Welcome

Welcome

About Us

We are a not-for-profit organization dedicated to preserving, documenting, and promoting Ontario barns. Check out all the initiatives we have on the go!

Resources

We are always in need of support for our organization. Whether you have time to volunteer, or money to donate. Please consider getting involved with our organization!

Your Old Barn Study

A census of Ontario Barns is in progress. We have partnered with University of Guelph to undertake this enormous task! Sign up to our newsletter to keep up to date.

Barn Specia-List

Listing barn specialists, contractors, suppliers, for restoring, renovating, repairing or building barns and rural outbuildings in Ontario.

Barn Exchange

Connecting people who want barns with people who need to take them down in order to save more history! Trade, sell, or buy.

Events

See upcoming Ontario rural events: workshops, barn tours, fundraisers, historical society speakers, rural festivals, local artists, etc.

Our Blog

Get historical and technical information about barn frames, timber framing, books, contractors, engineers, architects, and more!

The Old Barn FAQ

Our Latest Posts
March 3, 2025By Emma Rutledge In this month’s blog post, we have an article written by Emma Rutledge, who is a history student at University of Guelph. Experiential learning is a great way for students to get out of the classroom and develop real-world skills informed by their studies. OBP was thrilled to partner with the University of Guelph to take a look at some familiar barns on the campus. Follow along on Emma’s experience to learn more about these historic barns! Download PDF If you read my previous blog post (Education in Eramosa: Part 1 – Exploring Farmer Tim’s Historic Barns), then you will know I am one of two students in Kim Martin’s Experiential Learning Course that is working with Ontario Barn Preservation. My last post discussed our adventure to Farmer Tim’s two nineteenth century barns, but today I am going to be talking about three new (old) barns that we have explored since then.  If you are a University of Guelph student, odds are that you have seen these three structures. Maybe you are an agricultural student and frequently travelled here for class, or maybe you were walking down the cow path admiring the horses one day and happened to have noticed three barns in the background. These are the OAC Dairy Barns, and my classmate and I were lucky enough to get the opportunity to survey them.    Upon entering the barns for the first time, I have to admit we were impressed but a little confused. As history students we wondered, where are the wooden beams? Rusty nails? The cobwebs? Although, once we were led upstairs we soon realized that above this spotless and modern barn sits a piece of history, frozen in time. These barns, although described as separate, are actually three buildings joined in a “U” shape. Prior to exploring the barns, we were informed that two of the structures are additions, the original building having been constructed in 1912. For the sake of this post, I am going to refer to them as Barns #1, #2, and #3. Barn #1, being closest to Gordon Street, was the first one we entered. It was shocking to see how grand the space is (Image 2). Some interesting details include a granary, cupolas, and a giant hay door. In terms of determining the age of all three barns, the beams are the most obvious indicator. In this barn specifically, the beams are quite thin and all of the wood appears to be in excellent shape. Our suspicions that this is a newer barn were confirmed when we entered the second structure. Image 1: Exterior of OAC Barn #1, with Barn #2 in the background, taken at Guelph University Image 2: Interior of OAC Barn #1, taken at Guelph University. Barn #2 is my favorite, and the one that we believe to be the oldest of the three (Image 3). It is the building running perpendicular that connects the other two barns. The ceilings are lower and wooden beams thicker and much less uniform in their shape and condition. This barn had a lot of interesting components, including an old conveyor belt for hay that runs down the center of the room. In addition, we found a scarf joint and mortise and tenon joints with very long pins. The roof was also significantly different in this building, obtaining more of a Gable shape, as opposed to that of a Gambrel seen in the other two.     Image 3: Interior of OAC Barn #2, taken at Guelph University. Three adorable barn cats led us (or more like they ran away from us) into the final structure, Barn #3 (Image 4). This barn appeared to be the newest and runs parallel to Barn #1. Although it is very similar to the first barn, the wooden beams had metal components, which indicates that this is a more modern structure in comparison to the other two. It includes an interesting collection of small storage rooms or stalls that create a partial divide in the room. Image 4: Interior of OAC Barn #3, taken at Guelph University. It was incredible getting the chance to explore these barns on our own and investigate them. It has really inspired me to research more about how they have evolved over the last one hundred years. When you are in the space you can tell that these barns have such rich history that I believe should definitely be preserved and shared. I think people would really take an interest in them if they knew what was hidden away in these lofts.  Also, can we talk about how amazing these hay lofts would be as student housing?! If the University is reading this, I think the Aggies need a new residence… I’m thinking rustic chic? To all OBP blog readers: If you have not already done so, please support Ontario Barn Preservation, a not-for-profit, volunteer-run organization – by becoming a member!  If you are interested in the business of repairing, reconstructing, engineering, designing, old barns please consider advertising your amazing skills on our Barn Special-List.  If you own an old barn that you would like to offer to someone else, or you are hoping to obtain one for your own project, make use of our Barn Exchange page.  If you own an old barn and would like to save it in the virtual world for future barn lovers, historians and researchers, check out our Your Old Barn Study page.     And please send us your own barn story, photos and/or art for submission as an OBP blog post, for education and enjoyment, at: info@ontariobarnpreservation.com Related posts: Education in Eramosa:  A Great Drive to See Log Barns   Traditional Barns in Quebec:    Part 2 of 2   [...]Read more...
