What Do Metal Stars On North Dakota Homes & Farms Mean?

I drive by several homes on the way to the gym daily with metal decorative stars on the front of their homes. 

I have always wondered if it actually meant anything.  Is it a symbol for something?  Does it have a religious meaning?  I've especially noticed these metal stars in rural areas in North Dakota.  There's even a scandalous urban myth about these stars.  More on that in a minute.

Well, I decided to do a deep dive on the subject. 

I even took a drive in the country and decided to knock on a farmer friend's door to ask him in person what the star symbolizes.

First off, my farmer friend wasn't a whole lot of help.  After a couple of beers, he thought the stars were strictly decorative and he wasn't aware of any underlying meaning of the star.  Okay, no help there.

Could they be code for something a little more naughty?

According to Distractify, these metal stars or even sometimes stars that are made of wood are known to some as " Amish Barnstars", "Barnstars" and one crazy urban myth is that these stars are code for "swingers."  Somebody cue John Anderson, "Swinging."

Could that be true? The star is a symbol of swingers in Bismarck Mandan? 

It seems that is nothing more than a rumor that was started on a stripper's website back in 2007.

Instead, it looks like the star goes back to when German settlers came to America back in the 1700s.  These Germans came from the Rhine region of Germany and belonged to the Amish, Mennonite, and Lutheran groups.  These symbols were more of a unifying star.  They also became popular after the Civil War as a patriotic symbol.

The color of the star was also believed to have meaning.

Black=protection

Blue=protection, peace, and calmness

Brown=earth and protection

Green=growth and fertility

Orange=success in your career

Red=emtion, passion, and creativity

Violet=something sacred

White=Power of the moon

Yellow=health

Now you know what a star means on our North Dakota homes.