Emery Bridge Barn

Emery Bridge Barn, 3453 Bear Creek Road (New for 2024), Decorah (Winneshiek County), From the four-way stop sign (Casey’s General Store/Subway) on College Drive in West Decorah, turn north on W38 “Locust Road” for 9.3 miles. Turn right on A26 “Big Canoe Road” for 1.5 miles. Turn left on Bear Creek Road for .9 miles. The Emery barn is on the left.

The Norwegian-American bridge barn (laave bru) was built in Norwegian settlements between 1871 and 1906. It combines a characteristic internal bridge found in most Norwegian barns with post and beam building methods of 19th century American barns. The Norwegian bridge barn differs from the European bank barn in that the bridge is an internal structure, one bay wide, extending from the drive-in side access to the opposite side of the building and is above the hay floor level on either side. The external ramp leads to the internal bridge (Award of Distinction).