February 10, 2025Part 1 – Exploring Farmer Tim’s Historic Barns Written by Emma Rutledge Foreword written and edited by Mikayla Barney In this month’s blog post, we have an article written by Emma Rutledge, who is a history student at University of Guelph. Experiential learning is a great way for students to get out of the classroom and develop real-world skills informed by their studies. OBP was thrilled to partner with the University of Guelph to do a survey on Farmer Tim’s barn in Eramosa, Ontario. Follow along on Emma’s experience to learn more about historic barns!    Download PDF Earlier this month in June 2023, I had the pleasure of walking through two beautiful barns in Eramosa, Wellington County. This tour, guided by OBP’s President, Hugh Fraser, marked the beginning of a 12-week Experiential Learning course I and one other student were participating in this summer at the University of Guelph.  We were given the task of collecting data from barns across Ontario in an effort to preserve their histories. We used a survey developed by Hugh, professor Kimberly Martin, Randy Bagg, and 3 former students to conduct the research. The introduction to this process began on June 10, when we were given the exciting opportunity to visit the property of Farmer Tim.  Photograph of Tim May’s large post and beam barn in Eramosa, Ontario, Canada. Taken in June 2023. When we arrived at Tim’s property, one of Ontario’s 3,213 active dairy farms, we were immediately greeted by his animals. A curious Belted Galloway, an acrobatic cat and 2 fainting goats who were luckily not spooked by our presence! Although I predict the dairy barns in which Farmer Tim operates will one day be admired for their longevity, it was the 2 barns on his neighbouring property that were of particular interest to us.  Inside one of the barns at Farmer Tim’s property in Eramosa, Ontario, Canada. Taken in June 2023. The first barn we tackled was the largest and youngest of the two, likely constructed between 1850 and 1899. As seen in the photo, this structure has a heavy timber frame with a lower-level stable that still houses cattle to this day.  The first settler in Eramosa Township, John Harris, built a small shanty in 1821, followed by Col. Henry Strange in 1840. It wasn’t until the 1850’s that an agricultural community in this region started to form. This barn, in the excellent condition which it stands, offers us a remarkable example of an early settler barn.  During our visit, we admired its interior and learned from Hugh, the original function of each space. As someone who has very little experience with barns (for now!) I found it fascinating to get a chance to see the granary, as well as the old hayfork and trolley. As we stood in the barn immersed in the history of these old rooms, I couldn’t help but wonder what it might have looked like – in its hay day. Our tour through the first barn was all about getting familiar with common features and learning how to navigate the survey. It was great to have Hugh there sharing his wisdom, but also comforting to know that the images and descriptions provided in the survey will be a helpful guide when we eventually take on the challenge independently. The scavenger hunt continued when we entered the second barn, confirmed by Farmer Tim to have likely been built around 1840. Although challenging to determine the exact purpose of each room, our search for clues led to some interesting findings, including antique hardware and some embrasures found on the stone walls of the barn.  (Image, left) Wood cladding of original wall. (Image, right) The Outside of Farmer Tim’s oldest barn built in 1840, including stone addition. Barn embrasures are narrow, vertical slit openings in a stone wall to allow some air ventilation exchange. This stone structure piqued our interest the most. Initially we assumed it was the oldest part of the barn, but with some investigation we realized that it might have been an addition to the red timber frame structure. In the photo you can see where Hugh was able to find possible fragments of the original cladding on the outer wall of the red timber frame, where it met the stone addition. By peeling back the layers and looking closer, we were able to gain some insights into this barn’s evolution through time. These observations of physical traits reveal more about the history of the barn and the region. Further research and digging reveals that these barns are similar to the Pennsylvania Barn, a type of barn design brought over by German-American settlers between the 1790’s and 1900’s. This design featured a banked location with a protruding second story forebay which overhangs the first floor. These barns often have stone foundations with stone gable ends. Often these barns were built on slopes, of which many could be found in Wellington. Feed was stored above and dropped from the overhang to a sheltered feedlot outside.  (Image, Above) Wellington County History, Volume 12 1999, article by Greg Oaks. Barns In Wellington. Pen and ink sketch by Susan Strachan Johnson. (Image Below) Photograph of Tim May’s large post and beam barn in Eramosa, Ontario, Canada. Taken in June 2023. After completing both surveys, we all gained a lot of valuable experience not only exploring barns, but also conducting the survey. Although we still have a lot to learn, I feel much more confident in the process. I look forward to visiting more of these incredible buildings and meeting the people who are actively contributing to their rich history, and now preservation!  