Dairy Barn to Artisans Studios… Built in 1935 for dairy farmer, Jack Dahmen, it was utilized as a commercial dairy barn until 1952 when the property was bought by his nephew. Steve Dahmen created the the ‘wheel’ fence surrounding the dairy barn and field over thirty years and includes over 1,000 wheels. Every kind and size of metal wheel and and gear you can think of were used to construct the fence, which surrounds the field in front of the barn. Steve’s wife Junette, an artist, helped inspire the eventual use of the barn as a studio for local artists. The half million dollar renovations were completed and the barn opened to the public in 2006 for their enjoyment of artistic demonstrations and wares. The barn and fence over the years have become a landmark which attracts photographers from around the country and world. Images of this fence and barn have been featured on local TV travel shows and published in magazines including the National Geographic. It is located in Uniontown, a small municipality of less than 300 lying within the Palouse, the premier wheat growing region of southeast Washington state.
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Novel fence and a great use for a barn!
It started with him building a couple gates and then it kept growing…
Beautiful warm colours in this panoramic shot Madge, it looks the perfect inspirational setting for an artists studio, can only imagine the paintings that would be created here.
I plan another trip back to the Palouse in the spring… this is on my ‘to do’ list.
that is so cool! i’ve never seen a fence quite like that!!
It is definitely unique…
I’m gonna have to make a trip out that direction, it’s been years since I’ve been to South Eastern Washington!
It is one of my favorite places in the state…
Wow, that is an awesome fence…and the barn is nice too :)
It is much more interesting standing in front of it…
Yes, I’ve seen it somewhere, though I can’t seem to remember where. It’s beautiful & the fence is awesome… but I’m still choking on the half million dollar renovations… WoW! It must be something to see… have you been inside? I love that sky
Thank you so much for linking up this beauty to Barn Charm… Gorgeous =)
I hope to visit the artists in residence next spring when I go back to the area again for a week…
The coolest fence I’ve seen lately. Great shot!
I agree, pretty cool!
Oh WOW! I very much like what you’ve done to this photo! And I love how the fence leads my eye to the barn.
Thank you so much! ;-)
How unique! I love it. :)
Thanks, Christina…
Now that was a excellent idea and will attract visitors, artists and photographers for years to come. Very innovative.
I agree, rather than letting the barn slowly run down and then fall down, the locals put it to good use…
I love, love, love the fence. What a great way to recycle and reuse.
I agree, Barb…
What a great barn – and an awesome fence! Thanks for the information and for sharing it and the picture!
Thanks, Mari…
I love that fence!
Me too, Randy… ;-)
Wow, this is like a painting!
Never seen a fence like this before:)
It really is unique and walking around looking at the various wheels and gears was interesting…
A wheely interesting fence! Are you weally a bus dwiver!
Yes, I weally am… ;-)
The fence is very special, but I love this photo for so many reasons. It has amazing depth and such a beautiful sky! This is definitely my favorite this week.
Thanks Tammy, that you and so many are enjoying this image is a delight! :-)
What an incredible fence. The barn is nice too but I can’t get past the fence :) B
It does rather boggle the mind at the number of wheels and gears… thinking of him collecting them all, and then spending 30 .. three-oh .. years building it! Wow!
A unique and beautiful fence. Wonderful to see the building being renovated and having a new life and purpose.
I agree… to have a second useful life is wonderful, especially for this small rural community..
I LOVE that fence!
I do too… I hope to visit again in the spring…
This is the second or third barn I’ve seen with the wheel fencing. I think it’s neat, but it would certainly take a long time to collect that many wheels!
NoteworthyMusings
Yes, I’ve seen a couple others, one is down along the highway heading into Aberdeen near the Pacific Ocean on the WA coast…