6 days ago
Penn State planning on removal of Kepler Barn after failed fundraiser
PINE GROVE MILLS, Pa. (WTAJ) — After months of fundraising, the effort to raise money to save Kepler Barn was unsuccessful.
Penn State initially planned to tear down the barn, but after community outcry, decided to delay the decision. The university gave the community until June 1 to raise $500,000, saying that would be the cost to maintain the barn.
A university spokesperson confirmed to WTAJ that the campaign was unsuccessful, saying the Historic Barn and Farm Foundation of PA was 'unable to meet the agreed upon fundraising target for stabilizing the barn.' With the deadline passed, the university will now begin 'exploring options for the barn's eventual removal.' The spokesperson notes the planning will include considerations for 'potential avenues to salvage and reuse materials from the original barn.'
In the statement, the spokesperson wrote that no date has been set for when the barn will come down. On the fundraiser's website, it says that if the campaign is unsuccessful, 'all donors will be contacted to determine their preference for the use of the money.'
The full statement from Penn State reads:
'While we greatly appreciate the fundraising efforts led by the Historic Barn and Farm Foundation of PA (HBFF), they have informed us that they were unable to meet the agreed upon fundraising target for stabilizing the barn.
Since the fundraising target was not met, we will now begin exploring options for the barn's eventual removal, but no specific dates have been set. Included in that planning will be considering potential avenues to salvage and reuse materials from the original barn.
Please note that Penn State, through the Pasto Agricultural Museum, has been working to preserve the legacy of the Kepler farm and the dozen other family farms that now make up the 2,220-acre Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center at Rock Springs. Museum staff and student interns are nearing completion of the first phase of the 'Land and Legacy of Rock Springs' initiative, which will launch at Ag Progress Days 2025 with an interactive exhibit, digital story map, and physical artifacts aimed to preserve local agricultural heritage. '
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