old barns

[Daren]

I love old barns, not near as many around here as there used to be. I am only 37, but my wife and I drive around on nice days and I remember where some cools ones USED to be. I got fired from a job when I was a kid because of an great old 3 story barn. Me and my buddy where supposed to be walking a farmers bean field pulling weeds, he came by and found us playing in the top of the barn instead of working and got our money. (don't blame him, and I don't regret it. I got another job the next day and the barn got torn down a few years later, glad I didn't miss the chance) I am finally building a house in a barn (after 10 years of trying to talk my wife into it, she couldn't get a mental picture, until we visited a couple of barn homes) Unfortunatly it is not an old barn, but I have a few tricks up my sleeve. I built a barn with a gambrel roof and a 10' high loft. I will post pics in my album soon (going to spend a week out there for the holiday). My Grampa has save stuff from his old barn that went down. I have a hay trolley from the loft, it has a real cool old fixture for grabbing the bails and running them out the loft door, when it hit the stop it opened and dropped the bail. I am going rehang it in my barn for decoration. I have some old pegged joints that I am going to work in, and a bunch of other ideas. My new barn is 1/2 mile from his old barn, I put 2 big windows on the gable end like big loft doors and I can see where his barn used to set.

[Don P]

I was at the building supply this morning picking up some supplies and bs'ing with the guys at the counter when up walked Colette. She had stopped by the old log cabin we were restoring about a year ago and asked me to stop by their place and look at the log cabin there. My helper and I tried to find it during lunch one day and just got lost. I had forgotten all about it. Well, our crane had been called out on a chemical spill and so nothing was going right anyway, I ended up following her out there and we wandered around the place, the cabin is a real push, pretty bad shape. The corn crib though is about 18x20 dovetailed poplar and although it has fallen off its rear piers is in fine shape...a definite keeper. I gave her and her husband some pointers and contacts, they'll start working on it this summer. Ended up torn between getting back to the job and trying to salvage something of the day and doing the right thing...we dropped off my truck and toured the county visiting some other nice old cabins in various stages of repair, what a nice day.

I've heard the same thing about those barns in your area Beenthere, one other explanation I've heard is that the moisture from the animals kept the old mortars hydrated enough to be strong, when the animals move out the stuff just crumbles  .

There was a nice old abandoned farmhouse up the road from us until a few years ago. I had been in it and it was a beauty in its day, wood graining on the doors, fantasty marble mantles. After a bad winter storm a tree took out part of the roof, tore it up pretty bad. I was coming home from work one day and it was obvious what I was seeing, a car had pulled in and an elderly woman and daughter were standing there saying goodbye to the old place...it makes you well up to see a scene like that. A friend of mine took it down a few weeks later. I ended up finding that out when I was looking for a corner timber later, he said "you know where that came from don't you?" I was glad he did the job, he saves the old parts for restoring the ones that can be saved. I guess this doesn't really belong on a barn thread...but I like all that old stuff.
This was at our neighbor's estate auction about a year ago, the big barn there is still in good shape although the place is basically abandoned. The small barn has lost a pier and won't last too much longer. As that generation is dying off so are their fathers and grandfathers barns.

[Furby]

Haytrader, I have a smaller round barn a couple miles from me. Been meaning to get some pics for a while and would love to see inside it.
I'll see if I can work something out with the owner.
There are a couple small holes in the roof that have been getting larger each year, so I know it won't be around much longer.

There is another barn about a 1/4 mile from me that was in pretty decent shape. A couple years ago a couple small holes started in the roof and they tried to patch them. I don't really think they tried very hard and the holes kept growing. The roof is falling in after the winter we had.

[Bibbyman]

Arky,

When I seen the title of this thread "Old Barns" and who'd posted it,  I thought maybe you were going to talk about you self.

[ARKANSAWYER]

  Well Bibby when I get as old as you then I can talk about old Barnes.    Till then I will just talk about the buildings.
  In the days of old around here the barn was always larger then the house.  Most times it was built before the house was.  Very few will build a new barn of any size now.  I did help build this barn for a Lady which is 48 x 84 with a 24ft main bay with 12ft head space.  It is a very nice barn.





