Blogs

Discover stories, insights, and technical know-how from barn owners, preservationists, and OBP experts dedicated to keeping Ontario’s barns standing tall.

All things Ontario Barns

Timber Framing 101

Built from massive hand-hewn beams and assembled like wooden puzzles, Ontario’s timber-frame barns are icons of rural architecture. Unlike modern framing methods, timber framing relies on large...

Ontario’s historic barns are architectural marvels built without nails or screws, relying instead on time-tested joinery methods passed down through generations. At the heart of these structures lies...

Fading Craftsmanship

Ontario’s historic barns are masterpieces of craftsmanship, constructed without nails or modern tools. Skilled carpenters relied on mortise-and-tenon joinery, wooden pegs, and hand-hewn beams to...

Cultural Pillars

Ontario’s enduring timber-frame barns were architectural and agricultural landmarks; crafted with care, history, and purpose. Weddings, community gatherings, and seasonal festivals often took place in...

Heritage at Risk

Across Ontario, centuries-old barns are vanishing; taking rural history with them. Factors like urban sprawl, neglect, and rising property values have placed immense pressure on landowners to replace...

Barn Evolution

Ontario’s barns are physical records of the province’s agricultural journey. In the early 1800s, settlers constructed simple log barns that reflected European building traditions and made use of...

Rising Leviathans:

How 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...