Help Save the Historic Gribble Barn! Purchase Photographs of the Barn!

This classic barn is beloved by many in Oregon's upper Willamette Valley. They've appreciated its weathered sense of history for decades. Unfortunately, this landmark barn is in danger of being demolished or burned within the next few years.

It's current owner is a Gribble, Mr. D. Joe Gribble, whose father and grandfather were both present at the barn's construction nearly a century ago. But today Mr. Gribble owns only the structure, not the land upon which the barn sits. That land passed out of Gribble ownership in the 1950s, and the crisis of destruction arrived in 2002.

The current landowner desires to see the Barn go away, whereas County officials would like to see it stay where it was built because that is how official County historic landmark status makes the most sense. And so this magnificent barn is in a sense homeless. Negotiations continue between Mr. Gribble and the current landowner. But the Barn's fate is perched on a knife edge, perilous and uncertain. There are many possibilities being explored to avert destruction. Email us to see how you can help!

Click here to email about purchasing the brand new 2005 Canby Chamber of Commerce Collector's Christmas Ornament ,featuring the Gribble Barn.

Click here to email about purchasing Gribble Barn pictures

Facts and figures:

Note: the Gribble Barn has appeared in a nationally distributed coffee-table book called "This Old Barn," published by Country Books in 1996. See the Barn on page 39, and note that its location is mis-labelled (the Editor promises to fix this if the book is reprinted).

The barn was built on the 640 acre Gribble Homestead in 1907, replacing an earlier version dating from 1850. The barn is very large, approximately 42 feet by 65 feet, with a cathederal-like interior inhabited by bats and owls. Gribble Creek runs by its NW corner. Its massive timbers were milled at the nearby Yoder Mill, which to this day is a Yoder family custom timber mill whose owners are related to the Gribbles.

The Gribble Barn looms gracefully on the east side of Hwy 170 (the Canby-Marquam Highway), about five miles south of Canby, in rural Clackamas County, Oregon. A half mile north runs Gribble Road, and the Gribble Pioneer Cemetery *(see page bottom) lies 3/4 mile west on that road.... In that very historic cemetery lies John Gribble, born in 1799, the elder who led the first Gribbles to Oregon on the Oregon Trail in 1846. Many other family names prominent in local pioneer history are also buried there (see page bottom)

See historic 1905 photograph of the Gribbles who built the Gribble Barn!

Many believe that this Barn should merit a National Historic Registry designation, or at least a County "Historical Landmark" status. It does have a current "SHPO" number (#1984) with Clackamas County, which is a solid starting point for further efforts.

The Barn's now-famous painted logo of the "Flying Double A" dates from 1986, when representatives of Mark Coppos Films in Los Angeles struck a deal with owner Iola Bowers, and agreed to the painting of the logo for a Burger King national ad. Three Portland sign painters were hired, one of whom now lives in Pennslyvania. That's "Frank," and he is is strong in his statements that the Barn ought to be saved. Below are two of his pictures from that Memorial Day weekend in 1986 when the painting happened!

OregonPhotos will put you in touch with the Barn preservation effort

* Herein follows a very incomplete assortment of names on headstones within the Pioneer Cemetery: John Gribble born 1799 died 6-3-1869, and his wife Elizabeth Gribble... Joseph Jackson born 8-30-1823... Mary Jackson... Catherine Fish born 1825, and numerous other ancient Fish headstones many difficult to read... A Fish was probably the first person to be buried in the Gribble Pioneer Cemetery; she was a toddler named Evaline O. Fish, died November 28, 1858. Evaline was born to Hanna Gribble. Hanna walked the Oregon Trail to Oregon alongside her father John Gribble, the two dairy cows, and the family's wagon.

Other names are: Woodford Jesse born 1839... Henry Boggess born 1841.... George Rueck born 1856... G.A. Gurley born 9-16-1861... Edward Porter born 1870...John Kraus born 1872....Frank Jesse born 1874... . Nellie White born 1877....Gabbie White (sp?) born 1882... W.G. "Hap" Harms born 1910 and Fern Gribble Harms..also, others before 1900 include: Wesley... Hungate... Dodge... Daniel Wyland... Keiling... Howser.... At some point in the future, I will make this listing more complete and would appreciate help on the project.