   I did notice some ole barns just south of Jeff's so when I go up for the Piggy Roast I am going to see if I can stop by and get some photos.  The TFG has barn tours and stuff all the time but most are way up north east and I never can make them.  There is just something about the feel of a ole barn.  Maybe it was because so much depended on what went on in there.

[Roxie]

The Star Barn is one of my favorite barns located in Pennsylvania.  It was built in 1872 by financeer John Motter.  In 1995 a non-profit organization was formed to perserve this barn. 


This information is provided by the Star Barn Organization:

While the basic form of the Star Barn is typical of central Pennsylvania, late nineteenth century barns, its architectural details make it conspicuous. Larger than most barns in Central Pennsylvania, it has three threshing floors rather than the more usual two. It is also taller than the typical barns of the area. The additional height allowed for an extra floor where hay or grain sheaves could be stored above the threshing floors. The height of the ground or first floor is also about two feet higher than usual. This ceiling height, the cross paneling of the Dutch doors, the chamfering of the floor joists and ventilator posts all indicate that this was meant to be an exhibition or show area, most likely for Motter’s [the original owner] prize horses. The barn’s cupola was topped with a weathervane punched with hearts and arrows and inscribed with Motter’s name and the date of construction.

The height ground to gable is 40'.....Length 110'....Width 75'...Height to top of cupola 65'. 

[Roxie]

I just found a more recent picture that shows the improvements so far:

[SwampDonkey]

I like old barns too, but around here most are left to fall down. Must be that second generation thing. 

[Stan]

I don't think its a generation thing that these old barns are neglected. There is one at my sister's place that hasn't had a paint job that I can remember. My dad was gonna paint it UNTIL he found out the cost. My sister keeps her old horses in there, and it don't look like its ready to fall down yet.

[Buzz-sawyer]

On a farm everything has to pull its weight,............an old barn that no longer gets used gets less attention and money thrown at it.....thus the decline is based on function and non use.

[Buzz-sawyer]

Circa 1885 Kirk Allens family
You could EASILY have a square dance in the loft!

[Roxie]

That barn is so interesting.  The Star Barn was built in 1872 and it has louvered windows.  Kirk's barn built in 1885 appears to have the same thing!  I wonder if there was an advantage to louvers during that period.  Was glass expensive?  Or......
When I was young we lived in a house that was built before the Civil War, and it had no windows except on the front of the house.  Some research showed that taxes were determined by the number of windows!
Regardless, it is an enduring design!   

[mometal77]

Few yrs ago i was in leavenworth,washington at a church camp with a friend that has his own timerframe company.  Anyways this house we noticed people constructing it and went to have a gander.  I guess it used to be an old barn at one point some company from montana tore it down and re assembled it pretty cool..
Haytrader great pics seen one other round barn like that heading into Arlington,washington.
I am supprised at the money people have to throwaway in taxes in a new place its like having an outhouse just add moss..
bob
deming,wa

[redpowerd]

i know there is grants for restoring old barns.

the great thing about round barns is working in a circle, you know when your done chores cause your back at the front door!

[Blake22]

That woulda been a nice one to save, Arkey.  I love old barns, too, and hate to see them go to ruin.  The county where I live was once famous for "shade tobacco", back before that substance fell from political favor.  There are dozens of ol tobacco barns around, but there used to be hundreds.  Most of them have fallen into disrepair and are falling down, but a few remain in decent condition.  I'll get some pics of the one across the road from my place tomorrow, along with some shots of my mule barn and cow barn.

Y'all stand by!

I've got one of those tobacco barns on my place. Had 6 until a tornado in 1988 wiped 'em out. The one that's left is off the foundation & missing the roof on one end.

DanG why don't you come take it on down before it falls, we might make a a few bucks. You know where it is, on the Cherry Lake hwy.