Kosciusko Chamber of Commerce had a ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday with The Barn 1880: Historic Venue, 2076 N. CR 100E, Warsaw. Pictured (L to R) are Scott Wiley, Chamber member relations manager; Jon Vida, Rabb Water, Chamber ambassador; Ben Snyder, Humana, Chamber ambassador; Amanda and Jonathon Scroggs (with scissors), The Barn owners; Chad Hummel, Silveus Insurance, Chamber ambassador; Stacey Leek, Stillwater Hospice, Chamber ambassador; Andrew Lynch, Amazon, Chamber ambassador; Kelly Mager, Kcountyevents.com; Stacie Schlichtenmyer, The Watershed Foundation, Chamber ambassador; and Rob Parker, Chamber president and CEO. Photo by David Slone, Times-Union.

By David Slone
Times-Union

WARSAW — Weddings, baby showers and birthdays are milestones in one’s life, and The Barn 1880: Historic Venue offers a restored historic landmark to celebrate those important days.

Tuesday afternoon, Kosciusko Chamber of Commerce welcomed The Barn 1880: Historic Venue with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Chamber staff and ambassadors had an opportunity to meet owners Jonathon and Amanda Scroggs, as well as tour the property at 2076 N. CR 100E, Warsaw.

The history of the venue dates back to 1880, but the newly renovated space merges vintage aesthetics with modern amenities, according to a provided press release, creating an idyllic setting for a wide range of special occasions.

The venue includes an open-air courtyard and corn crib, as well as the spacious indoor “Granary” upstairs and the “Milk Parlor” downstairs. The Milk Parlor has heated flooring. Amanda said since The Barn has opened, they’ve already had many baby and bridal showers in the Milk Parlor.

The Milk Parlor, which seats about 80 to 100, can be rented separately year-round, while the Granary is available May through October. The whole facilities, which can accommodate approximately 175 people, can be rented for larger events. The venue is available weeknights or weekends for everything from meetings to company Christmas parties.

On one side of the Milk Parlor is a copy of an Indianapolis Star newspaper dating back to 1909 that spotlights Sarah Ellen Pound, a previous barn owner. Amanda keeps an original copy of the newspaper. Sarah is the sister of John Pound, founder of the Pound Store in Oswego, the oldest commercial building in the county. In 1968 the Pound Store Museum building was given to the Kosciusko County Historical Society and has since been placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Amanda said Sarah and John’s dad owned the barn and then sold it to them. When John went off to get into the mercantile business in Oswego, Sarah stayed to run the farm all on her own.

“She wasn’t married, she didn’t have children. People said she couldn’t do it, and she became the most prosperous farmer in Kosciusko County, owning all of this prime land – 337 acres of it. So they featured her in 1909 on the front page of the Indianapolis Star, with a picture of her, a picture of this barn, a picture of this farmhouse, just talking about how unusual she was for her time, ahead of time,” Amanda said.

The Scroggs purchased the property around 1998. They tried raising some farm animals, but they quickly realized it wasn’t for them.

“We always knew we would like to save this barn. We knew it had historical significance because very soon after we moved in, Jane White … came knocking on my door shortly after I moved in and gave me the newspaper and told me the story about Sarah Ellen … who was her great-aunt,” Amanda said.

White was born at the farmhouse and on the same day of her birth, her parents planted trees there. They’re still there.

“It just felt like this property was really important. And then, working in the school system as an educator, for Lakeview (Middle School), I launched National History Day with them, and so I’m the kind of educator if I’m trying to teach my kids how to do a new thing, like a new research project, I’ll research alongside them and show them how I find original artifacts, how I find resources, etc.,” Amanda explained. “So I decided I would figure out who this Sarah Ellen Pound was. Kosciusko County Historical Society was very helpful, so I found her birth certificate, her death certificate, I did the whole family tree on Ancestry. I really got into it.”

It became their mission to save the barn.

Originally from Britain, Amanda said there they consider houses that are 100 years old to be new.

“So, to see all of these barns around us – this Indiana history, this icon for Hoosiers – literally falling down … since I am married to the right man, I couldn’t allow that to happen,” she said.

Jon is not only a venue owner, but also a carpenter and restoration expert.

“He had the vision for it and was willing to take this project on, and he had already restored a barn in England as well. So this was like the second opportunity he had, and he’s really honed his skills in doing this project,” Amanda said.

COVID-19 stalled the project and the Scroggs almost backed out of it.

“Honestly, reading Sarah Ellen Pound’s newspaper article, when she talks about perseverance because nobody believed in her and she just did this anyway, it really inspired us to be like, ‘This is something we want to do for our grandchildren and our great-grandchildren, that this barn will be standing in 100 years if we do something now. It was a now or never thing,” Amanda said.

The Barn 1880: Historic Venue has already hosted holiday parties, birthdays, graduations, showers, weddings and community events since opening in January and is already booking for 2024.

In the press release, Jonathon Scroggs states, “We are thrilled to welcome the community to The Barn 1880: Historic Venue. Our goal is to provide a captivating space where cherished memories are created. We are excited to showcase the possibilities this unique venue holds. We invite the community to reach out and book a tour to experience the magic of The Barn 1880: Historic Venue firsthand.”

Amanda Scroggs states, “We have owned this property for 25 years and always knew we had something very special. Jon’s talents and perseverance means that this century-old barn has a new life. We’ve loved hearing nostalgic stories from visitors who grew up on farms and love seeing the wonder on faces of young people who have never been inside a barn. We took the ‘scenic route’ to open this family-owned small business in Warsaw and we are grateful to all we met along the journey from the volunteers at the Kosciusko County Historical Society to subcontractors who came alongside of Jon to help add something lasting and valuable to our hometown.”

For more information, including prices, about The Barn 1880: Historic Venue, visit www.thebarn1880.com, email hello@thebarn1880 or follow thebarn1880 on social media.