Down every gravel lane and country road, historic barns remind us that Lewis County’s farms testify to the hard-working people here. They are the living chapters of the region’s rural past, written on the weathered boards and hand-hewn beams that have endured decades of harvests, harsh winters, and the steady march of time. So, grab your boots and let’s get down on the farm as we wander through Lewis County’s historic heritage barns!
Frase Barn
183 Pigeon Springs Road, Onalaska
Spanning an impressive 56 by 102 feet, the Frase Barn is a monument to family devotion in old timber. Built over two painstaking years, beginning in 1905 by pioneer Julius Frase and his sons, Ted and Carl, the farm thrived for years until Julius’s health took a turn for the worse.
By the time his grandson, Eugene “Gene” Frase, inherited the property, years of neglect had left the place in disrepair, with briars so thick they had to be removed before anyone could even reach the barn doors. The structure faced its greatest challenge in 2010 when an unusually heavy snowfall collapsed the northeast corner, prompting a major restoration funded in part by the Washington State Historic Barn Register (WSHBR). By 2018, the roof was replaced and the damaged section rebuilt, preserving a century of Frase family history.
Boistfort Valley Farm
426 Boistfort Road, Curtis
From rabbit coats to organic blueberries, few agricultural buildings in Lewis County have proven to be quite as versatile as the barn at Boistfort Valley Farm. First built by Mr. Beall for raising rabbits for the fur market, the building later adapted into a working dairy barn before becoming a vital processing hub for current owners Mike and Heidi Peroni’s certified organic berry farm.
The couple had spent years cultivating high-quality berries and building healthy soil when disaster struck in 2007, as the nearby Chehalis River flooded its banks and filled the property with four feet of water and mud, leaving the barn in urgent need of repairs. Thankfully, the storied structure secured a WSHBR grant for restoration, which was used to replace the aging cedar roof with metal, rebuild the failing foundation, and add drainage to protect the structure from future storms. Today, the barn stands steady again, anchoring a farm committed to growing healthy food, soil stewardship, and long?term ecological health, all while maintaining habitat for wildlife.
Henry and Flossie Lucas Farm
722 Highway 12, Chehalis
The story of the Henry and Flossie Lucas Farm begins with an epic sea voyage in the late 1800s when Henry Lucas, great-grandfather of the current owner, sailed around Cape Horn from England. He passed through California before eventually settling in western Washington, where he began farming. Along the way, he spent time near a creek that would later bear his name, a tributary of the Newaukum River’s north fork now known as Lucas Creek, before establishing a farm on Jackson Prairie and marrying Mary E. Straight.
Their son, Henry George Lucas, and his wife, Flossie Florence Conrad, built the farm’s barn in the early 1900s, with Flossie earning a reputation for her poultry and rabbit operation, as well as her beautiful flower gardens and horticultural knowledge, while Henry devoted 57 years to the community as a school board director. Built in 1915, the barn remains with Lucas family descendants today, its foundation and flooring recently repaired to preserve it for years to come.
Roth Family Farm
193 Roth Road, Winlock
Constructed in 1917, the 56-by-96-foot Roth Family Barn holds a proud title as the largest standing loose hay barn on the historic Grand Prairie. The massive structure originally anchored a 25-cow dairy operation, storing hay, grain, and horse-drawn equipment. The farm also made local agricultural history when the current owner’s grandfather became one of five original strawberry growers in the region, with booming harvests that provided vital income for countless Winlock-area families throughout the 1940s and ‘50s.
While the farmstead has evolved into the creative home of Grand Prairie Designs, the historic barn’s preservation remains a top priority. In 2011, a comprehensive grant project through the Washington State Heritage Barn Register stabilized the aging giant from the ground up, reconstructing its concrete foundation piers, rebuilding the floor, replacing damaged posts, beams, and walls on the east and south sides, and fitting the west wall with brand-new windows.
Each of these barns carries its own story, but together they tell one larger tale: Lewis County’s rural roots run deep, and its people aren’t willing to let them fade away. From devastating floods to collapsing roofs, these structures have weathered more than their fair share, yet each one still stands today, restored and repaired by families determined to keep their history alive. It’s proof that in Lewis County, preserving the past is just as much a labor of love as building it once was.
