08/10/2026
๐จ๐จ๐ฅ๐๐๐ก๐ง: ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ฃ๐๐๐ก๐ฆ ๐ง๐ข ๐๐๐ ๐ข๐๐๐ฆ๐ ๐ง๐๐ ๐๐๐ฆ๐ง๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ ๐ฃ๐๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ฆ๐๐ก ๐๐๐ฅ๐ก ๐ ๐ข๐ก๐๐๐ฌ, ๐๐จ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ง ๐ญ๐ฌ ๐จ
The Great Peninsula Conservancy (GPC) has confirmed that demolition of the historic 1902 Petersen Barn is scheduled to begin Monday morning, August 10th.
The Kitsap Community & Agricultural Alliance (KCAA) is once again asking GPC to PAUSE the demolition and engage the community before an irreplaceable piece of Kitsap's agricultural history is lost forever.
This is not a new concern. KCAA has been working for more than 18 months to understand GPCโs plans to demolish the barn and to encourage a transparent, collaborative process.
๐ง๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ฆ ๐๐ฆ๐๐๐ก๐:
โข GPC has said it has an engineering report recommending the barn to be torn down... Where is the engineering report?
โข What specifically does the engineering report say that makes stabilization or restoration "unsafe"?
โข What would phased restoration actually cost?
โข What portions of the original 1902 structure can be saved?
โข Have all alternatives to complete demolition been considered?
โข And most importantly: Why hasn't the agricultural community and broader public been given an opportunity to participate in this decision?
These are reasonable questions - especially when the decision is irreversible!
๐๐ข๐ช ๐ช๐ ๐๐ข๐ง ๐๐๐ฅ๐:
When GPC acquired the fee simple interest in the Petersen Farm in early 2025, KCAA learned that there were already plans to demolish the historic and iconic 1902 barn. The Petersen Barn is an original structure on one of Kitsapโs last remaining homesteads in Silverdale.
Rather than simply object to the demolition, the KCAA began researching the history of the farm and the barn itself. We published ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐ช๐ด๐ต๐ฐ๐ณ๐บ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐ฆ๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ๐ด๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐๐ข๐ณ๐ฎ last summer - a book documenting the significance of the farm, the barn, and the families - dating back to 1891.
Last August, KCAA coordinated an assessment of the barn by Dr. Harrison Goodall, a nationally recognized historic-barn expert. His assessment described the Petersen Barn as a โ๐ต๐ถ๐๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฐ ๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ถ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฝ ๐๐ผ๐๐ป๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ช๐ฎ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ด๐๐ผ๐ป ๐๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒโ and noted that few barns of such significance remain. He strongly recommended the GPC plan for its long-term preservation.
Whatever GPC's plans may have been for the barn, it is important to recognize what Dr. Goodall actually determinedโฆ portions of the original 1902 barn are salvageable.
He identified the circa-1940s additions to the north, east, and south as the portions of the barn experiencing structural failure. In fact, these additions are the portions GPC continually references when discussing the areas of the barn that are โfailing.โ
KCAA recognizes that the later additions have problems. But Dr. Goodallโs assessment also makes clear that those problems do not automatically mean the entire barn must be demolished.
Barns of this type and significance are extraordinarily rare today. What an incredible treasure for our community - and what a loss it would be if we don't at least explore every reasonable opportunity to preserve it.
๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ฆ๐๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ฅ ๐ ๐ฃ๐ฅ๐ข๐ฃ๐๐ฅ ๐๐ก๐๐๐ก๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ฆ๐ฆ๐๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ ๐๐ก๐ง.
Last October, after learning that demolition was once again imminent, KCAA asked GPC to pause and get a qualified engineer to take a closer look at the barn. GPCโs Executive Director, Nate Daniel, agreed to put the demolition plans on hold while they obtained a proper engineering report.
GPC expressed concern about the cost of hiring an engineer, so KCAA offered to help. Our Board approved up to $7,500 to cover the cost of the assessment. We simply wanted to make sure that, before a 124-year-old historic barn was torn down, another professional had a chance to evaluate it and help determine what could be preserved.
In February 2026, after months without an update, KCAA reached back out and again offered to cover the cost of the engineering assessment. Nate said they had found a structural engineer to complete the assessment and told us, โWe will let you know when we have the report.โ
We never received that report. We also never received an update telling us that the assessment had been completed.
Then, on June 8, 2026, GPC applied for a demolition permit with the county. The permit was approved on June 22.