Thank you for reading OBP’s Blog! If you are interested in learning more about historic barns, you can follow us on Instagram as @ontbarn Sources: Government of Canada. Number of farms, dairy cows and dairy heifers. Accessed January 2025. https://agriculture.canada.ca/en/sector/animal-industry/canadian-dairy-information-centre/dairy-statistics-and-market-information/farm-statistics/number-farms-dairy-cows-and-dairy-heifers   Guelph/Eramosa Township. History of Guelph/Eramosa. Accessed January 2025.  https://www.get.on.ca/history-township/township-logo Greg Oaks. Barns in Wellington. Wellington County History. Volume 12, 1999. Accessed January 2025. https://eservices.wellington.ca/Museum.JournalAndEssays/FileUploads/Volume%2012_text_images.pdf Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission. Barn Construction. Accessed January 2025.  https://www.phmc.state.pa.us/portal/communities/architecture/features/barn-construction.html#:~:text=The%20Pennsylvania%20Barn%2C%20a%20type,foundations%20with%20stone%20gable%20ends.  Wikipedia. Pennsylvania Barn. Accessed January 2025. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennsylvania_barn To all OBP blog readers: If you have not already done so, please support not-for-profit, volunteer-run, Ontario Barn Preservation by becoming a member! Also, if you are in the business of repairing, reconstructing, engineering, designing, etc. old barns, please consider advertising your amazing skills on our Barn Specia-List. If you own an old barn that you would like to offer to someone else, or you are hoping to obtain one for your own project, make use of our Barn Exchange page. If you own an old barn and would like to save it in the virtual world for future old barn lovers, historians and researchers, check out our Your Old Barn Study page. And please send us your own barn story, photos and/or art for submission as a OBP blog posting for the enjoyment and education of all barn lovers! info@ontariobarnpreservation.com Related posts: Rising Leviathans: The Old Barn Model: The Final Product (Part 3 of 3) The Old Barn Model: A Serendipitous Encounter (Part 1 of 3) [...]Read more...
January 5, 2025How Barn Poetry Can Uncover Canadian History By Mikayla Barney, OBP Member and Volunteer Repurposing can come in many forms. The literary legacy of a structure can be just as important as the real thing. At Ontario Barn Preservation, we aim to preserve old barns, their architecture, cultural history and contribution to our rural landscape. Author of the book Age of Barns (1967), Eric Sloane wrote that the building knowledge of barns was historically passed down from one generation to another – not unlike an oral history. Going back further, the word “barn” was first recorded in 500 AD, meaning “a place for barley.” It combines the old English word bere (barley) and aern (place). Other old English terms are “place for storing” or “resting place.”   If we unpack this definition further, a barn is a place for growth and rest. Not just for grains but maybe for the soul as well. And what medium is better at doing this than poetry? One of the first Canadian records of the word “barn” in a poem was written in 1884, by poet Isabella Valancy Crawford. Originally born in Dublin, Ireland, it was a chance encounter with Richard Strickland that introduced Crawford to other known literary legends, like Susanna Moodie and Catherine Carr Traill. While living in the backwoods of Canada, she wrote her poem “Malcolm’s Katie: A Love Story.”  A small snippet of her poem can be found below: Well, he is rich; those misty, peak-roofed barns- Leviathans rising from red seas of grain- Are full of ingots shaped like grains of wheat. His flocks have golden fleeces, and his herds Have monarchs worshipful as was the calf Aaron called from the furnace; and his plows, Like Genii chained, snort o’er his mighty fields. … The memory swings between the ‘then’ and ‘now.’ His seldom speech ran thus two different ways: “When I was but a laddie, thus I did”; Or, “Katie, in the fall I’ll see to build Such fences or such sheds about the place; And new year, please the Lord, another barn.” Grey County Barn Raising Regardless of any critical or political opinions of the poem, it is a great historical reference point to further understand what was happening in Canada at that specific point in time. In 1884 when the poem was published, many big changes were happening in Canada. Indigenous issues were emerging more than ever, as Louis Riel was returning from exile. Women were finally given the right to study at Toronto University. And farmer institutes were being established, offering an optimistic outlook on the future of agriculture. Somewhere between Peterborough and Lakefield, Crawford might have looked out on the rural landscape and taken empowerment and comfort in the structure and simplicity of a rural barn during those changing times.       The poem also reveals more descriptively what a barn was used for in rural Ontario in the Victorian Era. Following the wheat-boom, the 1880s saw traditional crops like wheat and barley begin to dwindle. Wheat only amounted to 19% of farmland, whereas fodder crops saw 38% of that land. By the early 1900s, live animals, meat and dairy products took rise and left those golden fleeces in the dust.   It’s fascinating how a simple barn poem can offer a backdrop of insight into history, if we are only willing to spend the time to dismantle it. This poem is only one example of the woven stories that barns can tell. To cap off the beginning of 2025, I encourage you to read some barn poetry from the list I have compiled below.  And to quote Crawford herself; a new year, another barn. Charles G. D. Roberts. “The Oat Threshing.” 1860-1943. Libraries and Archives Canada.    Charles G. D. Roberts. “In an Old Barn.” 2003. New Brunswick Literature Curriculum in English. Lorette C. Luzajic. “Barn.” Niagara Falls Poetry Project. Christopher Dewdney. “November.” 1994. Canadian Poetry Online, University of Toronto. Carol A. Stephen. “If I Leave.” 2016. Silver Birch Press. Sources:      Nesmith, Tom. 1874-1910. Pen and Plough at Ontario Agricultural College. Archivaria 19 (Winter 1984-85). Women’s Suffrage in Ontario: An Educational Resource. Legislative Assembly of Ontario. Crawford, Isabella Valancy. Malcolm’s Katie: A Love Story. Libraries and Archives Canada. 1884. Oxford English Dictionary. Barn. Accessed October 2024. Evergreen Bend Farm. What is a Barn? Accessed October 2024. Wikipedia. Barn. Accessed October 2024. Related posts: Canadian Barn Reference Book List A Great Drive to See Log Barns   The Old Barn Model: The Final Product (Part 3 of 3) [...]Read more...
