Barns store reminders of our agricultural past

The John Moyer barn on Jim Bucknall’s Campden property includes a unique feature, an overhang on the rear of the barn. The idea was brought up by early settlers from Bucks County. ~ Luke Edwards photo

By Luke Edwards

There was a time, long before Siri began giving us directions, that certain landmarks offered the best directions.

Instead of being told to “turn left in 500 metres” by a computer, an actual human might direct a wayward traveller to “turn left after you pass the old red barn.” For a long while, barns were among the most stable landmarks to be used when giving directions.

However, in a lot of places, those old buildings are disappearing.

“Sometimes you don’t realize it’s a landmark until it’s gone,” said Hugh Fraser, president of the Ontario Barn Preservation group, a small but dedicated collection of barn enthusiasts from all corners of the province.

Fraser was a natural fit for the non-profit group that formed in 2019. Well known in local farming circles, Fraser has long worked in the agricultural industry and has published a book focusing on swing beam barns.

He joined the group in 2020 and has since worked with a strong collection of people who are committed to preserving farming history in the form of old barns.

“Barns are disappearing so fast. We’ve got to do something,” Fraser said.

There’s a small membership of around 100, though Fraser said the group is more interested in enthusiasm than overall numbers. The directors include people with a wide range of skills and know-how from across the province.

They have several ongoing projects, chief among them is one they call the Your Old Barn Study, which is a database the volunteers are creating to document as many barns as possible in the province. The idea is simply to develop an understanding of what exists in Ontario.

“We’re trying to help people understand what gems they have,” Fraser said.

The Your Old Barn Study is completely separate from any heritage designation efforts. While Fraser said the group will help barn owners with the process when they wish to have a barn designated, otherwise OBP maintains a shield of privacy.

By creating the database, Fraser said they’ll have a baseline of knowledge, while at the same time being able to help owners discover value that may be hidden in their old barns, or help with ways to preserve the old buildings.

“It’s not designate or let it fall down,” Fraser said. On the contrary, there are loads of other options for people who want to protect their piece of history.

Jim Bucknall’s property in Campden is home to one of those old barns. Dating back to John Moyer in the 1840s, Bucknall and his family have maintained it for several years. It’s no surprise, since Bucknall is also known for his preservation of old farm equipment, including a century-old Sawyer-Massey steam tractor.

The barn includes interesting features such as a rack lifter inside and an overhang area in the rear of the barn, something Bucknall said was unique to Bucks County, Pennsylvania, which is where the Moyers came from.

All told, Bucknall said old barns like the one on his property are a testament to the skill of builders of the day.

“The craftsmanship is just phenomenal,” he said.

Along the same lines as the Your Old Barn study is a barn counting project, that’s using some technology and modeling to predict how many barns exist and trends on how many are being lost.

A third major project the group is undertaking is a guide being produced that Fraser said could help municipalities and developers. Once complete it will offer tips and advice for barn preservation, ranging from complete restoration and adaptive reuses of old barns, to ways to preserve the wood and materials.

Beyond that, they also are working on creating some 3D models of barns to provide more access for people in cities or those who have mobility issues that make it difficult to move around an old barn.

Playing on the idea of Ted Talks, the group hosts regular Tenon Talks on topics of interest.

This year they’re planning on launching an awards of excellence program to honour those who go the extra mile to preserve barns.

Fraser said it can be surprising just how many people are fans of old barns. His specific fascination is with old swing beam barns, Fraser authored a book on the topic before joining OBP, but he said others become fans for all kinds of reasons. One of the chief reasons, he suspects, is that barns offer a bit of nostalgia, a trip down memory lane to a time when life, at least seemed, not so fast and hectic.

“It reminds them of their childhood,” he said.

For more information on the group, visit ontariobarnpreservation.com.