Skyview: Historic barn destroyed in seconds

In a matter of seconds on the evening of Feb. 27, a historic barn on the Reckinger family farm dating back to 1882 was destroyed by an EF1 tornado.

The barn, which used to house chickens and hogs, was used most recently for storage.

The historic barn was destroyed, Several other smaller barns and equipment storage buildings were severely damaged and may need to be razed and rebuilt.

The Reckinger family has been farming in this location off Seavey Road, south of Batavia, since the 1850s.

Reckinger says his insurance company will be out soon to assess the damage, and then they’ll decide how to move forward with the rebuilding and repairs.

Reckinger is thankful they suffered only property damage and no injuries to the family home at the time.

“I use 100 gallons of paint every five years to paint the barns. At least I won’t have to use as much paint now,” Reckinger said with a slight grin.