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 found, as is usual, unique aspects of it that are not found in other barns. I love the sleuthing part […]
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 imagine how it was possible, but it did happen and right here in Ontario. The largest, […]
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 for future generations to better understand the way our 19th century ancestors lived. As he has correctly pointed out, barns as a […]
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 tools, rope, horses and community strength, especially when it came time for the barn raising. During the last half of […]
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 the days before electricity and fossil-fuel power, it made a lot of sense to use gravity throughout the winter as a means of transporting hay (and […]
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 rest of the story”. Some of you may remember. I don’t but there’s no mistaking that voice! […]
Durham Barn
There are many untold stories about barns in Ontario as the history of those buildings and people who knew about them fade away but there are clues left behind. This barn, in Grey County, three kilometers south east of Durham, has a checkered history. It’s a spacious 48 foot by 60 foot timber frame structure, […]
Barns Used to Have Communities Around them
BarnsUsed to Have Communities Jon Radojkovic, Chesley Here’s a nice standard 135 year-old timber frame barn where the 100 acres of land was taken out of the crown in 1868 for $50. For another $50 the pioneer bought the 100 acre farm backing on this one, which is the farm we now own. When we […]
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 thing. At Ontario Barn Preservation, we aim to preserve old barns, their architecture, cultural history and contribution to our rural landscape. […]