Baldwin's Book Barn

Does the idea of a 200-year old barn containing a 5-story maze made of books stored in beautiful antique fruit crates sound great to you? I think so too! Books are full of magic and mysteries and I feel like the places they are stored should be too. The joy of a great bookstore is the possibility of finding something you never knew existed and feels like it was made just for you. Baldwin’s Book Barn has over 300,000 used/rare books, tons of antique chairs hidden in corners for you to peruse in.

Baldwin’s Book Barn was originally built in 1822 by Brinton and Sarah Darlington as a dairy barn, as part of their 75-acre farm. It was part of their family for over a century until it was closed during the depression in the 1930s.

William and Lilla Baldwin bought the barn in 1946, and moved their museum and used bookstore inside. The barn was only three floors at the time, so William hired a structural engineer to add two more floors onto the building. If you look carefully you can still see where the original building ends and the addition begins. The store was opened as Baldwin’s Book Barn in 1946, and when you step inside you truly feel like you’re stepping back in time. If you’re lucky you’ll meet Bingo and Buddy, the obligatory bookstore cats, and find many new treasures to line your shelves with at home.