Tuesday, September 02, 2014

My Summer Barn Project: Part 4

Frank and Elaine posted questions on Part 3 that I will answer here.  I do not know when the barn was originally built but from the stories related to me by my grandfather I would assume that it was somewhere around 1920.  My grandfather and grandmother purchased the farm in 1927 and the buildings were relatively new.  According to Granddad's stories there was an earlier house and barn sitting to the east of the current buildings.  The original buildings were razed with parts of them used in the construction of the current buildings.  Granddad noted on occasion that some of the log beams from the old barn had been reused in the current barn.  If that was the case some of the logs would be well over a century old.

I began the barn project the first week of June.  The photos in part one were taken at that time.  The photos for part two and three were taken over the next three weeks.  The photos in part four were all taken on June 28.  This was a day when some family and a friend gathered to give me a hand with building and hanging the replacement beams.  Thanks to Willard, Justin, Paul, and the occasional inspection by my lovely niece Amy, the day ended with all of the new beams built and secured in place.













5 comments:

Ruth Hiebert said...

Looks like there is progress and that's all that counts.

Anonymous said...

It's looking great!

Elaine said...

Looking good! Extra hands can really make a difference. Thanks for the history. I'm always glad to see one of these old barns repaired and given a new lease on life. Nothing quite as sad as one that's let to fall down. They are so much a part of our history and a way of life that's past.

FAB said...

I was very interested to see how you constructed the replacement beams.
I hope that like all good Carpenters you dated and signed at least one of them so future generations will know when you carried out this work.

Carol said...

Were the old work horse collars there or do you have a team? I used to use a team of work horses to clean the barn at a breeding farm I worked at. Love that old stuff.