Evelyn Johnson's curiosity about the barns that surround her Old Mission Peninsula home prompted locals to refer to her by the affectionate nickname, "The Old Mission Barn Lady."
"I was just always curious about what happened in all of those barns, what stories they might have to tell," said Johnson who recently celebrated the publishing of her book "The Barns of Old Mission Peninsula and Their Stories," by inviting friends, family members and contributors to her book to a Sunday afternoon pig roast and picnic.
"It all started about four years ago when my daughter bought the Fowler farm on Center Road. I thought I would find out about the barn and its history and give it to her," said Johnson who held her celebration at the barn, built in 1944.
"She beat me to it, but it got me started," said Johnson who includes more than 90 barns in her look at the construction, uses and restoration of the historical structures.
"I took verbal histories from more than 200 people. I called as far as California and Florida to get the information," Johnson noted.
With so many stories, Johnson has a few favorites, including the one shared by 94-year-old Blossom Seaberg Jerve who was born and raised on the peninsula.
"When she was a young girl she walked across the peninsula to pick cherries. She ran into the barn on the Charles Carroll farm to let a thunderstorm pass. When it was over she ran across the road to the house where Mrs. Carroll looked as white as a ghost. Lightning had just struck the telephone line and killed her cat. Her young son Bernie had just crawled away from that spot. That made quite an impression on her," Johnson said.
Johnson's book, which includes hundreds of photos, both historical and recent, is available at Horizon Books in Traverse City.