“Digital Documentation and Dissemination: You Got a Point Cloud, So What”
Presented by Michael G. Spencer
The creation of measured drawings, especially of historic barns, can be a tough sell; yet traditional methods are time-consuming, cumbersome, and costly. While newer, mass-capture methods such as laser scanning offer efficiency in some areas over more traditional methods the technology still presents problems, particularly in usability of data. This lecture will examine some other documentation alternatives such as photo rectification and photogrammetry as well as the variety of ways in which the data can be used and disseminated to assist in the preservation of agricultural structures such as barns, including recent documentation of a log tobacco barn on Booker T. Washington’s farm in southwest Virginia.
The image above was taken from a short video created by Professor Spencer with help from undergraduate students in the University of Mary Washington’s Department of Historic Preservation (link to video above).
Michael G. Spencer is Chair of the Department of Historic Preservation at the University of Mary Washington where he teaches courses that focus on architectural documentation and conservation. His research has involved the exploration of non-destructive technologies such as infrared thermography, as well as new methods of documenting historic structures and evaluation of new platforms for dissemination of that data. Recently this research has centered on photo rectification, photogrammetry, 3D modeling, and virtual reality.
Learn more about Professor Spencer and his work at the University of Mary Washington here!
Danae Peckler, architectural historian, Fredericksburg, VA
In 2007 and 2017—thanks to the lobbying efforts of a few National Barn Alliance (NBA) board members, particularly Rod Scott, and our great network of barn preservation advocates, including many active supporters of state and local preservation organizations—the United States Agricultural Department (USDA) put a simple question to the farmers of America’s working farms in the Agricultural Census: “Do you have a barn built prior to 1960?”
From the “yes” or “no” answers of those farmers, a set of statistics emerged to help advocates for the preservation of historic barns get a sense of just how many old barns existed within each state.
The data collected from this effort was far from perfect. For starters, it only gathered information from “working farms,” ignoring pre-1960 barns on farm properties that no longer meet that definition, as well as those that survive in suburban and urban areas. Furthermore, by answering just yes or no, farms with multiple pre-1960 barns were represented as a single unit. Yet the information gathered from this effort was a fine (if not the only) place to start. Obtaining these statistics was an attempt to quantify what is the largest problem facing barn preservation advocates: the size and scale of America’s agrarian landscape.
Acknowledging the limitations of what became known as “the barn question” in the 2007 Census, the NBA board of directors set about repeating the experiment a decade later in 2017. By asking the same exact question, we hoped to gain insight on the big question we are all looking to quantify: “How many old barns have we lost across the country?”
To find out, Rod Scott and I worked together two years in advance of the census to connect with officials at the USDA, drafted a sample letter for friends of old barns and barn preservation advocates to send the agency, and called on each of you to spread the word and lobby for the question’s return in 2017. And it worked!
This image was produced by the USDA in support of the 2017 Agricultural Census. State and county-level census results are available from the National Agricultural Statistics Service.
Not surprisingly, each and every state in the USA saw a decline in the number of working farms reporting at least one pre-1960 barn. And while we may be inclined to look for the biggest winners and losers by the figures, it is important to be mindful of their context. This is a count of “working farms” with at least one barn built prior to 1960 in each state (though county-level data is also available in Table 43, Special Characteristics!), and not every pre-1960 barn would be thought of as “historic” by many people’s standards, even those of professional preservationists.
Yet, however small this slice of the bigger picture may be, the limitations of these statistics should not stop us from using them to illustrate the loss that no one is willing to dispute: America’s historic barns (farms and outbuildings!) are disappearing at an increasing rate. And it will also surprise few that, in general, the number of working farms and farmers are also in decline.
A few takeaways from “the barn question” and the last decade from a national perspective:
As a nation, 28 percent fewer working farms reported old barns on their properties.
Individual states reported between 10 and 45 percent fewer working farms with at least one barn built prior to 1960, with a mean loss of 27 percent.
In a handful of states, properties with a pre-1960 barn make up less than 10 percent of the total number of working farms.
On the whole, less than a quarter of America’s working farms have a pre-1960 barn (the mean is 23 percent).
“Historic” or not, it is well past time that we started bending over backward to thoughtfully record and catalog the old barns and outbuildings that dot our farms from sea to shining sea. For preservation professionals that means getting inside the barn to note the specifics of its framing and learning to recognize common modifications that reflect popular agricultural practices. A good general book that I recommend for anyone across the country is Allen Noble and Richard Cleek’s The Old Barn Book: A Field Guide to North American Barns & Other Farm Structures (1995). Although more specific barn field guides and rural documentation sources can be found for different regions, states, and counties, The Old Barn Book is an easy read with great drawings from M. Margaret Geib.
