Those driving past the Weisenberg/Lowhill Historical Society will see some new additions on the front and side of the barn: new hex signs.

The eight stars that decorated the barn at the historical society saw every kind of weather since 2004.

“They were looking pretty sad,” said Gloria Zimmerman, historical society president, “so they had to be rasped off.”

Those were painted directly onto the barn.

This time, Keith Breininger installed large, brightly painted discs painted by Robert Maletsky.

“Keith is a local painter, actually from Ironton,” Zimmerman said. “He’s a barn star, hex sign painter.”

Maletsky completed eight identical hex signs.

“The board picked the colors,” she continued. “We looked at different signs for ideas.”

To honor the Northwestern Lehigh School District, the historical society voted on including emblematic black and gold.

“A Mennonite farmer from down the road rented us a cherry picker for a very low cost,” Zimmerman said. “It’s an example of community helping community.”

That sentiment inspired Deb and Carl Zvanut to donate $1,000 toward the project.

“That was matched by Air Products’ retirees,” said Deb Zvanut, who felt that the old stars looked shabby.

An anonymous donor provided the rest of the money needed to complete the project.

The terms “hex signs” and “barn signs” are often used interchangeably but there are actual distinctions.

“It’s important to recognize that there really are two parallel traditions,” said Patrick Donmoyer, director of the Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center at Kutztown University.

In an article in Lancaster Farming, he said, “There are the barn stars, and then there are the hex signs.”

Hex signs often feature circular designs, geometric patterns, and vibrant colors and are often associated with spiritual meanings.

Hex signs are a form of folk art, decorative symbols, that originated in Pennsylvania Dutch Country.

Barn stars, on the other hand, are usually simpler, five-pointed stars primarily used for decoration and are more closely tied to the agricultural lifestyle.

While they can also be used for good luck, barn stars don’t carry the same symbolic weight of protection that hex signs often do.