And on July 14, 2026, GPC published a blog post announcing that demolition would move forward.
There was still no engineering report shared with KCAA, and there had been no meaningful conversation with the broader community about the barnโs future.
๐ช๐๐ฌ ๐ง๐๐๐ฆ ๐ ๐๐ง๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ฆ:
The Petersen Farm isnโt just another property.
Between 2011 and 2015, members of our community contributed more than $415,000 of their own money toward the purchase of an Agricultural Conservation Easement on the Petersen Farm. They did this because they believed they were helping protect this farm - both its agricultural and historic values - for generations to come.
That easement was consistent with Mr. Petersenโs wishes for his farm, including his expressed desire that the barn be refurbished and maintained as a farm structure into the future.
Our community trusted GPC to be a good steward of that investment - not only to protect the land and its agricultural values, but to safeguard the historic structures on the property and ensure that their conditions were properly monitored.
And this wasnโt just a community effort. ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐น ๐ด๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ป๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ฎ๐น๐๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ผ๐๐ป๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ฝ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฃ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐บ ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐. NRCS provided $255,000 in federal funding toward the acquisition of the easement, giving the United States specific rights under the agreement. The easement specifically identifies the historic barn as one of the conservation values to be protected.
This raises some very important questions about how the barn got to its current state under GPCโs oversight. And more importantly - if GPC is now planning to demolish it, has NRCS reviewed that decision?
These are questions that our community deserves answers to - and it isn't just a question of whether GPC owns the property. It is a question of what responsibilities come with owning and stewarding a property that has been protected through years of community investment, a federal conservation program, and an easement that specifically recognizes the barn as a historic structure worth saving.
๐ ๐ฆ๐ง๐๐ง๐-๐ฅ๐๐๐ข๐๐ก๐๐ญ๐๐ ๐ง๐ฅ๐๐๐ฆ๐จ๐ฅ๐:
The Petersen Barn is recognized as a barn of historical significance by the State of Washington. While the registry is honorary in nature, the designation still matters. It recognizes the barnโs place in the history of our community and honors the men and women who built it, worked on it, cared for it, and protected it for generations.
And now, after 18 months of asking questions, offering assistance, and requesting transparency, GPC is telling us that โleaving the structure standing is not a viable option.โ
We believe that statement deserves to be explained. It deserves to be documented. And it deserves to be openly discussed with the community before an irreplaceable piece of history is gone forever.
๐ช๐๐๐ง ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ ๐๐๐ก ๐๐ข:
โข ๐ฆ๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ง๐๐๐ฆ ๐ฃ๐ข๐ฆ๐ง. Help make sure our community knows what is happening on Monday, August 10th. Tag GPC. Tag Petersen Farm project partners like WSU, Kitsap Conservation District, and Business Impact Northwest. Tag your County Commissioners - Christine Rolfes, Katie Walters, and Oran Root - and others who should be aware.
โข ๐ฆ๐๐๐ก ๐ง๐๐ ๐ฃ๐๐ง๐๐ง๐๐ข๐ก calling for demolition to be halted and for the community to have an opportunity to weigh in on decisions being made. https://form.jotform.com/KCAA/save-the-petersen-barn
โข ๐๐ข๐ก๐ง๐๐๐ง ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ฅ๐ฆ๐๐๐ฃ. Ask them to immediately suspend demolition of the barn and engage the community before any irreversible action is taken.
- Nate Daniel, GPC Executive Director: [email protected]
- Monica Montgomery, Petersen Farm Project Manager: [email protected]
- Erik Steffens, GPC Conservation Director: [email protected]
- Keith Baldwin, President of GPCโs Board of Directors: [email protected]
- Paul K***z, Immediate Past President of GPCโs Board of Directors: [email protected]
โข ๐ฆ๐๐ข๐ช ๐จ๐ฃ ๐ ๐ข๐ก๐๐๐ฌ. The KCAA will be at the Petersen Farm gate beginning at 9:00 AM on Monday, August 10th. Join us in showing your support of paused demolition, transparency and the opportunity for community engagement. Park anywhere along the Trigger exit overpass and walk toward the Clear Creek trailhead.
๐ข๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ป ๐ถ๐ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐บ๐ผ๐น๐ถ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฑ, ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ ๐ป๐ผ ๐ด๐ผ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ธ.
We aren't asking you to take our word for it. We're asking GPC to show the community the evidence behind an irreversible decision.
Thank you for your time and consideration!
- The KCAA Board of Directors
