GREENVILLE — Dr. Robert Kroeger, Cincinnati artist and author, will exhibit five paintings of historic barns in Darke County, tell barn stories and sign books.
The 1:30 p.m. event will be held on Sunday, Nov. 6, at Bear’s Mill.
Kroeger will also sign Historic Barns of Ohio, published in 2021 by The History Press/Arcadia. The 206-page volume features old barns in paintings and essays in each of Ohio’s 88 counties. This event will also be one of the first book signings of Kroeger’s new book, Round Barns of America, published by Acclaim Press, which is the first book on round barns with a national scope. It includes 75 barns from 32 states, stretching from the east to the west coast, including 11 barns in Ohio. Stories illustrate the lives of early Americans from the era of the French and Indian War in the mid-1700s to the heyday of the round barns from 1875 to 1930. Both books will be available for purchase at the event.
The artist’s program and book signing will take place at Bear’s Mill, 6450 Arcanum Bears Mill Road, Greenville. The event also includes refreshments following the presentation. Seating is limited and can be reserved with a $5 donation by registering at www.darkecoparks.recdesk.com/community/program.
Suggested donations of $5 help support the nonprofit that preserves this historic building, The Friends of Bear’s Mill. A portion of the proceeds will benefit this historic mill, which is also an art center. Bear’s Mill, built in 1849, is the oldest existing industrial building in Darke County and is one of the few operating water-powered gristmills left in Ohio.
The Nov. 6 event includes a display of five impasto oil paintings of Darke County barns and colorful barn stories, book signings and complimentary refreshments
About the artist/author:
Dr. Robert Kroeger, a native of Youngstown, graduated from Ohio State University’s College of Dentistry and served four years of active duty in the U.S. Navy, ending with the rank of lieutenant commander. After a career in general dentistry, he switched to the historical preservation of old barns through paintings and essays. He has written about and painted over 1,000 barns throughout the country. Kroeger is a second-generation artist, though unlike his father Francis, who held an art degree from Notre Dame, his professional art career blossomed later in life. He and his wife Laura live in Cincinnati, where they enjoy spending time with 10 grandchildren.
Kroeger has published two books on dentistry and seven books on golf in Scotland, England, Wales and Ireland, including “To The 14th Tee,” “The Links of Wales,” “The Golf Courses of Old Tom Morris,” “Golf on the Links of Ireland,” “Golf on the Links of England,” “Complete Guide to the Golf Courses of Scotland” and “The Secrets of Islay.” In 2021 the History Press published Historic Barns of Ohio, which features an old barn and its story in each of Ohio’s 88 counties. Kroeger can be contacted via the website, www.barnart.weebly.com.
