 In the 1850s and 60s, early Midwest farm families, once the farm was firmly established, would often build newer, larger homes. Barns really began to come into their own in the 1860s and 70s. Even when early barns were built, pioneers used them to store tools, wagons, and some crops. But as homes became larger, barns eventually did too. Some of those well-built barns after 1880 can still be found in rural America.