Herrick Barn

In the early 19th century, the barn was a symbol of permanence and prosperity. English threshing barns such as this one, were once common on farmsteads in Upstate New York. These barns had three bays with large swing doors opening onto the center bay. Grain was processed, or threshed in the center bay and stored in the mows and lofts. According to old maps, the Bements built their threshing barn across the road from the house. It was destroyed by fire many years ago. The barn we have now, was built in the early 1800’s by the Herrick family of Candor, New York. It was dissembled and reconstructed on the farmstead property in the late 1990’s. The frame was re-erected at a traditional barn-raising during the 1999 Spring Festival. Members of our Blacksmith’s Guild reproduced hardware for the structure.

Timber Frame Barn Disassembly

After years of being hidden within the walls of a working dairy barn, the Herrick threshing barn can be seen once again, as disassembly and relocation takes place.

	The main barn (30 X 70) as seen from the north side. The original threshing barn (30 X 40) faces north with the addition (30 X 30) facing south. The clapboard siding was probably added in the 1920's. The horse barn (originally a blacksmith shop, but now a garage) runs off to the east. Although not visible the horse barn has a lean-to addition on the opposite side. This picture was taken in November 1995. Disassembly began on August 1, 1996.
Most of the clapboards have been removed along with most of the siding on the 30' addition. The two sections of the main barn are now more readily visible.
	This shows the frame of the 30' addition. It was recycled from another barn, perhaps around the turn of the century. These rafters are poles that were flattened on one side rather than being sawn timbers. This is the part where the dairy herd was placed. Recycling of timber frames was quite common.
Frame of the addition taken from the south.
	With the frame of the addition removed, the framing of the original threshing barn is now clearly visible. In the center is the threshing bay, where the grain was processed; the right bay was for storage of straw or hay; the left bay (the narrower one) would contain the granary and stable area.
Another shot of the frame taken from the south. The tie beam facing us was cut to accommodate the hay track.
	The rafters have been removed and the frame is now ready for final disassembly. Randy Nash, our contractor, can be seen in the foreground.
Final disassembly was done with a crane. Care must be taken to remove enough braces to speed the process without making the frame unsafe to walk upon.
	Another view of the crane at work. The date was August 14, 1996.
View of the horse barn with west side completely exposed. Lean-to addition is now clearly visible.
	Horse barn has been enclosed using clapboard siding that was saved from the main barn. The foundation of the main barn has been buried, leveled and reseeded. This picture was taken in late October, 1996.
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Laying the Stone Foundation

A wall of fieldstone is carefully laid up, forming the new foundation for the Herrick Barn.

	A trench between 30" and 40" deep and measuring 32' X 42' was dug in August 1998. It was filled with #2 stone and lined with geocloth. The geocloth keeps dirt from filtering into the trench over a given period of time. The trench is two feet wider than the barn foundation (30' X 40') because having #2 stone about a foot or so around the perimeter of the barn will help with drainage. If the "old-timers" had backhoes and gravel they would have done something similar. None of this "modern" foundation work will be seen by the public.
	Kevin Reilly of Newfield, NY, received the bid for the stone wall. He started work during the Society's Apple Festival in October.
	Kevin has completed the northwest corner. This first corner is important because it establishes the height and orientation of the entire foundation. The minimum height to help preserve sill timbers should be 8" to 10" above grade. There is a 20" difference in grade on the site, making the west wall that much higher than the east wall.
	During the Festival, William Bement, master of the Farmstead, came to inspect the work. The foundation for the Herrick Barn is essentially a double wall with a dead air space in between filled with #2 stone. Larger field stones are used for the base which is approximately 6" to 8" below the surface. The stones taper inwards to help with stability and drainage and the wall narrows as it reaches the correct height.
	Kevin also ran a stone wall workshop the following weekend. His assistant was Michael Williams. The workshop had nine participants.
	The wall was essentially finished on October 25 during the Society's Haunted Barn activities. The stone came from four different sites. Much of the east wall is from the Herrick Barn's original site. The rest of the stone came from three different Newark Valley families: Bob and Paula Lawrence, Bob and Kathy Card and the Snapp family. This amount of stone would be valued at $2,000.
	The wall was covered with construction cloth and winter wheat was planted around the foundation grading. Back in pioneer days this was probably ground that was planted for wheat as well.
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The Barn Raising

Preparation

From the beginning of the project it was the wish of the Society to have a traditional barn raising. This is certainly in keeping with the philosophy of a living history site and with the concern we had developed for historical authenticity and accuracy.

