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{{Short description|Barn decoration in the United States}}
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{{for|the use of barnstars within the Misplaced Pages community|Misplaced Pages:Barnstars|selfref=y}}
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A '''barnstar''' (or '''barn star''', '''primitive star''', or '''Pennsylvania star''') is a painted object or image, often in the shape of a ] but occasionally in a circular "wagon wheel" style, used to decorate a ] in some parts of the United States. They have no structural purpose but may be considered lucky, akin to a ] mounted over a doorway.<ref name="garden">{{cite web|url=http://www.artistic-garden.com/barn-star/|title=History of the Barn Star|website=artistic-garden.com|archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20130624064843/http://www.artistic-garden.com/barn-star/|archive-date = 24 June 2013|first = Claudia |last =Brownlie |date = October 29, 2008}}</ref> They are especially common in ] and frequently seen in German-American farming communities. They are also found in Canada, particularly in the province of ].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Piccolo|first=Samuel|title=Stars on houses: What's up|url=https://www.pelhamtoday.ca/local-news/stars-on-houses-whats-up-6346213|access-date=|date = December 31, 2020|work = Pelham Today|language=en-US}}</ref>
A '''barnstar''' (more properly '''barn star''') is a decorative piece in the shape of a five point star used to adorn the barn as most commonly seen originally in German farming communities. Having no real integrity to the structure they were used for their general appeal as a shape and were even considered lucky as would be a horseshoe mounted over a doorway. They were also meant to represent the mark of the builder by incorporating them into the structure, but they became more frequently used for ] purposes and were added to the building after construction was complete. Artisans would deliberately fashion barn stars from metal and allow them to rust before putting them on sale.


==History==
⚫ They were seen in the United States duiring the 1700's and as late as 1870 in Pennsylvania. Their popularity increased greatly following the ]. Their regular use preceded that time, however, and stars were commonplace on large buildings, particularly factories, in pre-war ].
Barnstars were meant to represent the mark of the builder but became more frequently used for aesthetic purposes and were added to the building after construction was complete.<ref>{{cite web |last=Blitzkrieg |first= |title=Barn Stars in Bedford and Somerset Counties, Pennsylvania |url=http://www.thebarnjournal.org/stories/story018/index.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070208082624/http://www.thebarnjournal.org/stories/story018/index.html |archive-date=8 February 2007 |access-date=2007-03-08}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dailyamerican.com/articles/2005/10/11/news/tuesday/news03.txt |archive-url=https://archive.today/20090730205917/http://www.dailyamerican.com/articles/2005/10/11/news/tuesday/news03.txt |url-status=dead |archive-date=2009-07-30 |title=Barn Dons Old Fashioned Stars |access-date=2007-03-08 }}</ref> Enthusiasts have traced a number of wooden barnstars to individual builders in the Pennsylvania area, where numerous examples can still be seen.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thebarnjournal.org/stories/story018/index.html|title=Barn Stars in Bedford and Somerset Counties, Pennsylvania|website=thebarnjournal.org}}</ref>


⚫ Barnstars were used in the United States during the 18th century and as late as 1870 in Pennsylvania, where their popularity increased greatly following the ]. Their regular use preceded that time, however, and stars were commonplace on large buildings, particularly factories, in pre-war ].<ref name="garden"/>
Barn stars are seen not only on barns, but on many older buildings, often of brick. A long steel rod is passed entirely through the building; a star on either side is threaded onto the ends of the rod and they are tightened. This helps to keep the structure from collapsing. A heavily starred building should be examined for failure of the ], and may require ] or more drastic repairs.


Barnstars remain a popular form of decoration, and modern houses are sometimes decorated with simple, metal, five-pointed stars that the makers describe as "barn-stars".<ref>{{cite web | last = Jackson | first = Kate M. | title = Stargazing | publisher = ] | date = August 17, 2006 | url = http://www.boston.com/yourlife/home/articles/2006/08/17/stargazing/ | access-date = 2014-07-15}}</ref> They are often deliberately ] or rusted, alluding to the traditional decoration.
Today, in the ] area, barnstars are known as ]s but no rods go through the center. Some hex signs still incorporate the star.

==Other star-shaped plates==
On older buildings in the ] area of the United States, it is still possible to find barnstar-like building adornments that are painted, rather than wooden or metal, known as ]s. Strictly speaking, they are defined apart from barnstars and visually bear only passing resemblance, but the two are often confused and their names are even regarded as interchangeable.<ref name="garden"/> Some hex signs incorporate star shapes, while others may take the form of a rosette or contain pictures of birds and other animals.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.artistic-garden.com/hex-signs/|title=Pennsylvania Dutch Hex Signs|website=artistic-garden.com|access-date=2019-06-06|archive-date=2016-05-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160502043859/http://www.artistic-garden.com/hex-signs/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The term barnstar has been applied to ] that are used for structural reinforcement, particularly on masonry buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries. These are made of cast iron and are used as anchor plates serving as the ] for ]s. The anchor-rod-and-plate assembly serves to brace the masonry wall against tilting or lateral bowing.

