Saving the past for tomorrow's future!
The Thumb Octagon Barn Agricultural Museum is located in Tuscola County approximately 1 mile east of the Village of Gagetown along Bay City Forestville Road, 1 mile north on Richie Road, just south of the Huron County border. What exists on this site today is the result of a vision, a team effort, generous contributions and many hours of planning, organization, and plain hard work. The vision began in the minds of a few neighbors who did not want to see such an awesome structure and piece of agricultural history be destroyed in the name of “convenience” or “progress”. And so began the Friends of the Thumb Octagon Barn organization — a rescue effort to save the barn from demolition, then restore the barn, then restore the house and surrounding grounds.
VISION STATEMENT: Our vision is to develop the Thumb Octagon Barn complex for the community as an agricultural museum and educational center open to individuals, families and student groups to educate and stimulate awareness of our agricultural heritage.
MISSION STATEMENT: Our mission is to maintain a volunteer group of Friends of the Thumb Octagon Barn involved in the restoration and preservation of the barn complex as an educational tool preserving our rural and agricultural history for the benefit of our visitors. Fund-raising efforts have grown into annual events known around the state. The vision to preserve has grown into a plan to own and operate an historical agricultural site for the education, recreation and entertainment of the community and visitors. Currently the Friends of the Thumb Octagon Barn has nearly 800 members — many from all over the State of Michigan and around the country. Members may receive the Barn Newsletter and volunteer their time to help out if they are able. There are always work activities, festivals, gatherings and restoration upkeep that bring members together in the community. Help is always needed and appreciated. Upkeep is ongoing...
VALUES STATEMENT: As stewards of the Octagon Barn, we embrace the diversity within our organization and celebrate our many individual talents. We are committed to our visitors and have a passion for the Octagon Barn complex as an educational tool to share with the community our rural heritage. We take on big challenges, and pride ourselves on seeing them completed. We have a responsibility to hold ourselves accountable to the legacy of the Octagon Barn as it continues to grow in the future.
2018 Fall Family Days – In the News
Thank you for making the 23rd Annual Fall Family Days a success! The Huron Daily Tribune came out for a visit and took lots of photos. Links to the photo galleries below: Fall Family Days at the Thumb Octagon Barn Faces in the Crowd at Fall Family Days Tractors and…
Teamwork & Timbers, Saturday, August 25th
Teamwork & Timbers .pdf documents to download and return: 2018 Brochure 2018 Sign-up form 2018 Photo Release for Minors
Tea Party “Summer Picnic” Wednesday, August 22nd, 2018
Tea Party “Summer Picnic” Purdy Home at the Thumb Octagon Barn Wednesday, August 22, 2018 12:00 PM $15.00 per person-must pre-register Contact: Rose Putnam 989-444-9574 Program: Sanilac County Petroglyphs and Area State Recreation and Parks
2018 School Tours – Photos & News
Interested in attending next year? We are pleased to announce the 2019 School Tours will take place from Wednesday, May 8th to Friday the 10th, 2019. The theme for 2019 is TBD, but you can follow this link to register. Here’s some statistics from the 3 day event: 1,426 students…