Dick Warner, an experienced timber framer and one of the organizers of our Woodwright Guild, was willing to lead the raising. He had led a crew of inexperienced people assemble one of his own frames, but had never done a completely traditional raising.

We decided to do the raising as part of the Society's Spring Festival on June 12-13, 1999. This actually coincides with a traditional time for raisings that often occurred between planting and the start of hay gathering.

The frame is not exceptionally large (30' X 40') and the timbers themselves are of moderate dimensions. Since pine is fairly light in comparison to hardwoods, Dick did not feel that use of a gin pole would be necessary.

The work crew numbered 30. Six were experienced timber framers and seven were from our woodwright guild. The ages ranged from 17 to 67 and included two members of the Herrick family. Our 17 year old was John Tomazin. He has been one of our most active Youth Interpreters, a program developed by the Society for young people to learn traditional crafts and help interpret the Farmstead for the general public.

The frame would be erected in much the same fashion as it had been done 175 years before. There were these exceptions: the crew would wear hardhats, there was a woman on the crew, and there was no barrel of hard cider sitting under a tree.

We encouraged everyone to meet the Saturday before the raising, especially those who lacked experience. The first job was to draw the sills true and then bring the floor joists into place. This was the type of job that works well with extra bodies and it gave the participants a chance to work with one another. A temporary floor was then put into place and the first bent assembled. We practiced a lift. We picked it up, raised it over our heads and brought it back down. It helped give us confidence for the real thing.

Floor joist placement done on June 5. The two principal joists could be reused, but five others were taken from trees in the Farmstead woods and hand hewn on one side. Half of the sill material was replaced or recreated as well.

The plan for the weekend was to have the bents and plates up on Saturday and the queen posts, purlins and rafters in place on Sunday. We wanted the public to see the process from the very beginning and had advertised that the first bent would go up at 10:30.

The Raising - Bent #1 (June 12th)

The weather was ideal for our Spring Festival weekend. It was warm, but not excessively hot and more important, there was no rain in the forecast.

We took our positions on the temporary floor. Earlier the crew had raised the bent on a pair of saw horses. This was a big help because there is a point where your hands need to move from lifting the bent to pushing the bent. The saw horses do not eliminate this, but it makes this transition much smoother.

One member of our crew, Tom Bartenstein, has quite a flair for history, and came dressed in the garb of the early 1800's. He cut quite a figure with knickers, buckle shoes and period shirt topped off with a florescent yellow hard hat. He was dressed as Theodorus, of course. It was only fitting that the man who built the barn should be present at the raising.

First bent has been assembled, raised on saw horses and is ready for lifting at 10:25 A.M.

At 10:45 the call went out to begin the lift. A raising is a very interesting illustration of team work. Although we had a good mix of experienced people, it was important to have the raising process orchestrated by the leader. This would help decrease the chances of accidents or mistakes. The first part of the process a group of individuals hand lift the bent. The weight of the bent determines the number of people necessary for the lift. Once the bent is over the heads of the hand lifters, the pike poles need to be utilized. These are people who stand behind the hand lifters and make the first contact to bring the bent into a 45 degree angle. Their poles are short ones.

The hand lifters need to drop back, grab one of the longer pike poles and continue the process until the bent is nearly vertical. As a safety measure, two people have ropes attached to end posts to help keep the bent from going completely over. At the same time, other individuals need to be positioned where the post tenons will drop into the sills. Often brackets are nailed to help the process, especially for short studs. Once the bent is vertical, a temporary brace is nailed at a 45 degree angle to the sill to stabilize the bent. This is one of the most precarious times in a raising. Until the second bent is in place with girts attached to the first bent, there isn't much keeping the first bent stable.

