Arson suspected in nearby ‘Biden Barn’ blaze; central Pa. community responds in big way
Arson is suspected in a weekend blaze that destroyed the “Biden Barn” — an iconic local building painted in support of the president and vice president — but community members in central Pennsylvania have worked quickly to rebuild.
Less than 72 hours after the Reedsville fire was extinguished, the community more than doubled the $10,000 fundraising goal of rebuilding the barn on Tea Creek Road. A GoFundMe started by organizer Vanessa Clifford, who said she already turned the page over to the owners’ daughter, had already raised $20,340 from 664 donors as of Monday night.
The “Biden Barn” gained acclaim around the state during last year’s Joe Biden-Kamala Harris campaign and became a destination for Democrats who wanted to show that rural, white America could still be accepting of their message. State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, D-Philadelphia, and State College resident Peter Buck, who lost to state Rep. Kerry Benninghoff, R-Bellefonte, both campaigned there last year.
Buck was among the supporters spreading word of the GoFundMe on social media.
“By coming together to raise $20,000 to bring that barn back, that is a way of showing people that we’re not going to quit,” Buck said Monday. “We will rebuild that barn, and we will make it better — and a beacon of hope — because that’s what the world needs.”
The Reedsville Volunteer Fire Company received a call at 12:57 a.m. Saturday about the fire. About a half-dozen other fire departments responded, according to reports, and the fire was put out by 2:20 a.m., with only part of the barn’s charred frame still left standing.
According to Mifflin County Regional Police Chief Andre French, the department’s fire investigator has reported that “the most likely cause of the fire is arson.” However, French cautioned that it was still very early in the investigation; the in-house investigator will link up with the insurance company’s investigator and go from there.
“We’ll follow the evidence, and I would suspect this would take at least several months,” French added, declining to specify what his investigator found to indicate likely arson.
In the meantime, supporters of the “Biden Barn” are hoping the fundraiser will help alleviate some of the owners’ financial concerns until the insurance steps in. Buck said the owners, Larry and Robin Herst, recently started a business that planned to utilize the barn, “and getting hit like that when you’re starting a business is horrible.”
The Hersts did not immediately respond to a message from the CDT seeking comment.
“The Biden Barn,” located over the mountain in nearby Mifflin County, was painted white with red and blue lettering. “Unity Over Division” was plastered in life-size letters on the side of the barn, next to a painting of an American flag, while the words “Biden” and “Harris” were featured on the front.
The chairman for the Centre County Democratic Committee expressed support for the Hersts — although he said, personally, he wasn’t surprised by the likely arson. Between recent hate-filled acts in Centre County, the Capitol insurrection and defaced Biden signs, he said this just seemed like a natural progression.
Still, he also found a silver lining.
“It shows there are a lot of good people in this area that want to help,” Chairman Greg Stewart added, referring to the fundraiser. “And I think that’s a good sign.”
This story was originally published March 8, 2021 at 4:11 PM.