<gallery mode="packed" heights="190" caption="Barnstars" and="" star="" anchor="" plates="">
File:Strasburg 51 E Main.JPG|House with a barnstar in ]
File:Strasburg E Main 109.JPG|House with star anchor plates
File:Barnstar anchor plate.jpg|"Barnstar" anchor plate
</gallery>

== Internet "barnstars" ==

{{anchor|As award}} Some ]-based communities give their users an award called a "barnstar" as a continuation of the "barn raising" metaphor. The practice originated on ] and was adopted by Misplaced Pages in 2003.<ref>{{Cite conference|publisher=ACM|doi=10.1145/2818048.2819976|isbn=9781450335928|pages=729–743|last1=Zhu|first1=Haiyi|last2=Kraut|first2=Robert E.|last3=Kittur|first3=Aniket|title=A Contingency View of Transferring and Adapting Best Practices Within Online Communities|book-title=Proceedings of the 19th ACM Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work & Social Computing|location=New York, NY, USA|series=CSCW '16|date=2016}} {{closed access}} </ref> The image that is frequently used for this purpose is actually a photo of one of the structural anchor plates, not of a proper barnstar.{{Citation needed|date=June 2023}}


==See also== ==See also==
*]
⚫ {{selfref|In Misplaced Pages: ]}}
* ] *]
*], ] folk magic
*]
*]
*]
⚫ *]


==References==
{{reflist|30em}}


==External links==
⚫ ]
{{commonscat multi|Barnstars}}
*{{wiktionary-inline|barnstar}}


⚫ ]
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Latest revision as of 00:08, 27 June 2024

Barn decoration in the United States For the use of barnstars within the Misplaced Pages community, see Misplaced Pages:Barnstars.
A barnstar

A barnstar (or barn star, primitive star, or Pennsylvania star) is a painted object or image, often in the shape of a five-pointed star but occasionally in a circular "wagon wheel" style, used to decorate a barn in some parts of the United States. They have no structural purpose but may be considered lucky, akin to a horseshoe mounted over a doorway. They are especially common in Pennsylvania and frequently seen in German-American farming communities. They are also found in Canada, particularly in the province of Ontario.

History

Barnstars were meant to represent the mark of the builder but became more frequently used for aesthetic purposes and were added to the building after construction was complete. Enthusiasts have traced a number of wooden barnstars to individual builders in the Pennsylvania area, where numerous examples can still be seen.

Barnstars were used in the United States during the 18th century and as late as 1870 in Pennsylvania, where their popularity increased greatly following the Civil War. Their regular use preceded that time, however, and stars were commonplace on large buildings, particularly factories, in pre-war Richmond, Virginia.

Barnstars remain a popular form of decoration, and modern houses are sometimes decorated with simple, metal, five-pointed stars that the makers describe as "barn-stars". They are often deliberately distressed or rusted, alluding to the traditional decoration.

Other star-shaped plates

On older buildings in the Pennsylvania Dutch area of the United States, it is still possible to find barnstar-like building adornments that are painted, rather than wooden or metal, known as hex signs. Strictly speaking, they are defined apart from barnstars and visually bear only passing resemblance, but the two are often confused and their names are even regarded as interchangeable. Some hex signs incorporate star shapes, while others may take the form of a rosette or contain pictures of birds and other animals.

The term barnstar has been applied to star-shaped anchor plates that are used for structural reinforcement, particularly on masonry buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries. These are made of cast iron and are used as anchor plates serving as the washers for tie rods. The anchor-rod-and-plate assembly serves to brace the masonry wall against tilting or lateral bowing.

Internet "barnstars"

Some Wiki-based communities give their users an award called a "barnstar" as a continuation of the "barn raising" metaphor. The practice originated on MeatballWiki and was adopted by Misplaced Pages in 2003. The image that is frequently used for this purpose is actually a photo of one of the structural anchor plates, not of a proper barnstar.

See also

References

  1. ^ Brownlie, Claudia (October 29, 2008). "History of the Barn Star". artistic-garden.com. Archived from the original on 24 June 2013.
  2. Piccolo, Samuel (December 31, 2020). "Stars on houses: What's up". Pelham Today.
  3. Blitzkrieg. "Barn Stars in Bedford and Somerset Counties, Pennsylvania". Archived from the original on 8 February 2007. Retrieved 2007-03-08.
  4. "Barn Dons Old Fashioned Stars". Archived from the original on 2009-07-30. Retrieved 2007-03-08.
  5. "Barn Stars in Bedford and Somerset Counties, Pennsylvania". thebarnjournal.org.
  6. Jackson, Kate M. (August 17, 2006). "Stargazing". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2014-07-15.
  7. "Pennsylvania Dutch Hex Signs". artistic-garden.com. Archived from the original on 2016-05-02. Retrieved 2019-06-06.
  8. Zhu, Haiyi; Kraut, Robert E.; Kittur, Aniket (2016). "A Contingency View of Transferring and Adapting Best Practices Within Online Communities". Proceedings of the 19th ACM Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work & Social Computing. CSCW '16. New York, NY, USA: ACM. pp. 729–743. doi:10.1145/2818048.2819976. ISBN 9781450335928. Closed access icon Author's copy

External links

  • The dictionary definition of barnstar at Wiktionary
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