December 1, 2024Contributed by Claudia Smith Secretary OBP If you are a barn lover who likes reading about old barns – their history, their important place in the Canadian economy over the decades and the fine craftsmanship of their construction – this reference list of Canadian barn books and articles will be invaluable. The list was compiled from the books on the shelves of the barn lovers and advocates on the Board of Ontario Barn Preservation. There is an expanded list of barn related books by international authors on the OBP website under Resources. This wonderful comprehensive is often called the Bible of barn books. Canadian Barn Reference Book List Arthur, Eric & D. Whitney. (1972) The Barn, A Vanishing Landmark in North America. Toronto, McClelland & Stewart. Hard-covered, 10.5 x 11.75 x 1 inch, 256 pages, mostly black and white photos, with a few colour photos. Considered the “Bible” (1964) of barn books, since written so early and done so well. Beatty Barn Book,  #s 1-30+ (1920’s, 1930’s) Copyright Beatty Bro. Ltd, Fergus, Ontario. Blake, V.B. & R. Grenhill. (1969) Rural Ontario. Toronto, University of Toronto Press. Carter, John C. “Barn  Raising,” Community Heritage Ontario News (Dec. 2002) Carter, John C. “Barns: Our Disappearing Heritage,” Cobourg and District Historical Society Review (2002/2003), Vol. 20. John C. Carter. “Barns: Our Vanishing Rural Heritage: Something to Ponder,” The Heritage Gazette of the Trent Valley, August, 2006, v. 11, #2. John C. Carter. “Barn Raising, Not Razing: Thoughts on preserving our vanishing rural heritage,” Architectural Conservancy Ontario Acorn (Fall, 2014)  John C. Carter. “Reverence for Our Vanishing Rural Heritage,” Wayback Times, September, 2018, #136. John C. Carter, “Saving Our Rural Heritage: Some Strategies to Ponder,” Bruce County Historical Society Historical Notes Yearbook Edition, 2014. Cameron, William. “Great Barns,” Maclean’s, December, 1972. Pages 40-43. Endersby, Elric & Greenwood, Alexander & Lark, David. (1992) Barn –The Art of a Working Building. Houghton Mifflin Company. A good mix of artistic and technical information – a very comprehensive book about the world’s best loved buildings. Ennals, Peter M. (1968) “The Development of Barns Types in Southern Ontario During the 19th Century,”  M.A. Thesis University of Toronto. Ennals, Peter M. “Nineteenth-Century Barns in Southern Ontario,” Canadian Geographer, 1972, Vol.16. Fraser, Hugh W. (2019) Swing Beam Barns of Niagara  Stories of 50 Barns Built in Ontario Circa 1819–1884. (2019) St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. Published by Hugh W. Fraser. ISBN#: 978-1-77136-800-1. Hard-covered, 10 x 12 x 1 inch, 253 pages, colour photos and schematics, stories with imagined dialogue between barn owners and family/friends about something going on locally when the barns are being built. Barn owners witness and participate in history as it unfolds around them. Guillet, Edwin C. (1969) Early Life in Upper Canada, Toronto, University of Toronto Press. Guillet, Edwin C. (1963)  The Pioneer Farmer and Backwoodsman,   Volumes 1 & 2  Toronto, University of Toronto Press. Reference for helping to understand farm activities and processes which influenced barn             structures. Halsted, Bryon D. “In the Cathedrals of the Fields,” Canadian Heritage, August September 1984. Hainstock, Bob. (1985) Barns of Western Canada, An illustrated Century, Victoria, B.C., Braemar Books Ltd. Jones, Robert L. (1977) History of Agriculture in Ontario 1613-1880, Toronto, U. of T. Press. “Great reference book for farm happenings that affected barn building.” Ladell, John & Monica ‘Inheritance’ Ontario’s Century Farms, Past & Present ISBN1-55002-008-0. Lush, Laura. Swing Beam: My Father’s story of Life on a farm and the Barns He Loved and Lost, (2013) Toronto, Ontario, Life Rattle Press. Martin, Brenda. Memories of the Farm. (Farms of North Frontenac- details and photos of 78 barns) Martin, Virgil. (1988) Changing Landscapes of Southern Ontario, Erin, Ontario, Boston Mills Press. McIlwraith, Thomas E. Looking for Old Ontario. Ouellette, Edwin. The Pioneer and Backwoodsman. Pullin, Martyn G. (2004) Life in the Country: A View From One Hundred Years Ago. Tanner Ritchie Publishing. Hard-covered, 8.5 x 12 x 0.75 inch, 171 pages, a collection of black and white photos taken by Stephen Sylvester Main after 1890, mostly about rural life around Sheffield, Ontario. Radojkovic, Jon. (2001) Barns of the Queen’s Bush, Port Elgin, Brucedale Press. (Soft-covered, 143 pages, black and white photos and schematics.) Radojkovic, Jon. (2007) Barn Building: The Golden Age of Barn Construction. The Boston Mills Press. (Hard-covered, 192 pages, colour photos) Rempel, John I. (1967) Building With Wood And Other Aspects of Nineteenth-Century Building in Central Canada. Toronto. U. of T. Press.  (454 pages, black and white photos and schematics, a lot of text.) Smith, Claudia. (2015) Barns A Reflection of Changing Times, Published by Claudia Smith. ISBN 978-0-9948967-0-4. Features barns of eastern Ontario with a special focus on Lanark County – a comprehensive look at the “heart of the farm,” the structure and uses of barns, complete with barn histories, anecdotes and over 200 new and vintage photographs. Town of Minto Heritage Association, The Barns of Minto Township, Wellington County, Volume I,  Harriston, Kimbal Printing Ltd., 2007, Volume II, Harriston, Kimbal Printing Ltd., 2008 Walton, Cathy Johnston. (2019) Vanishing Barns: Remembering the Gentle Giants through Photographs, Stories, Diaries and Genealogy, Published by Rose Printing Please let us know if you have a Canadian barn book which is not included above!!! To all OBP blog readers: If you have not already done so, please support not-for-profit, volunteer-run, Ontario Barn Preservation by becoming a member! Also, if you are in the business of repairing, reconstructing, engineering, designing, etc. old barns, please consider advertising your amazing skills on our Barn Specia-List. If you own an old barn that you would like to offer to someone else, or you are hoping to obtain one for your own project, make use of our Barn Exchange page. If you own an old barn and would like to save it in the virtual world for future old barn lovers, historians and researchers, check out our Your Old Barn Study page. And please send us your own barn story, photos and/or art for submission as a OBP blog posting for the enjoyment and education of all barn lovers! info@ontariobarnpreservation.com Related posts: The Old Barn Model: The Final Product (Part 3 of 3) The Old Barn Model: The Swing Beam Barn and Its Challenges (Part 2 of 3) Barn Specia-List is live [...]Read more...
October 30, 2024PRESENCES INSPIRE PRESERVATION by Peter Roe It has often been noted that ghosts haunt any location where life has existed, be it a house, a hospital, a prison, an asylum, a battleground or a theatre. In 2018 The Searcher Group showed the world evidence that even Town Halls were not immune to phantom presences. So it should come as no surprise that farm properties – including barn structures – are also not exceptional in terms of being ghost-free. Over the course of an 18-month long intensive investigation of a rural Ontario property,* members of The Searcher Group became quite familiar with the residents of an ages-old barn, lurking inside and out of it. Beginning with a game-changing photograph of a young male face thrusting itself into an investigator’s camera lens, to shadowy human figures inspecting the team’s parked cars, to disembodied footfalls in the abandoned loft, our experiences with barn ghosts were numerous, but more importantly, fascinating and uniquely educational in terms of a deeper appreciation of the area’s history. A fog/mist out of thin air, a spectral image of the Scotsman wearing his tam although difficult to see is within the fog. By carefully and respectfully documenting ghosts, a serious research team is forced to delve into our collective past in order to learn why some humans have opted to remain past the expiration of their bodies. Acknowledging those who have gone before us all by sharing their stories serves to enrich our culture and understanding of our young country’s origins; in The Searcher Group’s case, one long-term investigation* actually rectified the history of an age-old property! When one considers how much use barn structures endure throughout their existence, is it any wonder that people who spent a great deal of their physical time on earth inside them might return once again in spirit? Though not likely as highly active as a hospital setting, barns too have been locations of genuine joy, deep sorrow and even quiet contemplation – meaningful, powerful emotions that tend to invite our spirit memories back to recall, both while alive and sometimes even after death. There are many stories from our past yet to be discovered and the preservation of Ontario’s barns ensures that someday we may have a chance to learn from them. Peter Roe is the Assistant Director of The Searcher Group (est. 1979) and Director of Mortal Coil Paranormal. He is the author of Haunted Town Halls and co-author of an upcoming book with Searcher Group founder and author, Richard Palmisano. To all OBP blog readers: If you have not already done so, please support not-for-profit, volunteer-run, Ontario Barn Preservation by becoming a member! Also, if you are in the business of repairing, reconstructing, engineering, designing, etc. old barns, please consider advertising your amazing skills on our Barn Specia-List. If you own an old barn that you would like to offer to someone else, or you are hoping to obtain one for your own project, make use of our Barn Exchange page. If you own an old barn and would like to save it in the virtual world for future old barn lovers, historians and researchers, check out our Your Old Barn Study page. And please send us your own barn story, photos and/or art for submission as a OBP blog posting for the enjoyment and education of all barn lovers! info@ontariobarnpreservation.com Related posts: Haunted Barns! Part 1 A Great Drive to See Log Barns   Traditional Barns in Quebec:     Part 1  of 2             [...]Read more...
October 14, 2024by Richard Palmisano. Nothing defines a farm from any other property then that of the majestic barn. The command-and-control centre for any operating farm, be it, to store, repair or prepare equipment, house yields from the crops or shelter livestock, it is a place where a great deal of time is spent. And where a lot of time is spent and a great deal of human energy is expelled, they can like any other building become haunted. Now when I say “haunted” most people automatically conjure up images of late-night television and frightening things that go bump in the dark. However, most hauntings are simply people that have a deep connection with a place, that have loved, lived, toiled, and cried over a patch of land and a building or buildings that they felt proud of and a strong sense of belonging. As a paranormal investigator I can tell you ghosts and history are synonymous, and barns are no different. Barn near Georgetown, built in the 1840s, the subject of a 18 month investigation. Many things were discovered there. The barn exterior photographed using a full spectrum camera. It was early in the history of the property being owned by an immigrant from Scotland at the time, who still remains present. He was found to be ever watchful, a protector and not very pleasant. He is not alone, we also discovered several other spirits there, 2 men that had worked the farm, a woman and a young boy who enjoys playing games and is inquisitive of anything or anyone new. Pistol along side a meter for measuring Electromagnetic waves on the floor of the loft. A blue/purple energy of unknown origin tracks down