# Barnstar > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Barnstar > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Barnstar.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barnstar > Source revision: 1356600179 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Barn decoration in the United States}} {{for|the use of barnstars within the Wikipedia community|Wikipedia:Barnstars|selfref=y}} thumb|right|A barnstar A '''barnstar''' (or '''barn star''', '''primitive star''', or '''Pennsylvania star''') is a painted object or image, often in the shape of a [five-pointed star](/source/five-pointed_star) but occasionally in a circular "wagon wheel" style, used to decorate a [barn](/source/barn) in some parts of the United States. They have no structural purpose but may be considered lucky, akin to a [horseshoe](/source/horseshoe) mounted over a doorway.{{cite web|url=http://www.artistic-garden.com/barn-star/|title=History of the Barn Star|website=artistic-garden.com|archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20130624064843/http://www.artistic-garden.com/barn-star/|archive-date = 24 June 2013|first = Claudia |last =Brownlie |date = October 29, 2008}} They are especially common in [Pennsylvania](/source/Pennsylvania) and frequently seen in German-American farming communities. They are also found in Canada, particularly in the province of [Ontario](/source/Ontario).{{Cite web|last=Piccolo|first=Samuel|title=Stars on houses: What's up|url=https://www.pelhamtoday.ca/local-news/stars-on-houses-whats-up-6346213|access-date=|date = December 31, 2020|work = Pelham Today|language=en-US}} ==History== Barnstars were meant to represent the mark of the builder but became more frequently used for aesthetic purposes and were added to the building after construction was complete.{{cite web|url=http://www.dailyamerican.com/articles/2005/10/11/news/tuesday/news03.txt |archive-url=https://archive.today/20090730205917/http://www.dailyamerican.com/articles/2005/10/11/news/tuesday/news03.txt |url-status=dead |archive-date=2009-07-30 |title=Barn Dons Old Fashioned Stars |access-date=2007-03-08 }} Enthusiasts have traced a number of wooden barnstars to individual builders in the Pennsylvania area, where numerous examples can still be seen.{{cite web |last=Blitzkrieg |first= |title=Barn Stars in Bedford and Somerset Counties, Pennsylvania |url=http://www.thebarnjournal.org/stories/story018/index.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070208082624/http://www.thebarnjournal.org/stories/story018/index.html |archive-date=8 February 2007 |access-date=2007-03-08}} Barnstars were used in the United States during the 18th century and as late as 1870 in Pennsylvania, where their popularity increased greatly following the [Civil War](/source/American_Civil_War). Their regular use preceded that time, however, and stars were commonplace on large buildings, particularly factories, in pre-war [Richmond, Virginia](/source/Richmond%2C_Virginia). Barnstars remain a popular form of decoration and design, and modern houses are sometimes decorated with simple, metal, five-pointed stars that the makers describe as "barn-stars".{{cite web | last = Jackson | first = Kate M. | title = Stargazing | publisher = [The Boston Globe](/source/The_Boston_Globe) | date = August 17, 2006 | url = http://www.boston.com/yourlife/home/articles/2006/08/17/stargazing/ | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111120031516/http://www.boston.com/yourlife/home/articles/2006/08/17/stargazing | url-status = dead | archive-date = November 20, 2011 | access-date = 2014-07-15}} They are often deliberately [distressed](/source/Distressing) or rusted, alluding to the traditional decoration. ==Other star-shaped plates== On older buildings in the [Pennsylvania Dutch](/source/Pennsylvania_Dutch) area of the United States, it is still possible to find barnstar-like building adornments that are painted, rather than wooden or metal, known as [hex sign](/source/hex_sign)s. Strictly speaking, they are defined apart from barnstars and visually bear only passing resemblance, but the two are often confused and their names are even regarded as interchangeable. Some hex signs incorporate star shapes, while others may take the form of a rosette or contain pictures of birds and other animals.{{cite web|url=http://www.artistic-garden.com/hex-signs/|title=Pennsylvania Dutch Hex Signs|website=artistic-garden.com|access-date=2019-06-06|archive-date=2016-05-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160502043859/http://www.artistic-garden.com/hex-signs/|url-status=dead}} The term ''barnstar'' has been applied to [star-shaped anchor plates](/source/anchor_plate) that are used for structural reinforcement, particularly on masonry buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries. These are made of cast iron and serve as the [washers](/source/Washer_(mechanical)) for [tie rod](/source/tie_rod)s. The anchor-rod-and-plate assembly serves to brace the masonry wall against tilting or lateral bowing. File:Strasburg 51 E Main.JPG|House with a barnstar in [Strasburg, Pennsylvania](/source/Strasburg%2C_Pennsylvania) File:Strasburg E Main 109.JPG|House with star anchor plates File:Barnstar anchor plate.jpg|Barnstar anchor plate == Internet "barnstars" == thumb|A commonly used "barnstar" image on Wikimedia projects {{anchor|As award}} Some [Wiki](/source/Wiki)-based communities give their users an award called a "barnstar" as a continuation of the "barn raising" metaphor. The practice originated on [MeatballWiki](/source/MeatballWiki) and was adopted by Wikipedia in 2003.{{Cite conference|publisher=ACM|doi=10.1145/2818048.2819976|isbn=9781450335928|pages=729–743|last1=Zhu|first1=Haiyi|last2=Kraut|first2=Robert E.|last3=Kittur|first3=Aniket|title=A Contingency View of Transferring and Adapting Best Practices Within Online Communities|url=https://zenodo.org/records/894626|book-title=Proceedings of the 19th ACM Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work & Social Computing|location=New York, NY, USA|series=CSCW '16|date=2016|via=[Zenodo](/source/Zenodo)}} [http://haiyizhu.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/BestPracticeTransfer.pdf Author's copy] {{open access}} The image that is frequently used for this purpose is actually a stylization of a star-shaped [anchor plate](/source/anchor_plate) and not of a proper barnstar, which is purely decorative.{{cite web |last1=Blackley |first1=Katie |title=How architectural tools with a cosmic twist help strengthen old Pittsburgh homes |url=https://www.wesa.fm/arts-sports-culture/2022-02-06/how-architectural-tools-with-a-cosmic-twist-help-strengthen-old-pittsburgh-homes |website=90.5 WESA |language=en |date=6 February 2022}}{{cite web |last1=Andersen |first1=Charlotte Hilton |title=If You See a Star on a Barn, Here’s What It Means |url=https://www.rd.com/article/what-are-barn-stars/ |website=Reader's Digest |access-date=18 March 2026 |date=7 October 2025}} ==See also== *[Barn quilt](/source/Barn_quilt) *[Hex sign](/source/Hex_sign) *[Moravian star](/source/Moravian_star) *[Pentagram](/source/Pentagram) *{{Self-reference inline|Wikipedia:Barnstars}} ==References== {{reflist|30em}} ==External links== {{commonscat multi|Barnstars}} *{{wiktionary-inline|barnstar}} Category:Visual motifs Category:Architectural elements Category:Lucky symbols Category:Pennsylvania Dutch culture Category:Star symbols --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Barnstar](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barnstar) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barnstar?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.