# What Are These Art Pieces On Some Agricultural Buildings Called? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 15, 2021, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-art-pieces-on-some-agricultural-buildings-called/942155 "2021-05-15T13:50:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2021, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-art-pieces-on-some-agricultural-buildings-called/942155/1 "2021-05-15T13:50:08Z")
I apologize for the not-great pic, but note the red barn at the top, with the words “vintage market.” Above it is a piece of art depicting geometric patterns. I’ve seen these on a lot of barns/farmhouses around here – indeed, there’s about a 15-25 mile stretch of road (around Caledonia, Missouri, USA if it matters) where just about every agricultural building has one, different on each building of course. What do these mean? [https://ibb.co/F8fQ1Lb](https://ibb.co/F8fQ1Lb) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2021, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-art-pieces-on-some-agricultural-buildings-called/942155/2 "2021-05-15T13:56:40Z")
They’re quilt patterns, and they mean someone wanted their barn to look pretty. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2021, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-art-pieces-on-some-agricultural-buildings-called/942155/3 "2021-05-15T13:58:26Z")
It’s literally called a “barn quilt.” > **[How To Make A Barn Quilt](https://www.houseofhawthornes.com/how-to-make-a-barn-quilt/)** > > Easy to follow instructions for How To Make A Barn Quilt along with a printable barn quilt pattern. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2021, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-art-pieces-on-some-agricultural-buildings-called/942155/4 "2021-05-15T14:58:34Z")
Originally hex signs to protect the farm and also used to guide passengers along the Underground Railroad, barn quilts have become popular. Some areas have established driving tours that take you along the scenic byways dotted with ag buildings decorated with barn quilts. ---
**Author:** ![eenerms](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cdc98d/32.png) [@eenerms](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eenerms)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2021, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-art-pieces-on-some-agricultural-buildings-called/942155/5 "2021-05-15T15:04:25Z")
There all over the barns in our area. The area was settled by The Swiss. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2021, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-art-pieces-on-some-agricultural-buildings-called/942155/6 "2021-05-15T16:18:14Z")
[Hex signs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hex_sign), like **chela** said. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2021, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-art-pieces-on-some-agricultural-buildings-called/942155/7 "2021-05-15T16:20:34Z")
They use to be Hex signs, these are something newer most commonly known as Barn Quilts. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2021, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-art-pieces-on-some-agricultural-buildings-called/942155/8 "2021-05-15T16:27:31Z")
Can’t get the OP’s image to load, so was literally going by the thumbnail, my apologies. Barn quilt is right. Looks like a [relatively recent phenomenon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quilt_trail), as folk art goes. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2021, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-art-pieces-on-some-agricultural-buildings-called/942155/9 "2021-05-15T16:28:53Z")
> [@chela](#): > > Originally hex signs to protect the farm… Maybe some folks have adopted them as that, but no, the origin really was just to look pretty. I suppose that you could use one to identify a specific known barn, as for instance one owned by an Underground Railroad conductor, but that was never their purpose, either (and they weren’t as common in pre-Civil War times, anyway). ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2021, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-art-pieces-on-some-agricultural-buildings-called/942155/10 "2021-05-15T16:34:14Z")
The wiki talks about the origins of the word. The case for it being based on ‘Hex’ as German for ‘witch’ is pretty weak. > **[Hex sign | Controversy over origins](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hex_sign#Controversy_over_origins)** > > There are two opposing schools of belief regarding the derivation of the name. The term hex with occult connotations may derive from the Pennsylvania German word "hex" (German "Hexe", Dutch "Heks"), meaning "witch". However, the term "hex sign" was not used until the 20th century, after 1924 when Wallace Nutting's book Pennsylvania Beautiful was published. Nutting, who was not a Pennsylvania native, interviewed farmers about their distinctive barn decoration. Before this time there was no stan Th... ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2021, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-art-pieces-on-some-agricultural-buildings-called/942155/11 "2021-05-15T19:25:06Z")
The Amish are on record saying those are just decorations. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2021, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-art-pieces-on-some-agricultural-buildings-called/942155/12 "2021-05-16T10:57:11Z")
They don’t use them in any case, so why is their word authoritative? ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2021, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-art-pieces-on-some-agricultural-buildings-called/942155/13 "2021-05-16T12:03:44Z")
Aren’t the Amish part of the “Pennsylvania Dutch” family (Mennonites, Anabaptists etc.)? Am I misinformed? ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2021, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-art-pieces-on-some-agricultural-buildings-called/942155/14 "2021-05-16T12:08:20Z")
From that same Wiki: " The Amish do not use hex signs." & " Anabaptist sects (like the Amish and Mennonites) in the region have a negative view of hex signs, and they are rarely, if ever, seen on an Amish or Mennonite household or farm" My reading of the whole article is that they originate with the _non_-Anabaptist German immigrants (the so-called [Fancy Dutch](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fancy_Dutch)). This tracks with how the Amish generally shun decoration anyway, like the buttons thing.