High-tech methods to preserve old-tech barns
Toolbox
By MEL HUFF Staff Writer - Published: July 6, 2008
Vermont is turning to a key 21st century tool to preserve some 19th century treasures.
As the state launches a year-and-a-half-long project to inventory the state's historic barns, it is turning to the Internet and the vast store of local knowledge in Vermont's local communities.
Over the years, the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation has developed a general database for storing information on historic buildings. In a couple of weeks, a form will be posted on a barn census Web site (http://www.uvm.edu/~barn) for volunteers to use in submitting information about the barns they survey, along with photographs.
The first weekend barn census will be held Aug. 2-3.
"We're putting up a lot of information about barns on the Web site, so people can go there and learn about the history of barns in Vermont, the history of agriculture in Vermont and different kinds of features on barns," said Nancy Boone, the state architectural historian and deputy state historic preservation officer. Under "Ten Tips on Taking Care of an Old Barn," readers will find an illustrated history of Vermont barns.
Volunteers from all the state's 251 towns are being asked to contact the owners of barns they are interested in, inspect the barns, determine the style and the era it corresponds to, gather information about the barns' physical features and history, and take photographs. When they have finished, they will send the information and pictures via computer to the Barn Census Database at the University of Vermont.
Elementary and high school classes, Scout troops, historical societies, groups of friends and individuals are all invited to participate.
"There's been a tremendous outpouring of interest," said Boone, the state architectural historian and deputy state historic preservation officer. "We're going to find out a lot, and some of it will be a surprise. There's a real sense of discovery."
Vermont's historic barns are disappearing. Every year, some are lost to fire. Others cave in. A few are dismantled and sold to out-of-state buyers. Although the state's old barns are revered as icons, no one knows how many there are, though estimates range from 10,000 to 20,000.
"We're losing our historic barns at a fairly rapid rate, but there's no information about how fast we're losing them. We don't really know because nobody has kept track," said Boone. "The information is anecdotal – this is part of the problem. Two winters ago, particularly with the Valentine's Day snowstorm, all of a sudden we saw buildings falling down, but we don't have any numbers about how many we had or how many we have now."
Boone thinks the census will provide that information, raise awareness about the importance of the barns and "help spark some creative thinking about what can be done to help preserve them."
Vermont's barns have more than sentimental value – they are crucial to tourism. "In the most recent (2007) profile survey of Vermont visitors, active recreationists and skiers as well as the traditional summer and fall visitors with historical and cultural interests cite Vermont's scenic landscape at the top of Vermont's appeal," said Greg Gerdel, research and operations chief of the Department of Tourism and Marketing. The department's Web site devotes a page to Vermont barns and even suggests barn-viewing routes for tourists.
Because historic barns are perceived as having a "public benefit," the state makes grant money available to preserve those in critical need of repair. Vermont's barn grant program – the first in the nation – has provided more than $1.3 million to save some 200 of the historic structures. This year the program, which began in 1991, made 23 grants totaling more than $200,000. Grants for assessing the condition of historic barns and developing plans for their repair are available through the Preservation Trust of Vermont.
Boone thinks the census will reveal a lot of information about individual barns, as well as about the general state of barns in Vermont. She expects to learn not only how many barns there are and how many are no longer usable, but things like how rare it is to find a barn from say, 1800.
The term "historic" is interpreted liberally. Boone says it usually signifies structures that are at least 50 years old. But, she notes, "Some volunteers will pick up newer barns, too. Agriculture in Vermont continues to evolve, and today's barns illustrate the latest chapter in Vermont's agricultural history."
When the census has been completed, the volunteers will be invited to a celebration where the information they have gathered will be shared.
In a time of straitened circumstances, some might ask why scant resources are being used to save endangered barns.
Boone says it's because barns are a statement of identity.
"Barns represent a connection with Vermont's agricultural past, and somehow that helps define us," she said. "It helps us have that sense of place, that grounding, that rootedness in where we are. I talk to people all the times who express a sense of loss when a barn goes down.
"We have something special in the way that Vermont's history is still very visible on the land. In so many other places, history has been erased from the landscape. I think everybody loves an old barn. It's part of the character of Vermont, and Vermonters care about that."
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