Continued from Page 4
The English barn, with three isles and
a threshing fl oor, was standard until the
early 1800 s when agriculture began to
concentrate on producing less grain and
more milk and meat for city markets.
First, basements were developed to sepa-
rate animal operations from manure which
made the barn a healthier environment
for livestock. Windows and cupolas were
added to improve light and ventilation,
and soon the large second fl oor haymow
were developed. The barns now grew to
impressive size.
Barns, being purpose-built struc-
tures, are built in many diff erent shapes
and sizes and are classifi ed by their roof
design. The barn became the showpiece of
the farm, viewed with pride by the farmer.
Often, the barn was the fi rst structure built
on a new place and the family lived in the
barn until the farmer could aff ord the time
and capital outlay for a house.
By the late 1800s barn construction
became centered on milking and hay
storage with the other farm functions
housed in other, usually smaller build-
ings around the farm complex. Now barns
became large enough to be landmarks,
large enough to store enormous amounts
of loose hay and facilitate the milking of
hundreds of cows.
Advancements in technology and the
storage of hay have rendered those old
giants with the graceful lines and bright
colors useless. You can see them off the
Photos by Ron Baldwin
ABOVE: A monitor style barn in Deep River exhibits painted metal construction. BELOW: A farmstead in Tillamook.
interstates across America looking a lit-
tle haggard. The farmers weren’t willing
to repair old buildings that had no use to
them so many were demolished to make
way for new facilities. Some were re pur-
posed into homes and businesses, but
mostly they began to deteriorate and fall
prey to the elements. The scenic nature of
America began to disappear, and people
noticed.
In Oregon and Washington state, as
well as across the nation, there are con-
tinuing eff orts to secure funds for reha-
bilitating some buildings worthy of
preservation.
In 2011, the nonprofi t Restore Ore-
gon created the Heritage Barns Taskforce.
They provide a database for record keep-
ing, sponsor educational workshops for
farmers and government, off er research
and analysis tools and assist in grant or
loan preparations.
The Washington State Department of
Archeology and Historic Preservation
adopted the Heritage Barn Preservation
Grant Initiative in 2007. Nearly 100 reha-
bilitation grants have been given to heri-
tage barn owners since its inception, and
more than 700 barns are on the preserva-
tion list.
In these days of economic and social
upheaval in America, icons are important.
In the barn, perhaps no other symbol has
the power to invoke a feeling of the coun-
try’s agricultural strength, the determi-
nation and cohesiveness of its rural peo-
ple and the long-sought-after sense of
well-being that we fi nd elusive as modern
Americans.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2021 // 5