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

GREY COUNTY BARN

Here is a great example of a typical Grey County barn, one that I have passed by many times in my travels around Chatsworth municipality. I recently spent a few hours examining this barn and...

How to Maintain your Barn

6 simple ways to ensure more longevity out of your barn without big investments Water is one of the worst enemies of your barn. Water can get everywhere and if it can’t get out or dry out it will...

Photo Documenting Barns

To be clear, I am definitely no professional when it comes to photography and I welcome anyone more camera savvy to please contribute corrections and/or commentary. That said, I have...

How Olde Is My Barn?

So you have one of Ontario’s heritage barns and you’d like to know how old it is. Well, did you check the municpal office for a copy of the building permit? No luck eh. It’s hard now to even...

A Reverence for Ontario’s Rapidly Vanishing Rural, Built Heritage; Some Reflections

By: John C. Carter Introduction: The late American author and historian Eric Sloane is well known for his written works dealing with reverence for the past. His books have helped to provide a record...

BARN RAISING

When we look at century old barns in Ontario, it’s a wonder how they built these massive structures without any kind of modern machinery we take for granted today. Well, they did, with just hand...

Ink Impressions

Enjoy a few Ontario Barn Structures through the eyes of an architect’s pen. I made a news years resolution to sketch more, and it took me a few weeks to figure out what I was going to sketch. But then...

Breathing New Life Into an Old Barn

As the custodian of a century old Ontario bank barn I can tell you without a doubt that it is both the most awe inspiring and scariest thing on our farm. It’s awe inspiring for the reasons that...

RACK-LIFTERS

by Jim Campbell, Duntroon Ontario’s historic timber-frame bank barns are wonderful examples of architectural economy and practicality at least for the era during which they were constructed. In...

Surplus Farm Dwelling Severance

We need your input! what does your municipality do with bank barns and severances? Review the issues and help us help your municipality find alternative solutions! We Need your input! What does your...

Hidden Treasures

I was speaking at church with a gentleman about our organization and he shared a story from his childhood I couldn’t help but be fascinated with. ITs a story told by Paul Harvey on his radio show “the...