'It's just heartbreaking': 100-year-old barn leveled after historic tornado in Wisconsin

TOWN OF ALBION, Wis. (CBS 58) -- A longstanding barn has been leveled in the Town of Albion after a tornado ripped through several counties in Southeastern Wisconsin Thursday night.

It’s the first time in Wisconsin’s history that a tornado has landed in February. Mike Crawford was outside his home when the tornado sirens began to ring.

“I was really scared. That's one of the scariest feelings I've ever had. Ever,” said Crawford. “The wind came up so fast, I ran to the house. I didn't think I was going to make it in. Luckily, I got the door shut before it blew it back open.”

Crawford says he’s spent his entire life in Albion and had never seen anything like it.

“We were lucky that the trees stopped it and it didn’t damage the house,” said Crawford.

His house was saved, but a landmark wasn’t.

“There’s just no way to rebuild it the way it was,” said Crawford.

A red, two-story barn that stood 60 feet tall had been in Albion for 100 years. In a matter of seconds, Crawford says it was destroyed.

“The barn was such an iconic thing. Anytime I told people how to get to my house, I said, ‘you just go around the corner, when you see the big red barn, you’re at my house,” said Crawford. “Now the barn is going to be gone. We’ll have to think of some other way to get people here.”

Dane County highway employee Brett Kolmorgan says many old structures were the most damaged in the Town of Albion. He says he’s thankful nobody was hurt.

“They took the beating,” said Kolmorgan. “We’re lucky, you know, tornadoes aren’t good for anybody. All in all, I think we got away with minor damage.”

Crawford says the barn will be a total loss.

"It’s just heartbreaking," he said. 

A historic tornado landing, Crawford says, took a piece of history with it.