Once the bent is being raised it is important to maintain momentum. It becomes very dangerous to slow down. It also highlights the need to check everything a dozen times. You don't want to have the bent in place and suddenly realize that something is amiss. A time consuming repair or adjustment at this point loses valuable time and can be very hazardous.

Proper handling of a handling the pike pole is critical. To maintain adequate control, keep the hands spread apart and keep them stationary. Going hand over hand can cause the pike pole to slip and subsequently drop. This not only causes a loss of pressure on the bent, but could also drop on a member of the crew.

Raising of bent #1 10:45 A.M.

Everything went smoothly. Within a few minutes the bent was vertical, the post tenons had dropped into the sills pockets and a temporary brace had been nailed. There was some problem with a center post, however. This is where the use of a commander or beetle is utilized. It is a large mallet with a huge wooden head designed for those parts of the frame that aren't cooperating quite the way that they should. It certainly gets the job done.

Girts are nailed in place temporarily until they can be connected to bent #2.

Bent #2

Next came the assembly of bent #2. While part of the crew was involved with bringing over pieces of the frame, others were moving floor boards and several others were getting the girts in place that would stabilize the first two bents. This bent had more studs that helped enclose both the granary and stable area. Once again the bent was lifted on saw horses. Crew members on either side would help align girts for placement into the posts. Bent #2 rose the same way as bent #1. Within a few minutes the girts were in place and wooden pegs had been driven into their respective holes. With two bents stabilized, the frame was off to a good start. The time was 11:40 and it was time for lunch.

Raising of Bbent #2 as seen from the south side of the barn. Note the studs for the stable and granary wall.

Bents #3 & #4

By early afternoon we were ready for bent #3. The pattern for having the bents move into position followed a standard formula: a temporary floor was moved into place, the bent was assembled and placed on saw horses. Each one did have special characteristics, however, that made them unique in some way. Bent #3 had the built-in ladder for climbing into the mow bay. There was also a series of studs for the breast wall on either side. This bent was attached to bent #2 with a single 14' girt that straddled the threshing floor.

Bent #3 in position 2:00 P.M. Note the ladder and short breast wall.

The first three bents were raised with the crew facing south. This would not be feasible for bent #4 because of the proximity of the Norway spruce. Fortunately there was just enough room in the mow bay to accommodate the bent, but it did make it a bit difficult to grab pike poles once the raising began. One pike pole became lodged between the tie beam and the breast wall girt. If the angle had been too great it might have broken the pole, but very soon it was worked free.

Bent #4 in position, and girts connected.

Attaching the girts for these two bents was a bit more problematic. The bent needed to be pushed back from the vertical to accommodate the appropriate tenon. This required some pike polers to go to the opposite side. It also kept the people holding the ropes on their toes. Wooden pegs helped secure the structure. It was 3:00 PM and all the bents were in place. So far so good.

	Photos of a bent #3 being raised at Ray Stannard's farm, Newark Valley, taken in the early 1920's. Although they had a larger crew, the raising process was essentially identical.

The Plates

We were on schedule for the plates and this is where a raising becomes even more interesting. The bents can be erected from the ground with a few people working from ladders or step ladders. For the rest of the structure, a number of people need to work 13' or more off the ground. Not everyone feels comfortable working from a scaffold. The people that are experienced and feel at ease with this task automatically climb up the frame, but for more than one person it took some time to get their "sea legs".

Photo of a plate being raised at Ray Stannard's farm, Newark Valley, taken in the early 1920's.

