Editing Barnstar (section)

==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.<ref>{{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}}</ref><ref>{{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 }}</ref> Enthusiasts have traced a number of wooden barnstars to individual builders in the Pennsylvania area, where numerous examples can still be seen.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thebarnjournal.org/stories/story018/index.html|title=Barn Stars in Bedford and Somerset Counties, Pennsylvania|website=thebarnjournal.org}}</ref>

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 [[American Civil War|Civil War]]. Their regular use preceded that time, however, and stars were commonplace on large buildings, particularly factories, in pre-war [[Richmond, Virginia]].<ref name="garden"/>

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".<ref>{{cite web | last = Jackson | first = Kate M. | title = Stargazing | publisher = [[The Boston Globe]] | date = August 17, 2006 | url = http://www.boston.com/yourlife/home/articles/2006/08/17/stargazing/ | access-date = 2014-07-15}}</ref> They are often deliberately [[Distressing|distressed]] or rusted, alluding to the traditional decoration.