Bowling Green, Indiana: Barn House (Gone)

My friends and I went to the Barn House yesterday. After starting to look around, we noticed the place was falling apart. We still took pictures and climbed around the place.

Then, to our surprise, the state police showed up and they told us we were trespassing on private property and that Jim Pendleton, the owner, was currently in jail on drug charges. He made us leave. So I just wanted to tell you that you might want to mention on your site that the tours are closed and you shouldn't go on to the property because the neighbors will call the police on you if you are caught there. I am sure you can still take pictures from the road near there.

The Barn House, Bowling Green, Indiana (8 miles west of Spencer) is reported to be falling apart. Creator Jim Pendleton was convicted on drug charges and has been in prison for over a year....

A few miles outside the hamlet of Spencer, Indiana lies a rural spread upon which a folk architect that ranks with the all-time greats has erected his fabulous palace, the Barn House. Sadly his name escapes me.

Drop by the Rock and Roll Club on the square in downtown Spencer, have a pint of cheap beer and ask the bartender how to get there. Once you have finished your beer, you'll know a great deal more about the fellow who built the sprawling, seven story building out of scapwood over a ten year period in the eighties. You'll also know that the builder wil let you tour the now-abandoned house for a low fee, probably collected by one of the gent's kids.

The house is amazing both in scale and inventiveness. There are two lookout towers, one of seven stories and one of about five, hidden crawlspaces throughout the building, oddly-shaped rooms, and theme rooms. The one that I recall most vividly had over one thousand promotional-type baseball caps of various origins stapled to the ceiling and walls.

The place is very drafty and rickety, so come prepared to take responsibility for your own safety. But by all means pay a visit!