Plates can be brought up in one of two ways: pull the framing piece straight up to the top or pull up one side, tie it off and then pull up the other side. We had eight crew members, two at each post, who pulled the plate in one motion. The plate that went to the east side had been damaged by water seepage in the section over the threshing floor. During frame repairs, the deteriorated wood had been gouged out, and a large piece of white oak dropped inside of it for reinforcement. Carriage bolts helped secure it and would be the only visible sign to the public that a repair had been made. As a safety precaution, two boards were clamped over this area during the lift. Once everything was in place, ropes were fastened in four places and the plate was lifted onto a pair of saw horses. When the word went out to lift, the ropes went taunt and people from below helped with hand lifting and soon after grabbed a pike pole.

It was important not to stop until the plate could be positioned on top of the posts. The plate was tied so that the mortises of the plate would fit over the tenons of the posts once the plate was lifted high enough. If this doesn't happen, the plate needs to be turned in midair into the appropriate position. Besides getting the plate over the post tenons, there are four braces that need to be placed as well. The general procedure is to start on one side with one person guiding the plate into the post and his partner making sure that the brace falls into the right slot. When this is done the procedure follows its way down the plate until the opposite end is secure. Nobody wants to work longer than necessary, but no one wants to make a mistake either. The plate dropped into place with gravity doing most of the work.

Raising of the east plate 3:55 P.M. Eight crew members lift from above while others are hand lifting and using pike poles from down below.

Next came the west plate. This plate had a 6' section that had been cut out when the threshing barn had been joined to another barn (see Timber Frame Barn Disassembly). It could be brought to the top in three pieces. Before this was done, however, scaffolding needed to be brought to the opposite side. When barn raisings were common place, there are frequent references to individuals that displayed various degrees of acrobatic skill from the frame. This was all part of the show and one of the features that would help draw a crowd for the event. Perhaps it was a chance for people who had always wanted to be part of the circus to fulfill some latent desires.

Bringing up the west plate was a piece of cake, comparatively speaking. The three pieces could be brought up separately and pegged together once they were dropped into place. It was 4:35 and time to take a well deserved rest from a very successful day.

Raising of west plate. Scarf joints connected the new replacement section to the two original pieces.

We took a shot of the barn raising crew because some of the people would not be able to participate the next day. Our crew shots were taken from the southwest corner. This was about the best place to get everyone into the picture. The traditional shots of barn raising crews have people draped all over the frame from rafters to floor.

Barn raising crew Saturday, June 12.

Queen Post Assemblies (June 13th)

Sunday would turn out to be as nice a day as the one before. The morning would be involved with queen post assemblies, which consist of two queen posts, a girt and two braces. The pieces were lifted, posts and girt assembled and each one raised into place. These might be described as mini-bents and each involved a separate raising. One crucial difference was that the crew was 13' off the ground. Four people were needed to raise each assembly with two others to make sure braces were in place.

Sunday, June 13, the first queen post assembly is in place. It consists of two posts, a girt and four braces.

The queen post assemblies went up without mishap or any real excitement. That was the way we wanted it. The only variation was assembly #3 that had a ladder going up to the girt. This had been in the original threshing barn, but it along with the girt had been removed for installation of a hay track, probably some time in the early 1900s. By 12:40 three of the assemblies were in place and lunch was served.

Raising of queen post assembly #3 with restored ladder and girt.

Purlins

The last major task was the placement of the 40' purlins. This is a major piece of the frame that rests on the queen posts. Although of smaller dimensions than the plates (7" X 8" rather than 7" X 11"), the purlins needed to picked up six feet to the top of the queen posts in an area that was a bit tight for working. First the eastside purlin was pulled up along the side wall just as the plate had been done. After moving the scaffolding the purlin was placed on saw horses. When everyone was ready, the purlin was set atop the posts and certain people needed to sure that braces were in place. Working from one end to the other, this part of the frame was now secure. Placement of the west side purlin was a repeat performance of the eastside.

Raising of the east purlin 2:45 PM Although of smaller dimensions than the plate, the work area was more awkward and the piece had to be lifted 6' high.

Rafters

After the purlins had been secured, placement of the rafters seemed anti-climatic. Once scaffolding was placed along the queen post girts, the rafters dropped in place over the plate and purlin. A half lap joint kept them secure at the top.