As increasingly endangered cultural-historic assets of America’s greatest industry, the study of historic barns and farm buildings by preservation professionals has grown in the past 25 years since the NBA was founded. Yet the list of obstacles to preserving them grows faster.
How we justify their historical significance matters less and less—this is not a battle that will ever be won, it’s simply a matter of how much we stand to lose.
Related articles and pages that might be of interest:
Here we go again! NBA Board Members and state barn organization partners are volunteering their time and energy to continue the NBA’s presence at the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s annual conference. This year, the action is in Savannah, Georgia, where we connect with preservationists of all kinds to engage them in conversations about saving America’s historic barns!
What does an urban landscape like Savannah have to offer barn lovers? We think the trip to the South has a lot of potential! The state of Georgia was one of the first to create an historic agricultural context to aid in the evaluation of farm properties for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). Anyone can download a copy of this context, entitled Tilling the Earth, and learn more about the types of agriculture practiced historically in the state. Vernacular agricultural studies are also common about students at the Savannah College of Design (SCAD), one of the NTHP’s local partners in conference activities.
Though we won’t be able to bring any of our barn models south this year, we will bring our fabulous 2014 t-shirts with the catchy phrase: “Vernacular is Spectacular: Save Our Barns!” After the conference, these t-shirts will be up for sale to great friends like you – they are sure to make great stocking stuffers for any barn lover!
Until then, plan to swing by our booth if you’re attending the NTHP conference and check out our hats, t-shirts, bumper stickers, and other helpful barn-preservation items to show your support for old barns!
William J. Kimball PhD, or Bill as we knew him, recently departed this life at the age of 87 in Lansing, Michigan on May 24, 2013. He was born on October 6, 1925 to Elmer and Gladys Kimball in Seymour, Wisconsin.
Bill worked for 39 years as a professor at Michigan State University and as an Extension Specialist in community and organizational development. He authored numerous studies on the value of citizen input and action in our communities.
He was a tireless advocate for historic barn preservation and facilitated the creation and growth of many state and local barn groups as well as the National Barn Alliance. Bill was one of just a few Cornerstone members of the NBA and has supported our organization since its earliest days in the mid-1990s. We will all miss the incredible insight and experience Bill brought to the NBA’s Board of Directors.
Those desiring to contribute in William’s name may do so to the American Heart Association Memorials and Tributes Lockbox, 3816 Paysphere Circle, Chicago, IL 60674 or the Meridian Historical Village, 5151 Marsh Rd., Okemos, MI 48864.
The NBA would also like to encourage those who knew Bill and his work with historic barns to leave thoughts and comments below. Bill certainly made our community a better place to be… Please help us say goodbye to a great friend of old barns.
This post submitted by Jeffrey Marshall, Vice-President of the NBA and Board Member of the Historic Barn and Farm Foundation of Pennsylvania. His real job as President of the Heritage Conservancy keeps him pretty busy too. Marshall is one of three NBA members speaking at the CT Trust’s “Celebration of Barns” in Old Saybrook, CT on June 7 and 8, 2013. Come out and join in the fun!
Barn preservation issues in southeastern Pennsylvania seem to come in waves. This week I am dealing with the fate of three barns in Bucks County.
Barn 1
One is on a working farm and two are on properties that are scheduled for residential subdivision. The barn on the working farm has been deteriorating over the years as it is no longer integral to the farm operation. The farmer has requested a demolition permit. I am working with the township which has a preservation ordinance to request that the barn be documented. Correspondence noting the National Barn Alliance’s guiding principles on barn preservation has been sent to the township zoning and code enforcement officer.
Barn 2
The second barn is scheduled for demolition. The local historic commission and others are interested in having the barn preserved. The developer has no interest in doing so. A letter from the National Barn Alliance advocating its preservation has been sent to the local planning commission.
The third barn is also subject to a residential subdivision plan. However, in this case, the property owner is interested in converting the barn to residential use. The township has a progressive historic preservation ordinance that allows for zoning relief for significant historic structures including barns. A statement of historic significance is being prepared for submission.
Barn 3
The NBA is grateful for all the time and energy Jeff Marshall has dedicated to these three historic barns on behalf of the organization, as well as countless others in Pennsylvania and across the country. If you would like to submit information about endangered, significant, or adaptively re-used barns in your neck of the woods, please contact us!
