Southern Heritage Wood Artisans, Llc

Preserving Our American Heritage

From the early days of the founding of our country, the family farm has been a fundamental icon in the American consciousness. As the main structures of farms, barns evoke a sense of tradition and security, of attachment to the land and community just as the people who built them.

Unfortunately, these historical wooden structures are disappearing from our country’s landscape. We tend to think of wooden barns as a permanent part of the scenery but sadly they are not. While some estimates say that there are 600,000 wooden barns that date back to pre-1960 remaining in America, that number is comparatively small when considering that 100 years ago there were approximately 6 million farms, many of which had 2, 3 or more wooden barns. Southern Heritage Wood Artisans was founded with the goal and philosophy of preserving this portion of our country’s heritage.

Historic structures are being threatened by many factors. They are disappearing due to the passage of time and farm modernization. Because of decay, weathering, and neglect they can be expensive to maintain or restore. Many are simply being razed and burned. Modern building materials have also allowed for a less expensive alternative to wooden structures.

While most of our reclaimed lumber focus has been on barns, we have also broadened our scope to include old and abandoned houses, cabins, log homes and warehouses. At Southern Heritage we search the south central portion of our country looking for these neglected structures so that they can be recycled and therefore their legacy can continue to live on into the future. Because these buildings are typically at the end of useful life, we believe that reclaiming these structures will not only preserve a portion of our American heritage, but is an environmentally responsible thing to do. Our desire is to give new life to old wood that comes from these structures, most of which are over a 100 years old built from virgin timber, and our goal is to salvage 85% of each so that it can be reused into all of our hardwood products. A large portion of reclamation companies are interested only in the weathered siding of the barns and buildings and many have the endgame of sending this historical and valuable commodity overseas for construction projects where hardwood is a rare resource.

While preserving our heritage and being environmentally conscious is premier to our focus at Southern Heritage, we are also able to provide products that are unparalleled in beauty due to the natural inherent characteristics of reclaimed wood. Antique wood is unrivaled in terms of the beauty of its patina due to the natural aging process. Old growth, reclaimed lumber is very dense and therefore very hard. It is also prized by furniture builders and artisans for its low moisture content. Southern Heritage Wood Artisans goes an extra step that most reclaimed lumber companies don’t employ by kiln drying our lumber to ensure a low moisture content and to eradicate any organisms. This reduces the tendency for the wood to warp or cup that is inherent in many reclaimed manufacturer’s products and that is significant in green lumber. Our products are purposely designed to expose the imperfections and the intrinsic characteristics that make reclaimed lumber unique such as saw marks, nail holes, blemishes, etc.


At Southern Heritage we select and grade the very best lumber for use in our signature line of hardwood products. Your heirloom quality piece is branded with our logo as well as the latitude and longitude of where the structure once stood. With most products we include a brief description of the structure and, if available, we include a picture of the building before it was recycled for use into one of our signature pieces.
Check out our hardwood products on the products page. We have many more on the way and our product line is expanding. We can also build most any custom piece. We also offer products by local artists and artisans as well as antiques and reclaimed industrial pieces. Reclaimed lumber can also be purchased by the board foot.


We at Southern Heritage Wood Artisans are confident that you will enjoy your unique and historical hardwood product for generations.

Southern Heritage Wood Artisans
320 Cherry St.
Horse Cave, KY 42749
Office # 270 786-3420
Fax # 270 786-3422