Frame with west purlin in position 3:30 PM. Rafters prepared for assembly.

It was about this time that William Bement a.k.a. Ed Nizalowski, the master of the Farmstead, made an appearance out the back door. He chided the crew for not having a barn built soon enough for the crops that were ripening in his fields. The rest of the time was spent glad handing quests. Since Theodorus had been there on Saturday, William needed to come back to life at least one day himself.

When the final rafter was in place, it was time for the tradition of the green bough. Tom Dinmore had the honor of nailing a branch from the Norway spruce to the final rafter.

Tom Dinmore of Tioga Center, NY, nails the green bough to the finished frame.

This is a very old tradition dating back to at least the middle ages and is taken from Germanic and Scandanavian culture. It signifies honor and respect to the forest from which the frame has been fashioned. It may also be a way of bringing vitality and life to the new frame. It's meaning and symbolism spring from the same culture that brought us the Christmas tree. After this the crew gathered for another photo.

Rafters in position; frame complete! 4:30 P.M.

Barn raising crew Sunday, June 13.

Meaning of the Frame

The raising of the frame is the climax of barn construction. It's the component where the greatest number of factors need to be coordinated and must function as a unit: a crew must be assembled, they must be fed, the weather must cooperate, the frame must be ready, the people in charge must know what they are doing. It involves the greatest amount of risk, but in turn can be the most satisfying portion of the entire experience.

Shot of the frame from the northwest. Historically the barn would have been positioned here not only to provide a windbreak for the house, but also to take advantage of the wind in the process of separating grain from chaf.

The frame itself is something beautiful to behold. On one level it is a group of timbers fashioned together in a purely utilitarian way to provide the framework for a floor, sheathing and a roof. But these elements have a harmony that transcends mere practicality. The skill, strength and stamina necessary to assemble these elements into a workable form seem interwoven into the joinery, the sight lines and the image.

Some of the joinery detail.

It would be wonderful to just let it stand in the sun so that people could stop by and admire the craftsmanship that results from a few simple tools, a good eye, and hard work. We have taken our photos and recorded our images for the VCR, but the direct experience of watching these gifts from the forest come together in an ensemble of primitive but self-assured conviction is an experience that has few equals.

Once the frame is covered, light cannot penetrate the corners, the marks of the broad ax seem less pronounced and the aura of the frame is muted. Although these monarchs of the forest that once reached for the sky have met a premature demise, they now provide shelter and usefulness for the human mechanics that carried them from the woods and gave them a new identity. Although the fauna that will soon inhabit the rooms, cavities and recesses are of domesticated breeding and design, there is no stopping the wild creatures that will soon nest in the foundation stone, spin webs in the dusty slants of sunlight and take up residence in rafter pockets.

It is this brief period when the frame stands naked in the sun's radiance that nature, toil, craftsmanship, artistry, poetry and physics all seem joined into a unifying whole. It is the best time to understand how these timbers have cheated the forces that sought to return them to the forest floor and with human vigilance they now have an extended life span, a brief immortality. And regardless of the calculations, the measurements and the finite delineation of joinery and line, there is still this realm of the mysterious. The human endeavor that has brought these elements together with a harmony and intuition that cannot be completely explained or understood, is a tradition that should not be broken.

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Traditional Barn Raising Video

The Society produced a video of the 1999 Barn Raising during the  June 12-13, 1999 Spring Festival at the Bement-Billings Farmstead in Newark Valley, New York. During these two days the frame of an English threshing barn built in the period of 1825 to 1830 was brought back to life.  See this and other videos on the Video Tapes page.

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Barn Project Contact Information

Anyone interested in more information regarding the project should e-mail Ed Nizalowski at EDNIZ@prodigy.net or call (607) 642-8075. For online resources for barn restoration and related information, visit our Historians & History Resources section.

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P.O. Box 222, Newark Valley, NY 13811 ♦ (607) 642-9516 ♦ webmaster@nvhistory.org