The barn is an icon of the heartland’s rural landscape. Yet one special type of barn is on the verge of disappearing altogether in Indiana. A Rural Revolution: Indiana’s Round Barns examines the importance of round barns to the state’s agricultural history and the current efforts to preserve them.
The circular barn, already a rarity among Midwestern farm architecture, is falling victim to nature, fire, age, and obsolescence. Among Indiana’s iconic rural landmarks, more than 220 round or polygonal barns once inhabited the Hoosier countryside. But in the state once touted as the “Round Barn Capital of the World,” fewer than a third remain.
documentaries
Despite its scarcity, the round barn remains a rich part of Indiana’s agriculture heritage—an artifact from an age when the American farmer was just coming into his own. During a time when progressive farming was looking to innovation and experimentation to increase productivity and efficiency, the documentary reveals how the round barn played a central role in a rural revolution.
With nearly 6,000 miles of hiking, pedestrian, and biking trails within its borders, Indiana boasts a wide range of recreational trails. The Hoosier Way: Trails of Indiana takes viewers on a tour of some of Indiana’s finest outdoor nature trails, hikes, rails-to-trails conversion projects, and urban trails systems, revealing the beauty and wonder of our natural habitats.
Across the country and within the state, unused railroad corridors are being converted to public multi-use trails. Indiana towns and cities—small and large—are dedicating funds, space, and precious resources toward paved recreational routes for residents and guests to enjoy. Indiana’s extensive
state parks and dedicated nature preserves offer some of the state’s finest outdoor nature trails for hiking and mountain biking, revealing the beauty and wonder of the Hoosier state’s unique natural habitats.
From the expansive, rolling wilderness of Hoosier National Forest to the sandy paths and reed-filled marshes of Indiana Dunes along the Lake Michigan shoreline, to the paved rail-line conversion of Indianapolis’ Monon Trail and a burgeoning list of rail-trails across the state, Indiana’s trail systems boast a rich array of terrain, flora, fauna, history, and culture.
These scenic, winding trails embody the Midwestern experience—a wandering, laid-back mix of curious adventure-seeking and complacent contentment. In Indiana, trails aren’t simply a practical means for reaching a destination. Here, the journey is the destination. It’s the Hoosier way.
The Story of Terre Haute, Indiana, is a story of the American experience. A one-time boomtown that flourished during the nation’s westward expansion and gained national standing during the Industrial Age before its star faded and it struggled to keep up in changing times. Terre Haute has survived bouts of political corruption, natural disaster, labor unrest, and hard-hitting economic setbacks, yet remains resilient. Experience this community as you’ve never seen it before, get a glimpse of its storied past, take a clear-eyed look at the city today, and cast an eye toward what the future may hold in store for this community on the Banks of the Wabash.
