The barn with the Ohio Bicentennial logo that you pass on I-71 reopened Aug. 22. Most of its calendar is now set aside for weddings, meetings and other private events. From today through Nov. 19, the public can walk in on about 53 scheduled hours. Preservation Parks has posted no walk-in hours for December.
The logo is seen by an estimated 150,000 drivers a day, and the Delaware Gazette called the barn possibly the most photographed building in Delaware County. Seeing the inside takes some planning. The park around it, 248 acres split into three sections, is open daily on the regular park schedule.
A Landmark Rebuilt to Earn Its Keep
This is a rebuilt barn, not just a restored one. In May 2025, Preservation Parks announced that the century-old structure on Bale Kenyon Road would be taken apart and put back together on a new foundation about 50 feet from where it had stood. It would also get a new name, the Jim and Gay McCammon Bicentennial Barn. The McCammon name goes back a long way here. According to the park district, Jim McCammon was a third-generation Orange Township farmer, and the family had worked this land since 1865. Bob and Sue Postle, Sue being a McCammon, donated the barn to Preservation Parks in 2019.
"We didn't have any specific dream about the property, but it's a dream come true," Bob Postle said at the ribbon cutting.
The crews saved the Vermont green slate roof, the cupola, the hand-hewn beams, the original wood siding and the timber frame. On the back they added a new annex with a service kitchen, accessible restrooms with an adult changing station, storage and offices. A lower level is set aside for classrooms later on. Equity Construction Solutions of Hilliard held the $4.4 million contract when work started. Funding came from a state One-Time Strategic Community Investments Grant, the Preservation Parks Foundation and park district funds. The Gazette's opening coverage put the finished renovation at $4.68 million.
The main room is the Patrick J. Tiberi Event Hall, named for the former congressman. It seats 112 at banquet tables or 144 in rows. At the park district's resident rate, which also covers schools, government entities and 501(c)(3) organizations, Friday through Sunday rentals cost $1,000 for the four-hour minimum and $1,800 for the eight-hour maximum. Non-residents pay $1,200 and $2,200. The facility page is already taking reservations for 2027. The space was designed to bring in rental income, and that's why the public schedule is so short.
The Walk-In Calendar, Counted Out
The park district calls these sessions the Fall Public Open House. Visitors can tour the barn and ask about renting it. Here's what remains as of Oct. 1:
| Window | Hours | Remaining dates |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesdays | 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. | Oct. 6, 13, 20, 27; Nov. 3, 10, 17 |
| Thursdays | 1 to 3 p.m. | Oct. 1, 8, 15, 22, 29; Nov. 5, 12, 19 |
| Sundays | 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. | Oct. 11; Nov. 8 |
| Second Mondays | 5 to 7 p.m. | Oct. 12; Nov. 9 |
That adds up to 21 Tuesday hours, 16 Thursday hours, 12 Sunday hours and four Monday evening hours. Most of the time falls on weekday mornings and early afternoons. If you work standard hours, your options are the two Sundays and the two Monday evenings. That's 16 hours over four dates.
Parking at the barn is limited, with 38 spaces next to the building and another 73 in the main McCammon Creek Park lot. The barn's address is 6840 Bale Kenyon Road. One caution: a widely shared photo caption gives the barn's address as 3675 E. Orange Road. That address is actually the park's North Area.
The Evening That Covers the Whole Story
If you can only make one trip, make it Oct. 22. That night from 7 to 8:30 p.m., Preservation Parks is holding Historic Barns of Delaware County inside the Bicentennial Barn. Ken Sandri will give the talk, and Bob and Sue Postle will join him. It's free, and the listing says there's no online registration. It runs after the Thursday open house that day ends, so you can see the room in daylight and come back to hear its history from the family that donated it.
The talk will have plenty to cover. Artist Scott Hagan painted the logo when the barn became one of Ohio's 88 Bicentennial Barns ahead of the state's 200th birthday in 2003. He came back in early August 2026 to repaint it. Even the date of the original painting is unsettled. The park district's project FAQ says 1998, while Delaware Source says 1999. The Postles could probably settle it.
The Part That Opens Every Morning
The barn has limited hours, but the park around it opens daily. Grounds hours are 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. through Oct. 31. On Nov. 1 they switch to 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. for the winter. The park was assembled from land bought between 2015 and 2024. It's divided into three sections that don't touch:
| Section | Address | Size | Trail |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Area | 3675 E. Orange Rd. | 52 acres | Red Fox Trail, 1.25 miles, gravel, moderate elevation change |
| Barn Area | 6840 Bale Kenyon Rd. | 88 acres | Harvest Trail, 1 mile, gravel and grass; Autumn Trail, 0.5 mile, steep |
| East Area | 7093 Bale Kenyon Rd. | 108 acres | Sycamore Bend Trail, 1.4 miles, gravel and grass, slight elevation change |
Leashed pets are allowed on the listed trails. The North Area opened first, in 2024. It has a hammock area and the site of an old Christmas tree farm. In the Barn Area, the Harvest Trail loops around the barn and connects to parking off Bale Kenyon Road and Farmer's Delight Drive. The Autumn Trail runs from Autumn Applesauce Drive to Harvest. The Sycamore Bend Trail on the East side runs through prairie and reaches picnic tables, restrooms and parking.
Altogether that's about 4.15 miles of park trail. Orange Township's paved multi-use path ties the three sections together for walkers and cyclists. The land is mostly woods, restored stream corridors and prairie, and more than 32,000 tree seedlings have been planted as part of the reforestation work.
"Each section has its own character," Orange Township Trustee Erica Fouss said at the opening. She added that her subdivision backs up to the park.
Fall Programs Spread Across All Three Sections
Preservation Parks has scheduled the fall programs across the different sections:
- Golden Marathon Hiking Series, Oct. 12 at 9:30 a.m., North Area. A rain-or-shine hike for adults 55 and older. Register through SourcePoint.
- Try It: Trek a New Trail, Oct. 24 from 10 to 11 a.m., East Area. Open to all ages, with trekking poles provided. Children must come with an adult.
- Yoga & Hike, Nov. 7 at 10 a.m., Barn Area. Free for ages 15 and up and open to all abilities, with a guided hike after the yoga. No online registration.
The Monday, Oct. 12 hike lines up well with the barn's open house that evening from 5 to 7 p.m. Hike the North Area in the morning, then drive over to Bale Kenyon after work to see the barn.
The district-wide Step Into Fall: Hike Them All challenge runs through Nov. 30, and McCammon's four trails count toward it. Joining is free, or $15 gets you a hiking stick and a custom medallion. The group hikes on the December schedule are all at other parks. That makes the next seven weeks the busiest stretch of programming here this year.
What Comes After Nov. 19
Once the Thursday session on Nov. 19 ends, the barn has no posted public hours. The park page also shows renderings for future work labeled Adventure Zone and canopy bridge, but no timeline is listed. For now, the open house dates in the table above are the posted times to see the inside of the barn. The trails stay open daily, with closing time moving to 7 p.m. starting Nov. 1.
At Joshua D Cooper, we follow changes like this around Lewis Center and Orange Township because they shape the places our clients pick. If you're curious which streets near Bale Kenyon Road and the township path network connect to McCammon Creek Park, contact Josh's team and we'll go over it with you. Work With Us.
