About Jan

Jan holds a B.A. in English from Albion College; an M.A. from Nazareth College, Kalamazoo; and has studied holistic health through Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo and program evaluation at the University of Illinois-Chicago.

To learn what others have said about Jan’s writing, or to add your thoughts,
click here.

My roots run deep in farm soil and my heart beats happiest in old barns. They are Cathedrals to the Earth’s Spirit. I was raised on Coralan Farm, a dairy farm in Upper Michigan, settled in 1883 by my Great Grandfather H. Corey. The word Coralan represents for my family, a melding of the words, “Corey” and “Land.” My Grandpa H. Corey built the main barn (see accompanying photo). My father, H. Kenneth Corey, took over the farm in 1938. He and my mother, Mille Palmer, were married in 1940 and transformed the farm into one of the finest in the Upper Peninsula. It was a favorite on farm tours, showcasing an award-winning herd, innovative crop rotation, and wise home management practices.

The smaller, addition to the barn was built in the 1960s. The barn was the heart of Coralan Farm as the barn usually is on every farm where one’s livelihood depends on the care and keeping of livestock. My commitment to barn preservation began long before I was consciously aware of it. As a child, I spent as much time as possible in the barn and, as a junior in high school, I climbed up on the roof of the house to photograph the barns before we moved.

Reluctantly, we sold the farm in 1969 because my parents could no longer do the hard physical work of milking cows and raising crops. They had considered other alternatives – just raising crops or young stock or perhaps opening a bed & breakfast to introduce “city folks” to farm life.

The farm went through two successive owners, neither of whom maintained the barns. In the 1990s, the house, barn and 40 acres were sold to a couple from Illinois who dramatically transformed the house and began to restore the big barn. But sadly, one day it was destroyed and today all that remains is the smaller barn, converted to a residence.

My way of honoring the memory of the barn on Coralan Farm is to encourage fellow barn lovers, encourage barn owners, realtors, developers, insurance agents, and communities in general to save these irreplaceable structures. They have much to offer, especially today when small farming operations are once again being seen as the best way to raise healthy crops and animals and people are yearning to reconnect with the land and with heritage. Barns can be adapted for marvelous new uses both on and off the farm and are being sought by people wanting extraordinary spaces to create workshops, studios, galleries, and homes or extraordinary places to be married in.

Barns are not outdated relics. They are truly Cathedrals to the Earth’s Spirit. Find a barn that needs a friend and become its advocate. Make a difference.

(For information about Jan’s professional credentials and availability see also, Coralan Communications page.)