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FAIRFIEL,D IOWA -- Iowa has gems of history scattered throughout the state, sometimes in places where you'd least expect to see one, and one is located just off the bypass of Route 34 and across the street from the Jefferson County Health Center in Fairfield.

The Maasdam Barns were built in 1910 and used to house and raise drafter horses. The barns were the first of its kind to use heavy construction for the interior and used several unique modern tools designed by local companies, including Louden Machinery Company.

A seven year restoration project has left the barns standing tall and similar to how they would have looked in the early 1900s. The barns are now listed on the National Register of Historical Places and opened a museum last September to highlight historical agriculture and the contribution of local manufacturers.

"We think it's important that people have a knowledge of early Iowa agriculture because Iowa was founded as an agricultural state, and this farm, like many farms, played an important part in Iowa agriculture around the turn of the century," said Larry Nash, of the Conservation Committee.

The Conservation Committee for the barns is now moving from a restoration phase to the operation phase, where they are working to display more artifacts and spread the word about the historical importance of the site.

The barns are currently open Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, but a group called the Friends of the Barn are looking into expanding their group of volunteers to be able to hold more tours and museum hours. The Friends of the Barn will be holding a meeting at the Fairfield Arts and Convention Center on May 24.

The barns are also looking into hiring a full time caretaker to live on the grounds and take care of the barns. They are also always looking for more pieces of historical agriculture to display.

"We'd like to see more items of horse-drawn equipment show up," Nash said. "We hope people will look out behind their old buildings and see if there's something in the weeds that was a horse-drawn cultivator or a horse-drawn sickle mower or hay rig or things like that, because we would like to have those on display here."

Maasdam Barns will also hold a grand opening on June 16.