The idea of Barn Quilts began in with the Pennsylvania Dutch immigrants way back when. Then it kind of peaked and disappeared. In 2001, Donna Groves in WV, bought a farm with her mother and painted one on the side of the barn to honor her mother's love of quilting. That set off a movement to paint them so there would be a trail people could follow. It was an community PR thing. Now there are Barn Quilt Trails all across the United States.
In my home county, our quilt trail was begun last August and we have 15 now hung with contracts signed for another 17. You can see them in Facebook under Daviess County Barn Quilt Trail. Many times an individual will paint one and put them up. Frequently, a local Extension Service through a University will sponsor them, and sometimes a quilt guild will. In our case, the local extension service with some guild members got it started. They order a special metal sign board and special paint through a place in Chicago. The ones that are painted on wood and hung do not last very long. The elements are not kind. The metal ones they are hanging now, should last a long time. I've just loved driving through the state finding the quilt trails. In Kentucky, if you google The Kentucky Barn Quilt Trail, you can find counties maps that tell you exactly where to find them. It's so much fun to see one as a surprise! We charge $300 for an 8' X 8' one. It's sort of become a status symbol in Daviess County, KY.