Gregory D. Huber

An old barn invokes a feeling of comfort. It’s a nostalgic place with numerous possibilities. It can be used to house animals, store equipment, as a workshop, or you can convert it into a home. Walking through it, you begin to think of the people who were there before and wonder about their thoughts, opinions, and desires.

Much of the beginning of the book sounded like an academic thesis. Most of the points made referenced other books and included quoted sections from those books. It made for tedious evening reading prior to retiring. These references might have been better handled with a numbered reference subheader or a numbered reference index at the end of the book.

The book really became interesting when the author got into the different barn styles. Each such section was generously exemplified with pictures of barns in the eastern Pennsylvania area. Also included at the end of each barn style section were the actual locations of several barns that typified the style being discussed. This was a handy addition for those that want to see these barns for themselves.

After extensive chapters on barn styles, the author got into barn construction. Different joinery and roofing systems were used on different style barns. After explaining the techniques, the author went into the purpose of these construction practices. Many of them were simply preferences stemming from ideas passed on from farmer to farmer, or barn builder to barn builder, in a geographical area.

These old barns have a history that can’t be overtly seen by looking at them; it can only be insinuated based on the details of their construction and the uses they were put to. But time is running out. As the weather continues to take its toll, more of these structures will deteriorate beyond their owners’ financial means to maintain them.

Southeastern Pennsylvania barns were originally constructed as income producing structures for the original owners. For them, barn maintenance assured that their barns would be around to produce future income for themselves and their heirs. That is no longer true. In many cases today, it’s cheaper to build a new barn that precisely meets the needs of today’s farmer and today’s farm equipment versus fixing an old outdated barn. Non-farmers who now own these old farmsteads must have the necessary disposable income to support their nostalgic interest in the barns in order to finance repairs and maintenance. In the end, maintaining old barns may not make economic sense for anyone. An owner can probably make more money selling the old barn boards and beams than can be gotten for the property with the dilapidated barn included as part of the sale.

If you like reading about American history, The Historic Barns of Southeastern Pennsylvania is a book that will add depth to your study. From the influence of different ethnic groups on barn styles to decisions on the materials and the joinery used in their construction, these choices were made by some of the same kinds of people who wrote our constitution. Farmers were a large part of the economic landscape when this country was formed and greatly influenced the laws and trading decisions of the times.

The Historic Barns of Southeastern Pennsylvania is a well-researched book. It is a very interesting read that will serve as a reference source well into the future.… (meer)