Photo of the Day: The Kniss Barn

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While I was out and about taking pics of Johnson Farms apples after church the other day, I snapped a few photos of the Kniss Barn on Kroupa Road.

This is a deceptively tough barn to get a good photo of, partly because of the terrain around it. If you stand on Kroupa Road during the growing season, you only get about half of the barn – the top half – that’s the photo you see at the top of this story.

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So, I climbed up the hill between my brother Dean’s farm (the old Rude Farm) and the Kniss farm to see if I could do any better. But then you get mainly the side of the barn and don’t see the fabulous quilt (from Evelyn Johnson’s barn quilt project many years ago) on the front of it, facing Kroupa Road.

The orchard past the barn is Johnson Farms land – what we call “The 40,” and where I took yesterday’s apple photo.

Here’s that shot…

Kniss Barn on Kroupa Road on the Old Mission Peninsula
Kniss Barn on Kroupa Road, Old Mission Peninsula | Jane Boursaw Photo

Ideally, if I climbed onto the roof of the Crampton barn across the road, that would probably be the best of all worlds. The likelihood of that happening, however, is not high. (Especially since, as Tom Crampton noted in the comments below, that barn is no longer there!)

Here’s another perspective, shot from around the corner on Peninsula Drive, across from my grandma’s house. This actually might be my favorite of the three photos.

Kniss Barn on Kroupa Road on the Old Mission Peninsula
Kniss Barn on Kroupa Road, Old Mission Peninsula | Jane Boursaw Photo

I’ll keep working on a good photo of this barn. Maybe I’ll climb up the hill on the other side of Kroupa Road, east of Darryl Kniss’ house.

Update: The Kniss barn has actually been owned by the O’Keefe brothers – Eddie and Sean – since 2006. Grapes from these vineyards eventually end up in delightful Chateau Grand Traverse wine. 

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3 COMMENTS

    • Thanks, Tom. Tim just reminded me that the barn isn’t there anymore – will add a note into the story. Time does have a way of marching on, doesn’t it? Looks like they’re completely re-doing the house…? I sure do miss Norm and Wanda…

  1. Sad to see the old barns of OMP disappear one by one… We have no doubt our old barn here on Center Rd will be torn down (probably along with the house) when we’re gone. It was once the Mathison Dairy Farm in the early 1900’s, & written up some years ago in ‘The Barns Of Old Mission Peninsula’ after we added a metal roof to stay off its deterioration. But history does give way to development..

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