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Aggie Barn History
"Saving the barn" - The original
location of the Aggie Barn was just on the north end of the little town of Reagan, Texas. A small dot along Highway
6 between College Station and Waco. The Town of Reagan once had several cotton gins, banks, and mercantile stores but
the town dried up when cotton was no longer a primary crop for the area. Several years ago, work started to transform
Hwy 6 from a two-lane to a four-lane road and this work included a by-pass around Reagan. The alignment of the by-pass
put the road right through the Aggie Barn. About a year before construction, Joe found out about the proposed alignment
and contacted the son of Mr. Thaggard Kirkpatrick regarding the plan for the barn. He did not have any plans to move
the barn and that Joe would be welcome to move it if he wanted it. He also stated that he had been contacted about the
barn being relocated to College Station or elsewhere on his property, but declined it staying on his property due to liability
reasons. Joe and Tressa decided to move it to their property rather than letting it be moved out of Reagan or possibly
demolished. As time passed and the start of construction drew near, Joe made a deal to purchase the barn. One
week before the barn was to be demolished, we had an area house mover haul the center section of the barn down Hwy. 6, approximately
.3 miles south to land we own just south of the town site to its current location. The barn sat in the middle of a vacant
field and looked ugly for about a year. We did not have time to devote to the reconstruction and renovation until early
2008. There is never a shortage of old rotten lumber or missing boards that need to be replaced when you work on a hundred
year old structure that has been a feed storage and rat castle for many of the last 50 years. For most of Joe's time at A&M and for all of his post college years, he has always been able
to describe the location of his hometown by the "Aggie Barn" on Hwy 6. He was from "The town with the
Aggie Barn". In addition to the desire to preserve a landmark of his heritage, that barn is special to Joe because
he helped Mr. Thaggard Kirkpatrick hang the first "Old Sarge" in the gable when he painted the barn for the first
time. Before the Aggie Barn, Joe had been the paperboy for Mr. Kirkpatrick and Mrs. Mary and mowed their grass for several
years as a preteen. Mr. Kirkpatrick was an influence in Joe's decision to go to A&M and he also administered a scholarship
to A&M that Joe was awarded from another former Reaganite, General Travis Hetherington. The barn was "started" by Mr. Thaggard Kirkpatrick.
Known as Mr. T.K. by everyone in Reagan, Mr. Kirkpatrick was a Class of '24, 100% Aggie and his wife Mary was a graduate of
Baylor. The center section of the barn reportedly was once the First State Bank of Reagan and sat in "Downtown
Reagan". The building was moved to Mr. Kirkpatrick's property in the 1940s or 1950s and was converted to a barn
with a livestock corral under one wing and equipment storage under the other side. The barn was originally painted red and it was not until 1980 that Mr. Kirkpatrick repainted with
Aggie Maroon after a windstorm blew some tin off the roof of the barn. Mr. Kirkpatrick at that time decided to repaint
the barn as an expression of his love for Texas A&M. He never had any ideaof the landmark he was creating when he
first painted "Gig'em Aggies" on the north end of the barn. The addition of the "Whoop" and Class
years were added in the 1990s by members of the Corp of Cadets. Mr.
T.K. Kirkpatrick passed away in 1999, just months before his 100th birthday. Mr. Kirkpatrick was a successful businessman
that did a lot for Reagan and Falls County. Throughout Mr. Kirkpatrick's life, he had many accomplishments he was proud
of, but I know the Aggie Barn was something he took great pride in owning and showing off to the Aggies that traveled Highway
6. For those that are curious, the inside of the barn
is empty. Occasionally, it is used for storing hay. Throughout the years, the barn was painted by Mr. Kirkpatrick, his family members,
and Aggies. There have been several cases of emergency repaints due to the work of "Baylor artists" just before
or after the annual "Battle for the Brazos". One particular repaint came on an early Saturday morning just
before the A&M vs. Baylor game when it was extremely obvious that the barn was green, yellow, and read "sic'em
bears". The barn was corrected by about 10:00am on that Saturday, and most people going to Kyle Field never notice
anything out of the ordinary.
Since moving the barn to its new home just south of Reagan, the painting and reconstruction has been done by the Swinnea family,
friends, and of course, Aggies. The class years displayed on the barn at this time represent our two oldest children,
Jake and Samantha Swinnea. Our immediate family, which includes Joe ('85) and Tressa Swinnea, son, Jake ('11),
and our three daughters Samantha ('13), Taylor Hood ('15), and Alex Hood ('19), all of whom have spent many hours at
the barn working on the reconstruction and painting. Other caretakers include Joe's father, Bob Swinnea, and uncle Homer
(Jr) Swinnea, Lars Huizenga ('13), Keith Bumm (a close family friend), and numerous Aggie friends. There is no charge for taking pictures at the barn. Anyone that wants
to take pictures from the Highway 6 right-of-way can do so at their own risk. Prior to entering the property, we ask
that people respect the "POSTED" signs and call (214) 395-6918 or send an email to aggiebarn@live.com for permission first. As bad as we hate to limit use and access to the barn, we have found that not everyone has respect
for our property. Besides vandalism, some people think the best time to drive around the barn is just after a 3"
rain. I hate the ruts left behind; but even more, I hate the thought of my father-in-law catching someone in the act
since he is the person that does plowing and planting around the barn.
Mr. Kirkpatrick's favorite group photo was likely the one with Coach Sherrill and the A&M Football Team on their way to
SMU in 1980. Mr. Kirkpatrick was proud of that day and of the hat and jersey that he was given as a memento of the occasion.
Over the past few years, we have had several student groups and individuals stop to take pictures at the barn.
There are lots of bridal, graduation announcements, and alumni that stop to take pictures at the barn. I love to see
these pictures and if they email their pictures, I get them posted on the website to share with everyone. Many people ask us what is Texas A&M's role in the barn. The
answer is inspiration! Mr. Kirkpatrick painted the barn initially to display his pride in the University. The
Swinnea family has the same feelings and is proud when we see the barn in a commercial for Texas A&M during
a football game or see the barn used in promotions at Kyle Field. We know that there are many people that love the Aggie
Barn and we are grateful we were able to keep it standing.
In the future as you drive down Highway 6 going home to Aggieland hopefully you will see new trees, a windmill, and lots of
maroon clover and bluebonnets in the spring as we work to preserve a landmark. Gig'em, Tressa Swinnea |
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