Century-Old Livestock Barns Make Way for the Future

County fairs are one of rural America's best-known traditions. In my home of Washington County, Nebraska, that tradition has played out in Arlington for 107 years.

During the years, many of the fairgrounds' smaller wood buildings were replaced with larger metal ones. But, two original, identical wood livestock barns survived. Generations of families showed animals in these simple structures.

Growing up in the county to the south, I didn't really know the history of these buildings until this year's fair -- the last year for these two original buildings. They've already been torn down. A new livestock building will take their place, with space for cattle and hogs, a show ring and seating. Other livestock exhibits will shuffle around existing buildings.

Change is hard for most people, such as my friend, whose family showed hogs in these buildings for four generations, and all the adults who spent so much of their childhoods in these wood structures.

One day during the fair, I was in the hog barn, and an older guy I know came through the building. We chatted a bit, and he told me he and his brothers showed hogs in this building when they were kids. He even took me to the pen they usually had.

I asked him how many years ago that was. He thought for a few seconds. He said it was probably 60-some years ago. The buildings were "only" about 50 years old then. That is a legacy.

PIECE OF OUR HISTORY

Our family's ties to the fair don't go back generations, but my three children are part of these old buildings, too, having shown sheep and hogs here over the last 14 years. Our oldest son aged out of 4-H several years ago, but our middle son and daughter will continue to show, at least for a few more years.

We have a lifetime of memories in those old buildings.

My oldest son would have slept in the sheep barn if we had let him when he first was in 4-H. The "fun" of washing sheep and hogs in the hot summer sun. The "rush" of trying to prepare the animals on show mornings in these buildings.

I'll never forget the time our hogs broke the chain on their pen and wandered outside. I always wired the gate closed after that.

Unfortunately, time has taken a toll on these original buildings. Even with regular maintenance, they showed their age.

We used to push our pen shavings into the middle alley after the fair so a skid steer could push them into a dumpster. In recent years, the buildings leaned enough that the skid steer no longer fit down the alleys.

On sheep show mornings, blowers, clippers and fans routinely tripped the aging electrical system. Some families eventually brought small generators.

The fair board considered options for many years. I served two terms on the Washington County 4-H Council, and I knew that the buildings' lifespan was limited. After the 2025 fair, the board announced that 2026 would be these vintage structures' last year.

It's a bittersweet choice they made for the future of the fair. I knew several of the members of the board showed livestock in those buildings, as did previous generations of their families. They wanted a better facility for the kids and decided it was time.

On the last day of the fair, families across the county collected 4-H projects and returned home. Those who had poultry, rabbits, sheep and hogs lingered a little longer in their buildings. Parents took photos of their children both inside and outside of the buildings.

Some even took keepsakes. We took a long piece of wood from the side of the sheep building. It's just weathered wood. But, considering our family's experiences there over the last 14 years, it's so much more than that.

The 2027 Washington County Fair will feature a brand-new livestock building. Decades from now, someone pointed out, that building will have a legacy of its own filled with memories for generations yet to come.

The county's livestock legacy lives on.

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-- Follow Russ on social platform X @RussQuinnDTN

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