Patrick Donmoyer, from Kutztown University, clarifies that barn stars weren’t initially tied to supernatural beliefs but were part of the agricultural lifestyle. Hex signs, misinterpreted by an artist in the 1920s, were inspired by quilt squares and barn stars.

By the 1950s, they became a tourist attraction, preserving the culture and traditions of the Pennsylvania Dutch.

In essence, barn stars, though thought to ward off evil, serve as decorative reminders of heritage for the Pennsylvania Dutch.