Владельцы фермы в Пенсильвании восстановили исторический амбар 1875 года, сохранив уникальные детали

LEHIGH TOWNSHIP, Pa. — When Ray Biery restored his barn in 2006, he wanted to incorporate new elements while maintaining the characteristics of its age. But first, he had to prevent it from falling down. Biery is the third generation to own the Northampton County farm, which his grandfather purchased around 1900. But the property dates back much further. When Biery acquired the farm in 1985, he found old deeds stored away under the rafters of the house’s slate roof. The earliest was dated 1810, and at that time, the land was sold for 200 pounds — a reference to the British monetary system which lingered in the early U.S. economy. But historic or not, the buildings were decrepit. Biery tore down the early 1900s farmhouse and replaced it with a new one that emulated the pattern of the old structure. The 1800s forebay standard bank barn was in even worse shape. “The barn was falling apart and was infested with rats and squirrels,” Biery said. “But I wanted to save it and also duplicate the history that is here.” The process to save and restore the barn, which began in 2006, was all encompassing, from the foundation to the roof. Biery had the stone foundation relaid and repointed, and in an effort to stay as authentic as possible, he looked into slate shingles to replace those of the original roof. Price was an issue, though, as real slate shingles carried a price tag of $500,000, so Biery opted for fiberglass replicas at a fraction of the cost. The stone foundation also features a “peiler eck” corner, which is a wide L formation in the stone that contains a separate room used for storage. Barn historian Greg Huber — who operates two organizations that write history reports for owners of historic homesteads, barns and homes — said he has found these corners on about 10% of the barns he’s visited. Huber was also surprised by the height of the stone corner on the barn foundation, which measured nearly 11 feet. “It’s extremely unusual to see it that high, and it might have something to do with the steepness of the bank the barn was built into,” he said. Yet an even more impressive element was found inside the lower level of the barn. Biery had replaced some of the ceiling joists with timbers of the same dimension as the originals, but supporting it all is an enormous, mysteriously shaped summer beam. The beam is 19.5 inches thick and features several pronounced notches and a wide-angled chamfer along part of its length. Huber suspected the beam was sycamore or beech, which is also unusual. “The wood type and exceptional thickness, along with the two very long notches, I’ve never seen anything like that,” Huber said. “They appear to be original to the beam, but the reason for it is a mystery.” Upstairs, Biery worked closely with his carpenter, Wasyl Mauser, to preserve the original components of the barn. New boards on the walls were painstakingly cut to form around the shape of the beams, and the pine floor was replaced with locust boards of the same dimension. “I wanted to maintain as much of the history as I could so everything would blend together,” Biery said. The mowstead walls are all intact and feature 16-inch wide boards. The granary still has the original door and hardware, and numerous carvings provide a glimpse into the past. On one board in the upstairs, the name “Hilburgh” is etched into the wood. Biery said it’s the name of one of the former owners. Another door that leads into a haymow has a three-petal rosette carved into the wood. Huber said farmers sometimes carved rosettes in their barns, but most designs have four or six petals. Three petals are rare, he said, and the carving could carry religious connotations. “It could signify the Trinity as it’s not uncommon to see religious elements in these old barns,” Huber said. He estimated the barn was built between 1875 and 1890, and there were some materials — such as the rafter plate in the downstairs ceiling — that were recycled from other buildings that once stood on the property. Biery said the property once housed an old log home, so it’s possible that’s where the rafter plate originated. If anything, it’s an example that the builders of the past incorporated old materials when they could, just as Biery did in the present when he restored his barn. “I’m very proud of what we’ve done because the barn was in terrible shape and it would’ve been gone by now,” Biery said.