The "The History Of The Guernsey Barn" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Trying to find information about a place known as the Guernsey Barn which was located on the corner of Route 30E and Route 896 in Lancaster County.  I have many fond memories of the Guernsey Barn over my childhood and into my teens.  Stopped a few times with my Uncle Bob who lived in nearby Strasburg and helped his father who had a farm near his home.  

The only photograph I can find of the Guernsey Barn.

We would go to the Guernsey Barn to view cattle during The Pennsylvania Guernsey Show as well as stopping quite a few times as a teenager to see the many car shows that they had over the years.  Loved the cars from the 1950s and 1960s as well as the shows that featured cars from earlier years.  These were the cars that today would be classified as the classic cars of yesteryear.  My friends Dick and Terry would usually ride along with me when I made my visits to the car shows.  

I also remember going to shows held at the Guernsey Barn known as "The Shindig in the Barn" which featured, on a Saturday Night, Country and Gospel music.  Straw bales would line the walls for seating.  Groups such as The Oak Ridge Boys, the Statler Brothers and the Imperials made frequent visits.  

Then...I sort of lost track of the large Guernsey Barn until one day in 1985 when I read in the newspaper that:  The Guernsey Barn, a well-known Route 30 East landmark, reportedly was being sold to a New York City shopping center developer.  An official with the Pennsylvania Guernsey Breeders Association, which owned the facility and about eight surrounding acres - including land occupied by a Dairy Queen - confirmed that a deal was pending.  The Guernsey Barn was built in  1947 with about $60,000 in donations from members of the Guernsey Association.  It was used over the years for dairy cattle auctions, craft shows, antiques shows and pet shows.  In the summer months from 1968 through 1977, it was the home of the Dutch Family Festival.  I began to "Google" the Guernsey Barn to see what else I may be able to find out about the place.  It was reported in the morning Intelligencer Journal on Friday, December 13, 1985,  that a New York City developer had put down payment on the 8.25 acre property that was occupied by the  13,000-square-foot Guernsey Barn pavilion and the three-bedroom brick home used by the facility manager.  But, there is still red tape to be worked out.  The Guernsey Barn was doomed!   Then on Saturday, September 6, 1986, the Lancaster New Era displayed a large headline that read: "$5 Million Outlet Shopping Center Is Planned for Route 30 Gurnsey Site."  Story told about the new owners: Quality Centers of Orlando, Florida.  They were going to construct a 100,000-square-foot outlet center on the 8.25-acre site that will house 10 to 15 stores.  The shopping center arrived and then another one was built across Route 30 on the other side of the road.  Not long after more shopping centers were built to the west of both the other shopping centers.   Today many of the stores sit empty!  If only they wouldn't have destroyed The Guernsey Barn.  What great times I had at that place as a teenager.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.