from the ceiling. Not all hauntings are the same, each one carries underlying reasons, in this case there are many unsolved mysteries hidden here and thus is mostly the cause of the activity. The men have secrets and work to keep them silent, where the woman and child are trying to tell a story which would include sharing some of those secrets, which of course causes a conflict, conflict means higher ghostly activity. One such mystery was the discovery of a hidden gun on the property, although we could not determine if it was ever used in a crime, the spirits there seemed to be very interested in it, due to some connection. British Bull Dog 32 caliber pistol found hidden on the property. The other item found was a small cross which we were directly asked not to remove from the barn, it was left as it was found in the loft. Unknown history remains around every corner, just waiting for us to discover it, most times simply by asking. Richard Palmisano is the Director of The Searcher Group, Canada’s oldest paranormal research company Established in 1979. To all OBP blog readers: If you have not already done so, please support not-for-profit, volunteer-run, Ontario Barn Preservation by becoming a member! Also, if you are in the business of repairing, reconstructing, engineering, designing, etc. old barns, please consider advertising your amazing skills on our Barn Specia-List. If you own an old barn that you would like to offer to someone else, or you are hoping to obtain one for your own project, make use of our Barn Exchange page. If you own an old barn and would like to save it in the virtual world for future old barn lovers, historians and researchers, check out our Your Old Barn Study page. And please send us your own barn story, photos and/or art for submission as a OBP blog posting for the enjoyment and education of all barn lovers! info@ontariobarnpreservation.com Related posts: A Great Drive to See Log Barns   Traditional Barns in Quebec:    Part 2 of 2   Preserving Old Ontario Barns in the On-Line World: PART 2 OF 5, What’s an old barn, and why are they difficult to document? [...]Read more...
September 3, 2024by Jon Radojkovic Radojkovic, OBP Director I was happy when I saw the first log barn. I had expected to see some but after driving six hours from Grey County towards Renfrew through beautiful, mostly hilly forest covered country, with a scattering of timber frame barns, this was the first log barn. It wasn’t the last either. We were driving to visit our son and his wife in Ottawa, and I took mostly secondary roads to get there. I saw at least a dozen log barns in varying conditions on Highway 132 between Dacre and Renfrew, a 30 kilometer distance. If you are near there or are driving to Ottawa, take this route, it’s amazing for a lovely drive and great log barn viewing. I had been to Eastern Ontario before and knew there were still many log barns, from being used for livestock to crumbling into the ground. There are a couple of theories I had thought of as to why log barns still existed in this part of Ontario. The area I am talking about is between Bancroft and Renfrew, below Algonquin Park and almost to the Ottawa River. First, the land is very rough, with the Canadian Shield popping out in different places and the soil being mostly thin. Pioneer farmers who came here found out pretty quickly that after a few years of harvests, the soil’s fertility petered out. Secondly, these areas were some of the last to be settled by European immigrants. The best lands, along the St. Lawrence River and then on to the Lakes Erie, Ontario and Huron, were taken up quickly. As more immigrants poured in, the more northern parts of Eastern Ontario were given out by the government of the day. Some of the farms remained but for the most part, didn’t make enough income to build the more costly timber frame barns. Take a road map out of Ontario, or even better Eastern Ontario. Look at this region and wherever you see a few grids of roads, well, that was most probably a pocket of good land and more barns.  A couple of more examples in that region of log barn are areas east of Almonte (Mississippi Mills) and northeast of Bancroft. Hope you have a chance to see these barns, but remember, pull over safely, respect privacy and have fun! To all OBP blog readers: If you have not already done so, please support not-for-profit, volunteer-run, Ontario Barn Preservation by becoming a member! Also, if you are in the business of repairing, reconstructing, engineering, designing, etc. old barns, please consider advertising your amazing skills on our Barn Specia-List. If you own an old barn that you would like to offer to someone else, or you are hoping to obtain one for your own project, make use of our Barn Exchange page. If you own an old barn and would like to save it in the virtual world for future old barn lovers, historians and researchers, check out our Your Old Barn Study page. And please send us your own barn story, photos and/or art for submission as a OBP blog posting for the enjoyment and education of all barn lovers! info@ontariobarnpreservation.com Related posts: Traditional Barns in Quebec:    Part 2 of 2   Traditional Barns in Quebec:     Part 1  of 2             Preserving Old Ontario Barns in the On-Line World: PART 2 OF 5, What’s an old barn, and why are they difficult to document? [...]Read more...
