PRST STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID OMAHA, NE PERMIT NO. 36
Volume VII, Statewide Issue 1
January 2013
Scaled down history
Wayne Kirchhoff, Atlantic, carefully guides his saw through a piece of wood. For the last 27 years, he has dedicated his time and talents to creating replicas of past and present buildings around the United States. Photos by Greg Forbes
Atlantic man crafts replicas of rural America buildings
The “#1 and 1985” signify the first building that Wayne Kirchhoff constructed. He volunteered to build a replica of his father’s century farm for a toy show in 1985 and has continued to make replicas of barns and buildings ever since.
by Greg Forbes Every item in a collection has sentimental value, whether it is received as a gift, found at a bargain store or passed down from generation to generation. But for one Atlantic man, his collection is entirely handmade to preserve the architectural history of United States agriculture. Wayne Kirchhoff, a lifelong farmer, began constructing replica farm-
houses, barns and small town buildings in April 1985 when three of his friends wanted to host a farm toy show and asked if he had anything he could contribute. So Kirchhoff used his interest in woodworking to develop a replica of the century farm his father grew up on. The model included the farmhouse, the barn, the corncrib, a garage and the cattle shed. When the show rolled
around in September, Kirchhoff presented the carefully crafted display that paid homage to his family’s agricultural background. Now, more than a quarter of a century later, Kirchhoff’s wood shop and shed are crammed wall to wall with saws, wood, future projects and finished barns. Each building in his portfolio was designed to scale from past and pres-
ent structures around the United States. His favorite model, a giant red barn, sits high on a shelf above the rest glowing in fluorescent lighting. The inspiration, constructed in 1876, sits in a field in Illinois. Kirchhoff said the owner listed the barn as 90 feet long and 50 feet wide with nearly every inch covered in vivid red paint. BUILDING . . . Page 9