NBA Virtual Lecture #9: “Using Pennsylvania’s Agricultural Context to Evaluate Historic Farms”

Posted on October 22, 2024 by HistoricBarns

Come join the National Barn Alliance via Zoom on November 7, 2024 at 6 pm to hear Barbara Frederick, Division Manager for Environmental Review at the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office, discuss the Pennsylvania Agricultural Context which was developed in 2013. Still one of the best agricultural contexts created in the country (find it here, Pennsylvania Agricultural History Project ) for understanding historic agriculture practices and the landscape, Barbara will discuss changes they have made over the years as well as upcoming efforts. Much of these efforts will focus on the development of guidelines for evaluating National Register eligibility associated with barn types. While focused on Pennsylvania, the methods used and developed to create the context are applicable to other states as well.

The lecture is free and open to the public.

Zoom Link: https://umw-sso.zoom.us/j/81251530160

Share Your Story with the NBA: Write for our newsletter, e-news, and blog!

Posted on February 6, 2013 by HistoricBarns

The National Barn Alliance is seeking articles and contributors for our newsletter, “The Barn Door,” our e-newsletter and our blog, “The Barn Journal.” The “The Barn Door” is bi-annual publication mailed to our membership. Articles may also be posted on here, on “The Barn Journal,” and shared via the NBA’s Facebook, Twitter, Linked In page, or Youtube channel.

We encourage individuals as well as our state and local barn preservation partners to share updates on their activities. This is an opportunity to share your successes with others working to save historic barns in their own states. Article topics must be barn-focused such as history/preservation, grant programs, kids & education, photos, art, barn facts, endangered barns, saved barns, repair tips, preservation tips, book review, surveys & studies, barn raisings, and tours. We are also taking calendar submissions for conferences, tours and events.

Submission guidelines:

– Suggested length is 300 – 600 words. Photos are highly recommended.

– Send article in a MS Word, iWorks Pages, or as text in the body of the email. Photos are preferred in .jpeg format as attachments with captions.

Articles for online publication are rolling. Submission Deadlines for the printed newsletters are:

Fall/Winter Newsletter: August 16

Spring/Summer Newsletter: March 22

Can you imagine an America without barns dotting the plains or hills? We can’t. Join us in preserving our heritage. Before it is lost. Join us.

The Doncaster Barn or Bayers Barn

Posted on February 6, 2013 by HistoricBarns

A guest post by NBA member, Jill Hotchkiss.

The old round barn just outside Twin Bridges, Montana was built in 1882 by Noah Armstrong, one of the lesser known Copper Kings, who was at that time superintendent of the Glendale smelter and discoverer of the Hecla mine in western Montana. Being from Kentucky, Armstrong had a love for horses and horse racing. He purchased the ranch in 1882 calling it the Doncaster Ranch after one of his favorite race horses. He then built a magnificent three-story round barn in which to raise and train race horses. One of the reasons he built it round was so the horses could be exercised in the winter on the indoor track on the ground floor. The ground floor also had box stalls for the horses as well as a saddle/tack room, veterinarian’s room, grain bins and office and living quarters for the jockeys or stablemen. The second story housed hay which could be fed to the horses on the ground floor, through openings or chutes on the second floor. The third floor had a large water tank which was pumped there from the well which was underneath the barn and a windmill which was atop the barn. Water could then be pumped anywhere in the barn, under pressure. There was also a freight elevator to transport the hay, grain and anything else to the second floor. This was quite a fancy barn for the day. There was even a carved horse scene above the front doors of the barn. The barn’s claim to fame, however, was raising Montana’s only Kentucky Derby winner, Spokane, who won the race in 1889. Actually, at that time in history he was the equivalent of a Triple Crown winner, the slate of races being different than they are now.

This article is published in our printed in Winter 2012 newsletter, The Barn Door.

Can you imagine an America without barns dotting the plains or hills? We can’t. Join us in preserving our heritage. Before it is lost. Join us.

Timber Framers Guild Conference October 17-21

Posted on October 8, 2012 by HistoricBarns

Timber Framers Guild is holding their 2012 Eastern Conference in Leesburg, VA in the beautiful National Conference Center from October 17 until 21.

They have an amazing program organized with diverse workshops around timber framing. Such are the offerings:

– History of Timber Framing

– Timber Framing Design with StretchUp

– Fifty Shades of Green

– Timber Framing for Commercial Construction

There will be fun activities… music, fun, and axe throwing!

The Timber Framers Guild is a partner organization with the National Barn Alliance.

A Barn with Many Questions in the Saucon Valley

Posted on September 24, 2012 by HistoricBarns

This is a guest post by Jeff Marshall, NBA Vice President.

The Saucon Valley Conservancy held its annual barn tour on September 15, 2012. The Saucon alley is located in southeastern Pennsylvania including parts of Bucks, Lehigh and Northampton counties. This year the focus of the barn tour was twentieth century barns where in the past, 18th and 19th century barns were featured. The barns included several late versions of Pennsylvania barns as one would expect to see in this region and other examples of gambrel roof barns that are typically seen in other sections of the country.

According to information compiled by Greg Huber, this barn was designed by Bethlehem architect C. F. Spangenberg in the 1920s.

I know from basic research that there are distinct varieties of framing methods related to gambrel roof barns. As someone who deals with older timber frame barns I am not that familiar with the distinctions. Any help would be appreciated.

Both of the silos have stamped tiles that read “J. M. Preston Lansing Mich.” with a series of patent dates from 1910 through 1913. A quick internet search came up with the information that the Preston Lansing Vitrified Tile Silos and Storage Bins had branch factories in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Iowa. Any additional information about the company would be appreciated.

The barn has a number of metal ventilators. I am familiar with common designs used by Louden and James, and I believe I have seen this type of filigree work on weathervanes on other ventilators, but cannot identify the company.

The farm also had another unusal structure for a Pennsylvania farm, a granary building with a transverse cupola which I believe was typically designed for a grain elevator. The interior of the structure has bins with boards that have spaces between them such as we find on corn cribs in our region. Any information on these types of buildings would also be appreciated.

If you have any information, please let me know. I can be contacted at JLMarshall1@comcast.net