Who's scared by hex signs on old barns? (2024)

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Who's scared by hex signs on old barns? ›

Painted prayers

As you pass by the many farms you will see Hex Signs hanging from barns and houses (and other items) along the way. Hex signs were always seen as to ward off misfortune and evil spells. But, over the years there have been scholars arguing of the true meaning behind them. Many want to see them as "ethnic symbolism".

The star (especially the “hexagram') is a popular theme in ancient pagan lore. This is a common theme in the history of old Europe, the birthplace of the Amish forebears. These early barn signs were therefore representations of their cultural past and their connection to these ancient European roots.

Farmers, with their deep-rooted superstitions, believed that these painted symbols would protect their barns from evil spirits and bring good luck. Each design held its own meaning: eight-pointed stars symbolized abundance, rosettes safeguarded against famine, and oak leaves represented strength.

Hex Sign Symbols and Their Meanings

The signs were meant to protect (or place a "hex" on) the structures and things inside of them from evil and misfortune. From this tradition has grown a great heritage and beautiful folk art.

Amish and Mennonites will certainly make hex signs to sell to tourists, but they won't have them on their barns. They express their ethnicity through other means. Hex signs are mainly on the barns of Lutheran and Reformed farmers.

The Hex signs are prevalent in Amish Country, but they are not Amish, you will not see Hex signs on any Amish barns. The Amish and Mennonites are known as plain folk and their religion prohibits such “fancy” ornamentation.

Anabaptist sects in the region, such as the Amish and Mennonites, have a negative view of hex signs, and they are rarely, if ever, seen on an Amish or Mennonite household or farm.

The Amish Use Mirrors

While the Amish do not take pictures of themselves, they do use mirrors. The use of a mirror is allowed because unlike a picture, it is not a graven image. Women use mirrors to do their hair and men use mirrors to shave.

Sometimes they were just aesthetic, but sometimes they represented the trademark of a specific barn builder. Although they go back to at least the 1820s in Pennsylvania, they were most popular after the American Civil War. In modern times, barn stars have come to be known as signs of good fortune and luck.

Are old barns worth money? ›

Salvagers love finding long wood beams that can span larger spaces, but they know people also want smaller beams and barn wood for items like mantels and focal walls. Materials in a small barn (30' x 30' or smaller) can often be worth up to $10,000. Larger barns may contain as much as $50,000 worth of materials.

Why were barns traditionally painted red? Early farmers painted their barns with a protective coating of linseed oil to keep the wood from weathering. They often mixed the oil with animal blood or ferrous oxide, which prevented the growth of mold and fungi and also gave the paint a distinctive red-orange color.

Nails Offer a Lot of Information

The nails used to build your barn also offer clues to its age. Over the last three centuries, technology, changes in metallurgy, and mass production have changed nails' appearance and material makeup. Examining a barn's nail heads can help narrow down its construction date.

Grawlix (also called “obscenicon” or “symbol swearing”) refers to the use of typographical symbols in place of an obscenity (e.g., “$%@!”). Grawlix is frequently used in comic strips to indicate that a character is thinking or saying a swear word.

In 1952, a Berks County folk artist named Johnny Ott started painting and selling colorful, stylized discs inspired by the large, decorative stars that commonly adorned the barns across Pennsylvania German Country (still colloquially known as Pennsylvania Dutch Country).

hex (v.) 1830, American English, from Pennsylvania German hexe "to practice witchcraft," from German hexen "to hex," related to Hexe "witch," from Middle High German hecse, hexse, from Old High German hagazussa (see hag). Noun meaning "magic spell" is first recorded 1909; earlier it meant "a witch" (1856).

It is believed that this style of painting quilt patterns directly onto the wood and then hung onto barns originated in Pennsylvania and spread to the other colonies. During the Revolutionary War, “Barn Quilts” were used to show American forces that an area was safe, secure, and supplies were available.

Barn quilts celebrate rural areas and agricultural traditions while also promoting travel to these regions. Each unique pattern often tells a story about local history or culture, making them significant symbols within communities.