August 12, 2024by Diana Macdonald While doing research in The Canada Farmer, a fortnightly news journal printed in Toronto, from 1864 (slowing working my way through each issue), I have found detailed information on early barns in Upper Canada that I thought might be of interest to OBP. I have transcribed pertinent sections below:  1 March 1864: RURAL ARCHITECTURE. We hope to be of service to our readers in this department of farm management, by publishing, from time to time, plans of barns and other structure adding thereto such descriptions, hints and suggestions, as may help in the actual business of building. In the accompanying illustration, we give a design for a barn-yard of moderate size, and of simple arrangement. The barn has a stone-walled basement on three sides, which may be used for stabling or cellarage. Twelve feet from the front of the building is a wall with doors and windows in it, and in front of the wall is a shelter for stock. Two sheds in the form of wings are run out to any desired length on either side. The body of the barn is built of wood above the basement, and is supposed to be 60×46 feet; the posts 18 feet above the sills, the sides covered with boards laid vertically, and battened with narrow strips 3 inches wide. The roof spreads 3 to 4 feet over the body of the barn; a ventilator crowns the ridge and is at once useful and ornamental; a circular-slatted blind window is in each gable; there are double large doors in each end, to admit the passage of a team and waggon, and there is a single door on the yard side. The interior arrangements can be modified according to taste. A main floor about 12 feet wide should run through the centre of the barn, and at suitable places in it there may be a couple of traps for letting hay, straw, or roots down into the basement. A bay for hay storage may occupy the greater part or all of one side of the building, a grain mow, granary, and storage-room the other. An ample passage should be left leading to the side-door, to throw out litter. If horse stabling is desired on the main floor, a portion of the space can be devoted to that purpose. Movable sleepers or poles may be laid across the floor 10 feet above on a line of girts framed into the main posts for that purpose, over which, when the sides of the barn are full, hay or gain may be stacked up to the roof. Similar accommodation may also be provided over the granary, storage room, or stable. If the demands of the crops require it, after the rest of the barn is filled, a portion of the floor itself may be used for packing away hay or grain, a plan which, though it involves some trouble in getting a waggon in and out, it is better than stacking out. In the basement much room for cattle, calves, etc. may be had, or if underground stabling is deemed objectionable, the basement can be chiefly devoted to roots, and a portion in a convenient place partitioned off as a manure cellar. The ample shedding will furnish space for a line of racks or mangers for outside cattle or sheep, as well as protection for the waggons, and other implements which ought never to be left exposed to the weather. The sheds may be carried higher than in our plans, and floored overhead, so that hay or other food may be stored in them for stock. A driving way is built up to the barn-doors at the ends. This needs not be expensive, especially if the barn will be located, as it is desirable it should be, if possible, on a shelving piece of ground, or slope, which will admit of a basement without much excavation, and a roadway without a high embankment. Of course as it respects size, arrangement, and all the details, the proprietor can use his own judgement and taste. Our aim is to simply to give a general idea, which can be altered and improved upon as circumstances may seem to require, and mean permit. 15 March 1864: RURAL ARCHITECTURE – BARNS. When barns are scattered about the farm some thirty yards from each other, and as many more from the house, it pays better to move and arrange them in a more convenient manner, as the time would soon amount to enough to pay all expenses, to say nothing of what better care the stock will receive when near the house, than they used to at the further barn. Also, it pays to put a good stone wall (laid up with mortar) under every frame building, except corn-houses and cheese-houses, which should stand upon posts set solid in the ground, with a large tin pan bottom side up placed upon the top of every post to prevent mice and rats running up. Remember and have the mason leave several small holes at the top of the wall to let the air in; for if closed tight it will cause the sill and sleepers to decay. When you build a bridge in front of the large doors, of stone and dirt, do not put any dirt near the sill, as the water from the roof will soon cause decay. I believe thousands of dollars are waster in this way every year. Remedy – build your bridge of dirt or stone within 2 feet of the doors and place a stick of lumber four inches from the sill, and four short pieces from sill to embankment, and place two planks upon this foundation, and your sill will not decay here before it does anywhere else. Do not nail a board on the front side of the sill where the doors are, as this will cause decay. – Colonial Farmer To all OBP blog readers: If you have not already done so, please support not-for-profit, volunteer-run, Ontario Barn Preservation by becoming a member! Also, if you are in the business of repairing, reconstructing, engineering, designing, etc. old barns, please consider advertising your amazing skills on our Barn Specia-List. If you own an old barn that you would like to offer to someone else, or you are hoping to obtain one for your own project, make use of our Barn Exchange page. If you own an old barn and would like to save it in the virtual world for future old barn lovers, historians and researchers, check out our Your Old Barn Study page. And please send us your own barn story, photos and/or art for submission as a OBP blog posting for the enjoyment and education of all barn lovers! info@ontariobarnpreservation.com Related posts: The Old Barn Model: The Final Product (Part 3 of 3) A Farmer’s Tasks in Winters Past: Some Reflections and Advice: Part 5 of 5 A Farmer’s Tasks in Winters Past: Some Reflections and Advice: Part 3 of 5 [...]Read more...
