Thorntown Farm Receives Preservation Award
A long-standing farm in rural Thorntown has received a major award for preservation. Indiana Landmarks and Indiana Farm Bureau presented the 2016 John Arnold Award for Rural Preservation to Dull’s Tree Farm Wednesday at the Indiana State Fair.
Indiana Landmarks says the farm’s owners, Tom and Kerry Dull, earned the award for their "commitment to saving the farm’s historic buildings." Tom Dull says the business of the farm, which grows and sells Christmas trees, has enabled him to preserve the buildings on the property.
"The Dulls were early adopters of agritourism, and their operation shows how the historic farm buildings helped create the attraction," said Tommy Kleckner, manager of the Arnold Award program. "Their agricultural diversification—adding Christmas trees and tourism to corn and soybeans—allowed them to restore and maintain the rural landmarks valued by their family."
The farm features a pin-frame barn that was built in 1888 and restored in 2010, thanks to a contest held by the Campbell Soup Co. and the National FFA Organization. The Dulls also live in the original farmhouse that was built in 1869 and added historic log cabins from other Indiana counties to the property.
"We focus our tree business on family traditions and memories and our 1800s-era farmstead helps our customers make the connection to their own agricultural roots," said Tom Dull. "The tree business has enabled us to re-purpose the buildings and keep them a vital part of the experience that we create."
The award was named after Rush County farmer John Arnold. You can learn more about Dull’s Tree Farm by clicking here.