Jonathan Holdsworth, a student in the University of Vermont's Graduate Program in Historic Preservation, is returning to the town where he grew up to help document and promote old barns -- a historic resource that he believes needs, and deserves, attention.

"Barns give identity to a community and serve as a reminder of the area's agricultural history," said Holdsworth. "They provide a unique and tangible link to our past. Over time, the landscape has changed and barns have become increasingly susceptible to loss. The more historic barns we lose, the harder it becomes to tell the story of the community. For towns like Bow across the region, it is really these structures that have helped to define the communities that we live in and made them places that people enjoy."

Holdsworth worked for the Town of Bow Department of Public Works for three summers, and said that it was that time on the town's roads that got him interested in local history.

Holdsworth plans to squeeze in the barn survey work on the weekends as he has a full-time job in addition to working toward his Master's Degree in Historic Preservation. He will complete forms from the road, but welcomes information from barn owners or others with historical information or photos.

John Porter, Extension Professor/Dairy Specialist Emeritus of the University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension, estimates that there are more than 20,000 barns in the state based on his research of New Hampshire's dairy industry and surveys of several towns. However, the changing nature of agriculture, development pressure, cost of repair and tax issues often lead to barn collapse and demolition or barns being disassembled for their parts.  Jennifer Goodman, executive director of the Preservation Alliance, estimates that the state could easily be losing a few hundred old barns every year.

Holdsworth will add to a voluntary barn survey managed by the N.H. Division of Historical Resources. The survey's goal is to better understand the state's agricultural legacy and the patterns of loss. To date, over 1,000 barns have been documented by barn owners, their neighbors and local historical societies and heritage commissions. A survey with similar goals has just been launched in Vermont.  The Bow Heritage Commission - which has featured barns on its 2009 calendar - and the Division will receive the results of his work.