On an early autumn morning, the Jackson County Bicentennial Barn on the Pleasant View Farm stood bright against a clear blue sky, its red linseed-oil siding still carrying traces of the sun-faded Ohio Bicentennial logo. The bold blue script and white banner painted across its broad gable face recalled a time when these barns, one for each of Ohio’s eighty-eight counties, were symbols of statewide pride.

Created in 2003 to commemorate two hundred years of statehood, the Bicentennial Barn project transformed ordinary farm structures into landmarks of shared heritage. Artist Scott Hagan spent five years traveling to every corner of the state, painting each logo freehand without the use of stencils. In Jackson County, his work found a fitting home among the rolling hills of southern Ohio, where agriculture has long been central to the local way of life. Though many of the Bicentennial barns have since weathered, been repainted, or lost entirely to time, those that remain stand as cultural artifacts of a unique statewide initiative. The Jackson County barn continues to evoke the spirit of the celebration and the pride of the community that has surrounded it for generations.

The farm on which the barn stands was recently purchased by the Shope family, who plan to restore the structure and repaint Hagan’s original design, and carry on the legacy of the 100-year-old Pleasant View Farm. Their efforts aim to preserve both the barn’s physical form and its role as a visible link to Ohio’s Bicentennial legacy.