Vermont Barns Are Historic and Scenic Icons!
Growing up on a working dairy farm in Vermont, I spent a large portion of my time in the barn, both working and playing.
The barn is the center of the business of farming. For a child, the barn holds the promise of places to hide, animals to grow with and endless other possibilities for creativity and play.
I fondly remember countless games of hide and seek and new litters of kittens carefully concealed in the hayloft by the mama cat. When the hayloft was full at the end of the summer haying season, my sisters and I would jump from the rough hewed beams into the soft hay mounds. I recall my Dad playfully squirting milk at me from the cow's teats.
The barn was a place for lots of hard work, of course. There were cows to be milked, fed and cleaned up after. It was repetitious and dirty work and it had to be done twice a day, seven days a week. Repairs had to be made and sick animals had to be cared for.
For the tourist, Vermont barns can be objects of beauty and history. They include a range of architectural styles that evolved over time. Usually painted red or white, or left natural to grey with age, the Vermont barn blends beautifully into the green hills of this lovely, largely rural state.
Vermont barns are an integral part of the history and scenic value of the state. Vermont wouldn't be the same without them.
The barn is the center of the business of farming. For a child, the barn holds the promise of places to hide, animals to grow with and endless other possibilities for creativity and play.
I fondly remember countless games of hide and seek and new litters of kittens carefully concealed in the hayloft by the mama cat. When the hayloft was full at the end of the summer haying season, my sisters and I would jump from the rough hewed beams into the soft hay mounds. I recall my Dad playfully squirting milk at me from the cow's teats.
The barn was a place for lots of hard work, of course. There were cows to be milked, fed and cleaned up after. It was repetitious and dirty work and it had to be done twice a day, seven days a week. Repairs had to be made and sick animals had to be cared for.
For the tourist, Vermont barns can be objects of beauty and history. They include a range of architectural styles that evolved over time. Usually painted red or white, or left natural to grey with age, the Vermont barn blends beautifully into the green hills of this lovely, largely rural state.
Vermont barns are an integral part of the history and scenic value of the state. Vermont wouldn't be the same without them.
The Vermont Barn Census
A statewide, volunteer effort to take stock of the number, type and condition of all the historic barns in Vermont.
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The English Barn
Historic Types of Vermont Barns - I
The early colonists of Vermont were from England and they brought their traditional barn design with them. The English Barn is a simple design that remained popular for smaller barns from the 18th century and throughout the 19th century. It was usually built on a level site. About thirty by forty feet, it had unpainted vertical boards and a double hinged door on the long side to drive a wagon in. One side of the barn was for storage of hay and grain. The other side housed the animals.
Model of a Typical English Barn.
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The Yankee or Bank Barn
Historic Types of Vermont Barns -II
In the middle of the 19th century, a new barn design began to be built as farmer's needs changed. They required a larger barn to hold 10 or more cows, so they switched the door to the end of the barn.
The barn was usually built on the side of a hill so that the manure could be pushed out and stored below. There was also more room for expansion. Later versions emerged in the 1870's to 1900's called the Bank Barn. These barns were larger and had more floors. Often they included a ramp leading up to the main floor of the hay loft.
Another change seen in the Yankee Barn was in the construction of the siding. To keep out the cold drafts, they switched to board and batten, clapboard or shingle siding. They also started adding windows and rooftop ventilators for air circulation.
The barn was usually built on the side of a hill so that the manure could be pushed out and stored below. There was also more room for expansion. Later versions emerged in the 1870's to 1900's called the Bank Barn. These barns were larger and had more floors. Often they included a ramp leading up to the main floor of the hay loft.
Another change seen in the Yankee Barn was in the construction of the siding. To keep out the cold drafts, they switched to board and batten, clapboard or shingle siding. They also started adding windows and rooftop ventilators for air circulation.
The Round Barn
Historic Types of Vermont Barns - III
One of the great delights of touring Vermont is to round a corner or go over a hilltop and spy a round barn. Although not as many farmers built round barns as other types, their distinctive shape promoted an efficiency at feeding time. There was often a silo built in the center of the barn. The cattle faced into the center, making the job of feeding them easier.
The round barns were most popular from the 1890's to the 1910's. Many agricultural colleges of the time recommended them as an improved way to house cattle.
The round barns were most popular from the 1890's to the 1910's. Many agricultural colleges of the time recommended them as an improved way to house cattle.