July 2, 2024By John Busch, OBP Regional Rep. for Middlesex, Elgin, Chatham-Kent, Essex, and Lambton. (Includes London, Strathroy, and St. Thomas) I have often remembered conversations among farmers about the old days when they exchanged labour and equipment on a sharing basis.  For example, in my younger days on the farm, I remember our threshing machine which would do our threshing, with the help of a few neighbours, and then dad would hit the road to do the threshing for the farmers who did not have a threshing machine.  I seem to remember he threshed first for the farmers who had already provided help with our threshing.  On the days that the threshing happened on our farm, the tractor and machine were only shut down for mealtimes, and the kitchen was full of hungry men.  My job in those days was to keep the grain flowing in the granary. I never really thought much of how they kept records of who helped whom and when, it just somehow happened.  I would suppose everyone kept written notes about who worked for whom, and how much the neighbour owed Dad in cash for threshing their crop after subtracting the labour for our own threshing.   Later in my life, when I became more interested in barns in this province, I learned to start snooping around the barns for notes and records and found that they could be in the strangest places. For example,  I found my grandfather’s initials carved in the threshing floor wall on the smoothest lumber in the barn.  Those initials would have been dated in the early 1900s and incidentally, I had to take the photo of the initials from the stable floor as some of the threshing floor had caved in.  Another barn I was in recently had initials outlined by nail heads in the posts on each side of the threshing floor. The most interesting barn in which I found informal records was one not far from the second barn I mentioned. The granary was on the second floor, as is often the case, and it was a low-light situation.  We could see a caricature of a pig, curly tail, and all on the lower right of the wall  I grabbed this first photo of the wall as I suspected there was more information on the wall. If you look carefully, you can see the drawing of the pig.  Once I viewed the photo on my computer, I could see lots of other information.  By playing with the shading, contrast, and other settings, the rest of the information on the boards started to jump out.  When I look at the shaded photo, I can see areas where they recorded using tally marks, at times as many as 65.  They also recorded the numbers 6250 and 6995,  1333 plus 150= 1483, 182R for example.  Then I can make out ‘S W’ 1923 and later on, it looks like two signatures, one was ‘S White’ and the second one ‘Bill Stevens’, again 1923 is recorded.  On the lower right, we can really see the drawing of the pig, quite realistic actually,  and beneath it I would describe what looks like a side of beef.  Beneath that,  I can see the line ‘Killed at Chatham, (maybe a month and day but nearly illegible) 1925’, or it may be 1923 also. To reconstruct this, it looks like two farmers were part of what happened on this farm at least in 1923/25, and they kept track of perhaps acres, bags of grain, and hours owed, but they were also tracking butchered animals.  Chatham is only a few miles North of this location so it would perhaps make sense that they had the animals slaughtered in Chatham, and these two guys did the rest of the butchering on the farm.  I think this was common in the old days, sharing the butchering and the proceeds, as one family could not keep that amount of meat from spoiling for very long.  On a side note, I remember on our farm there was a lean-to on the North side of one building that had piles of sawdust on the floor, and the explanation was that it was the icehouse of old.  It follows that they kept any items that could spoil buried in the sawdust with the chunks of ice they buried in there during the winter.  I have no idea how long it kept but I think not very long. The current owner of this last barn advises there was a family that lived across the road at one time by the name of White and a Stevens who lived less than a mile away, so it was very likely they shared some of the work by working together until their families grew up. On the last photo, where I really cropped the first photo, I concentrated on the bottom portion where the most dominant signatures were.  You can see many tally marks, likely scratched with a nail, the two animals, and the line about ‘Killed in Chatham’.  I have no doubts about the pig drawing as there is a bit of detail there, and it took a while to figure out the side of beef, but I believe I came to the correct conclusion.  I think most of this work was done with a pencil. It tells one that we should be looking for clues in the barn, mostly in likely places, but sometimes in unlikely places, like a post.  If nothing else, it may point to a date. When I go in a barn, I often just explore before I start to record.  I spend time looking for records, initials, and writing, (one barn with a stencilled painted name that the owner had never seen in the past) and I just collect the information first so I can have a really good look at home on a larger screen.  It is hard to decipher the names and information at times, but if it is properly recorded, one can spend time on it at their leisure.  Using a digital camera is perfect for this as you can bring all kinds of software into play to help decipher the wall. I always take a flashlight with me now, so I don’t miss anything in the dark corners. Enjoy exploring your barns. To all OBP blog readers: If you have not already done so, please support not-for-profit, volunteer-run, Ontario Barn Preservation by becoming a member! Also, if you are in the business of repairing, reconstructing, engineering, designing, etc. old barns, please consider advertising your amazing skills on our Barn Specia-List. If you own an old barn that you would like to offer to someone else, or you are hoping to obtain one for your own project, make use of our Barn Exchange page. If you own an old barn and would like to save it in the virtual world for future old barn lovers, historians and researchers, check out our Your Old Barn Study page. And please send us your own barn story, photos and/or art for submission as a OBP blog posting for the enjoyment and education of all barn lovers! info@ontariobarnpreservation.com Related posts: The Old Barn Model: The Final Product (Part 3 of 3) The Old Barn Model: The Swing Beam Barn and Its Challenges (Part 2 of 3) The Old Barn Model: A Serendipitous Encounter (Part 1 of 3) [...]Read more...