Kevin Douglas West has self-published his first photography book entitled Standing Twenty: Southern Indiana’s Remaining True-Circular Round Barns. The book was published by Blurb and is now available for sale at Amazon. It will soon be available for sale at other online booksellers and retail stores.
Kevin Douglas West is a 20-plus year resident of Katy, Texas but grew up a Hoosier from Seymour, Indiana located in the central heart of Southern Indiana. During a round barn boom-building era from 1890-1930, over 225 round barns were built in Indiana, the most of any state. Today only 20 round barns remain in Southern Indiana.
Photojournalist, Kevin Douglas West has traveled his self-created Southern Indiana Round Barn Trail and captured all 20 of the round barns in stunning color and black and white. His stories of the history, current owners, and his personal experiences are alive with a deep passion for Indiana history and its contemporary beauty.
Barns nostalgically dot the rolling Southern hills of Indiana’s farmland. With changing farm industry dynamics, barns are less in use. Even more unique; however, are round barns. “That is why this book is important,” says Teresa A. Brown author of the book’s Foreword. Brown is a Senior Lecturer and Director of the Indiana University High School Journalism Institute. Richard Reed, CEO of Kova Fertilizers contributed the Introduction. Reed owns the Strauther Pleak Barn in Greensburg, Indiana and is a long-time preservationist.