The Ground Stable Barns
Historic Types of Vermont Barns - IV
Probably the most common barn found on a working Vermont dairy farm today is the ground stable barn. This is due to the fact that, after 1910, there were new government health regulations for the production and handling of fluid milk. These barns have a gambrel roof for generous hay storage. The cows are housed on the ground floor in steel-pipe stanchions on a concrete floor which is easily washable.
Ground stable barns were available as pre-fabricated kits complete with windows for more light, ventilators for fresh air, lightning rods and siding. There was usually a small milk house attached where the milk could be kept cool until pickup.
Ground stable barns were available as pre-fabricated kits complete with windows for more light, ventilators for fresh air, lightning rods and siding. There was usually a small milk house attached where the milk could be kept cool until pickup.
Historic Barns and Their Preservation Links
Resources For Old Barn Lovers
- Taking Care Of Your Old Barn
- This site was produced by the Vermont Heritage Network at the University of Vermont Historic Preservation Program.
- SaveVermontBarns
- The Problem
Barns are being lost. Barns
that are not being used or maintained are in danger of loss.
It i - The Preservation Of Historic Barns
- Preservation Briefs assist owners and developers of historic buildings in recognizing and resolving
common preservation and repair problems prior to work. The briefs are especially useful to preservation tax incentive program applicants because they recommend those methods and
approaches for rehab - Vermont Round Barns
- Aug 7, 2008 ... Provides photographs and directions to round barns throughout the State.
- Scenes of Vermont Barns New England Barns Vermont Photographs
- Vermont Lodging, Vermont Vacation and Travel Planner and Guide to the ... Vermont Real Estate, Vermont Products, Vermont Vacation Rentals, Vermont Business, ...
- Vermont Division For Historic Preservation - Financing Assistance ...
- P.S. In 2008 and 2009, the Division is sponsoring the Vermont Barn Census, a statewide volunteer inventory of historic barns. ...
- Vermont historic barns - Yankee Magazine
- Vermont barns of 18th and 19th centuries were designed by farmer-architects and raised by farmer-artisans. By Castle Freeman, Jr., Yankee Magazine.
- Barn Resources
- The Preservation of Historic Barns, a good reference of barn styles, ... Note: Currently there are barn preservation programs in the following states: MI, ...
- Barn Preservation Organizations
- If you don't see a barn preservation organization for your state, ... They can often put you in contact with barn preservation groups in your state that are ...
- Financial help for barn preservation projects
- The BARN AGAIN! program does not provide grants to private individuals to fix up their barns. It would be impossible for us to give grants for every barn in ...
- Mount Holly Barn Preservation Association
- In spring 2005 part-time Mount Holly farmer Randy Hawkins received a barn preservation grant from the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation for the ...
My First Vermont Barn
An Old Family Photo
When I was 3 months old, my family bought and worked a farm on The Irish Settlement Road in Underhill, Vermont. This was our barn.
Vermont Barn Products
Visit Scenic Vermont
Tour Vermont Backroads and See Historic Barns
If you fly into Burlington for a tour of Vermont, you might want to make your first stop The Shelburne Museum just south of Burlington in Shelburne, Vermont. There you will find some excellent examples of historic Vermont barns as well as many other historic buildings and collections. You could spend an entire day there!
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Do you like old barns?
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Reply
- poutine poutine Jul 1, 2009 @ 12:59 pm
- This lens makes me feel like visiting Vermont.
Poutine
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Reply
- K_Linda K_Linda Apr 24, 2009 @ 7:45 am
- Cari_Kay, I don't where you live, but I took that picture on a back road in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont near Craftsbury. Sorry about the phone lines. My photo editing skills are not good enough to get rid of the ubiquitous power lines.
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Reply
- Cari_Kay Cari_Kay Apr 23, 2009 @ 8:58 pm
- Beautiful photos! If you hadn't said these barns were in Vermont, I'd swear that first one is the one I am looking at right now out my window. Seriously, they look pretty identical. No phone lines going across here though. Great lens
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Reply
- hlkljgk hlkljgk Mar 4, 2009 @ 9:25 am
- i lived in burlington for a while then just outside of brattleboro for years. we moved back toward our family in western mass, but will definitely be back to vt. beautiful lens.
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Reply
- Tiddledeewinks Tiddledeewinks Mar 3, 2009 @ 9:04 pm
- You were so lucky to have grown up on a Vermont farm! I love Vermont and farms. Where I am in Maine is nice, too.
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by K_Linda
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