Have you met Barny from Kansas?!?

Posted on September 12, 2013 by danae

Barny is the most colorful member of the Kansas Barn Alliance (KBA), and he is on the move! You might have seen him already at a KBA workshop, or spotted him investigating historic barns in advance of repair work… Barny likes to strut his stuff around every barn he sees, but he appears to prefer the historic ones – we at the NBA suffer from a similar condition.

Pictured: Brad, and his son, Kolbe, Holmsten from West Chester, PA; Russ Holmsten from Daytona Beach, FL; family friend, Andy Brown from Overland Park, KS, and Barny, of course!

Earlier this summer Barny dropped by the barn-repair crew at the Brokesh Barn in Republic County, Kansas. This barn restoration is truly a family effort with determined kin travelling from as far as way as Florida and Pennsylvania! The rest of the remarkable story will be in the next Kansas Barn Alliance newsletter, The Rural Icon.

He recently found himself on the window sill of a stone barn at the Hanson farmstead in Cloud County, Kansas, where this 20’x30′ limestone building will be tuck-pointed and have windows & doors installed, so Barny took advantage of the photo opportunity!

Barny at the Hanson farmstead in Cloud County.

This incredibly photogenic rooster has been charming his way into many barn and farm events as of late. Word has it that Barny got the Early Bird Discount and is already registered for the KBA’s BarnFest’13, a two-day conference on October 4th and 5th in Marion County (for further details, visit www.kansasbarnalliance.org).

Barny also plans to attend the Mother Earth News Fair in Lawrence, Kansas, on October 12th and 13th. The KBA will have a booth there to share information on barn preservation and reuse, and Barny will be on hand to take your questions and pose for pictures with all his barn fans!

It’s true what they say, “Life is never dull in the world of Kansas barns!” The NBA would sincerely like to thank Susie Haver for sharing updates on all of Barny’s latest adventures, and the wonderful group of Kansans in the KBA hard at work supporting barn preservation in their state!

Many Firsts at MBPN’s Fall Barn Tour

Posted on August 16, 2013 by danae

The information for this post was submitted by NBA member and architect, Charles Bultman. Charles has been hard at work organizing the MBPN’s Fall Tour for the past several months. This tour is a first for this region of Michigan and the first barn tour – in the country, as far as we know – to offer Continuing Education credits from the American Institute of Architects (AIA)!

Braun barn

The Michigan Barn Preservation Network’s (MBPN) Fall Barn Tour will highlight at least eight historic barns and farmsteads in Washtenaw County: home of Ann Arbor and the surrounding communities of Chelsea, Clinton, Dexter, Saline, and Ypsilanti. The tour will be on Saturday, September 21st, starting at 8:00 am from the south side of Ann Arbor and will last all day. Participants will receive a guide book that will include a map and photos of all of the barns on the tour, as well as some historical information about each barn.

Parker barn, interior

One of the barns featured on this tour was built in 1826 and is certainly one of the oldest barns in the county. Another shining star is the circa-1920s Parker Barn: a 178 -foot long and 60-foot wide monumental barn with a 30-by-50-foot working granary to boot! In all, it is a very nice sampling of barns and farm buildings that illustrate a range of approaches to barns spanning nearly 100 years in Washtenaw County.

Further setting this tour apart is a special dinner on Friday night, September 20^th, for those who want to enjoy a farm-to-table meal and a lively conversation about barns in Ann Arbor at Zingerman’s restaurant. The barn tour also qualifies for AIA Continuing Education credits. More information on these matters is available upon request.

Rentschler barn

For MBPN members, the tour is $60 for the day. The cost for non-members is $90. The tour cost—which allows you to tour all nine barn sites with the group—includes the bus and driver, lunch by Zingerman’s, the guide to the barns on the tour, and bottled water and a snack on the bus. The tour is limited to 54 people, so please reserve your seat early to insure that you will get to tour this impressive collection of barns. Secure PayPal for tour reservations is available on the MBPN website.

Now Showing: A New England Barn Model!

Posted on July 12, 2013 by danae

Last winter the NBA was contacted by Tom Musco, a fellow barn-enthusiast and timber framer who was interested in making a barn model that embodied building traditions of New England barns. Past President, Charles Leik, corresponded regularly with Musco, and members of the Board met this crafty go-getter at the CT Trust’s “Celebration of Barns” last month, just as he was booking the model’s first raisings.

Supplying every bit of the materials, time, and skill involved in construction, Musco based his model on typical English barn dimensions (30’ x 40’) found in the region. “The model is also based on the research I did when I built the Job Lane barn in Bedford, MA…. a scaled-down reproduction of the barn that was on the site of the Job Lane Homestead. The original [c. early 1700s] house is still standing and the Town of Bedford and the Friends of the Job Lane House wanted a barn for the house.”

Tom Musco is a jack of all trades, but has a great deal of experience in timber-frame construction. When he read about the NBA’s Teamwork & Timbers program, Musco was inspired to create a model to reflect historic New England barns, “…being the husband of a school principal and someone who home-schooled his two children, [I] wanted kids in New England to have the fun of raising a barn frame.” And he has certainly been putting his model to good use! This summer, Musco has booked a handful of barn raisings, teaching children and adults alike about the region’s rural icons. “What makes the English barn unique and gives it its name is the English Tying Joint at the top of the posts. This style barn was in use since about 1200 in England and was brought to New England by the English settlers. It was built in New England until the 1850s.”

Tom Musco and his team will be raising the model at the Royalston town library in Royalston, MA, on July 18th, and again at the Timber Framers Guild conference in Burlington, VT, on August 10th.

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Saying Goodbye to a Great Friend of Old Barns: Dr. William J. Kimball (1925-2013)

Posted on May 31, 2013 by danae

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 Week in Barns: A Tale of Three Barns in PA

Posted on May 22, 2013 by danae

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!