The Big Red Barn is a working farm and a place to remember where food comes from. What began as family farmland in the 1850s became a nonprofit education center in 2003, dedicated to teaching young people about farming, ranching, and the heritage that built the strength of America.
The Big Red Barn sits on a working farm in Guadalupe County, Texas — land that has been farmed since the 1850s. The acreage was donated by Wilfred & Betty Bartoskewitz, fifth-generation farmers who wanted the place to keep teaching long after the harvest.
In 2003, a steering committee chartered the Center as a nonprofit so that young people who grew up away from the land could come and learn where their food comes from. The IRS issued its determination as a 501(c)(3) charity in 2004.
Our mission is to educate young people who know little about farming and ranching, and to give every visitor a chance to relive the heritage and culture which founded the strength of America.
Beyond the barn stands a village of restored Texas buildings — a country church, a one-room schoolhouse, a log cabin, a vintage filling station, and a Texas Ranger station — so visitors can walk straight into the past.
Visit the groundsThe Big Red Barn is led by a volunteer board of directors who give their time to keep the farm, the classroom, and the heritage alive.
The Big Red Barn is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, EIN 20-0205520, governed by a volunteer board of directors. Every gift and rental supports the classroom and the working farm.
From farmland first worked in the 1850s to a classroom for the next generation — come see where it all comes from.