on remodeling the structure to serve as a square dance barn.  The stalls were removed; the center opening in the hayloft (for throwing hay down for livestock feed) was closed up; rotted support posts were replaced; heating  units were installed; and concrete floors were poured.  Rest rooms were installed as was a kitchen, tables and benches were built between the posts so the barn could be used for many social occasions downstairs. Upstairs, an eastern maple dance floor was laid and a band stand and sound system were installed.   Above is a view of the dance floor just after the project was finished in 1964.	Complete with tables and benches,  a kitchen, a coat rack, a buffet counter (left) and wagon wheel lights the former home for livestock is now complete.
Glenn Barr (left) installs a post on the south side of the barn.  It is apparently the same unknown person helping here as is on the ladder finishing up the painting above. Note the late fifties  DeSoto in the background. The house in the far  background still stands just north of the Slater Rd.	Almost completed, Barr's Square Dance Barn still awaits the finishing touches. This photo was taken from near the shoulder of Hwy. 99. The Pacific Hwy. as is is now will run on the other side of the barn. To get this view today one would have to stand between I-5 and the northbound off ramp at Slater Rd.  Note the old cars in the photo, from left to right,  a 1959? DeSoto, a 1961 Ford Fairlane? and a 1958 Chevrolet Belair.
	With the final touches of the sign, the dancing figures, and the wagon wheel, Barr's Western Dance Barn was complete.  These photos were probably taken in mid spring 1964. It is probably a safe bet that if Glenn Barr hadn't remodeled the barn for square dancing, the old building would have been demolished by now.
Appearing in the January 31st 1964 edition of the Bellingham Herald , "Barr's Western Dance Barn" announces their grand opening	Also appearing in the same edition of the paper is this short article about Glenn Barr and his barn. Glenn Barr called dances in this barn for another eight years. How long the barn continued as a dance barn is uncertain. Glenn passed away in April of 1980 and a memorial dance was held a few weeks later.
In the intervening years between Barr's Western Dance Barn and Northstar Stone & Landscape Supply, the building and/or property has housed numerous other businesses and groups.  A short list (not necessarily in order) includes: a realty office; two different churches; a visitors center; a boy scout run camp ground (during Expo 86); a construction company office; two mobile home dealerships; and now Northstar Stone & Landscape Supply.
This photo of the barn was shot from what is now Northstar's stone yard.  Note the utility pole in the background along Hwy. 99 and the small tree where a planter is now. The date of this photo is not clear, but it is likely that it was taken in the spring of 1964. The front structure was apparently still used to house horses while the rest of the facility was a dance barn.	Here is the barn as it appears now.  A lean-to has been added on the south side and another on what is now the front. The building has been freshly painted in a traditional "barn red"  and trim has been added and painted.  The front structure has been extensively remodeled in the past few years. The center door is still a door, but the two side doors have been framed in as windows.  A concrete sub floor was poured, and the floor is now polished granite tile.  This area houses Northstar's cashiers counter.
All set up for a barn dance or some other social occasion, the downstairs area of the barn as it was in the spring of 1964.	With the tables and benches removed, new walls, displays, and shelving added, the square dance barn has gotten a new lease on life as Northstar's manufactured stone display and art and gifts store. The upstairs is currently used for storage, bookkeeping, and web site development.
Northstar Stone & Landscape Supply has occupied the barn since September 2001. Starting out in just the office lean-to on the north side of the barn, we have expanded to occupy all of the ground floor with retail items and manufactured stone and stone tile displays. We don't plan to stop there, plans are for a possible art gallery  upstairs where local artisans can display and sell their work. Northstar has many plans for the old barn and for the property it sits on. As we continue to grow, we may need other buildings, but we cannot foresee a time when we would even think of demolishing this historical old barn. Thanks for taking the time to read about Northstar's old barn. -FLM-