Will central Pennsylvania’s ‘Biden Barn’ be rebuilt after fire? Owners talk plans, community response
Robin Herst’s voice cracked while addressing the community’s overwhelming response to the fire that recently turned her family’s “Biden Barn” into a pile of charred lumber.
The State College native said it’s been hard to eat since Saturday, when a probable arson turned the Reedsville barn painted with the Joe Biden-Kamala Harris insignia into a memory. It’s been even harder to sleep in the home that sits near the barn, which Democrats hailed as a symbol that rural, white America could still stand with them.
But, Herst said, her voice growing shaky, it’s been incredibly uplifting to watch the community’s response. Besides the dozens of phone calls and surprise visitors, in addition to the slew of online messages, more than $22,000 has so far been raised from an online fundraising platform — more than double the GoFundMe’s initial goal of $10,000 — to rebuild the barn.
“It’s been overwhelming. Some people will stop and just hand us $20, and you want to cry,” Herst said. “It’s very hard to take other people’s money like that, but we’re doing it because they feel strongly about it ... It’s just so nice to feel that support and that community feeling. It really just is.”
It hasn’t even been a full week since more than a half-dozen fire companies descended on the Tea Creek Road property in Mifflin County and extinguished the blaze in less than 90 minutes. So, naturally, the Hersts don’t have many answers right now. But they do have one: The barn will absolutely be rebuilt.
The family hopes politicians will still continue to use the future barn as a campaign stop, and they hope to move forward with previous plans to make the barn into a community-centric business, a country store with an outdoor area that could host events. But they’re just not certain whether they’ll repaint it with a Biden theme.
“I’m afraid to write ‘Biden’ on it again,” Herst said. “I don’t know that we should do that or not; I’m not quite sure, and we’re not to that point. I guess we’ll take feedback, maybe from people who stop by, but we’re not quite sure what we’re going to do.”
There’s still plenty of time left to decide. Police are still investigating, and the area around the barn remains cordoned off. Once the family receives the OK, they’ll rent a dumpster and clean up the remains themselves. Then they’ll likely order a “barn kit,” a do-it-yourself project that takes as long as six months for delivery. Maybe, maybe, the new barn will then be up by next spring.
Herst’s husband, Larry, is a former carpenter and current electrician. But he won’t have to look far for help; community members in central Pennsylvania have already started volunteering to pitch in.
“This community has always been like that,” said Larry, who moved to Mifflin County when he was in grade school. “They always come together. Even though there is some (political) division, there’s still people coming together.”
Earlier this week, the Hersts said, two self-identified Republicans stopped by to offer further donations. Although they didn’t agree with the Hersts’ politics, the Hersts said they were especially touched by the couple’s words: It doesn’t matter what party you’re from or what your beliefs are because this shouldn’t have happened. People shouldn’t do that.
Many others, who didn’t identify their political affiliations, have dropped by to offer support. One person left a bottle of wine near their front door, some drove onto their property to offer financial donations, and one neighbor — who couldn’t afford to donate — instead offered to help with cleanup or construction.
The Hersts had “a little” insurance on the barn, which was somewhere between 80 and 120-plus years old, but it’s nowhere near enough to fully cover a rebuild. The family never expected to be in this position; they originally decided to paint the barn last September because Biden signs kept getting stolen around the area — “and we knew no one could steal a barn,” Robin said.
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 and helped bring further attention to the “Biden Barn.” Thanks in part to their efforts, the Hersts have fielded calls this week from supporters as far away as Arizona, Florida and Texas.
Central Pennsylvania isn’t the only place that’s looking out for the Hersts. But it’s the local community, even in a red county, that’s continued to embrace them.
“Thank you to everyone,” Robin said. “We really do appreciate everything they’re doing for us. And if they don’t have the resources, please don’t (donate). We just appreciate the support, even in thoughts and prayers.”
Added Brianna Goss, the Hersts’ daughter: “My parents are big dreamers, so I’m sure the new barn is going to be pretty cool.”
