With the intention of becoming a "gentleman farmer," John Johnston began development of his Upper Piqua farm in 1808 with a two-story log cabin and this double pen log barn.

The surrounding outer sheds were built to protect the log pens from the weather. One of the oldest structures of its kind in Ohio, the barn is built around two hand-hewn log pens, each sixty-foot square.

The Johnston Family used the barn for farming activities, and it was a storage facility for trade goods Johnston needed when the farm was the Piqua Indian Agency from 1811-1829.